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Sample Preparedness Plan for Circumstances Relating to COVID-19

March 26, 2020
Coronavirus

Decision Making Standard

Ensure business continuity and delivery of first-class [member] services while demonstrating care for staff [and member] welfare, reducing the risk of exposure to and spread of COVID-19, and fulfilling our mission and vision.

Telework Contingency Plan

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff [may, but are not required to,] [must] work remotely until further notice as we continue to monitor the situation.

Plan to Address Staff Reports of COVID-19

  1. Steps to follow IF a staff member or agent, in the case of a brokerage, has a confirmed case of COVID-19
    KEY: Do not reveal the individual’s identity in any communications.
    1. A senior Human Resources representative (or SVP of Human Resources, if applicable) will immediately remove the infected individual (let’s call him Sam) from the building. Ask for, but don’t require, a doctor’s note.
    2. Report situation to Chief Executive Officer and building property managers. [CEO to inform leadership team executive committee or board of directors, as appropriate].
    3. Ask Sam to identify who he came in contact with in the building within the last 10 days.
    4. Require all individuals who work on the same floor as Sam to work remotely for 14 days. Encourage exposed individuals to be tested.
    5. Close the office to all employees and agents for 24 -48 hours to allow for proper cleaning of the office space.
    6. Deep clean and sterilize the building.
    7. Discreetly contact individuals identified by Sam not located on Sam’s floor and require them to work remotely for 14 days. Do not disclose Sam’s identity. Encourage exposed individual to be tested.
    8. A senior Human Resources representative (or SVP of Human Resources, if applicable) to send a prepared and pre-approved email message to staff and agents informing them that an individual in the building has a confirmed case of COVID-19 and describing the steps the company is taking in response (i.e., require exposed individuals to work remotely for 14 days, evacuate floor/building, deep clean).
    9. All other staff and agents in the building should be advised to practice social distancing and be allowed, but not required, to work remotely for 14 days following the announcement.
    10. Chief Financial Officer to contact building property managers and insurance company to engage company to perform deep cleaning of affected spaces.
    11. Chief Marketing Officer to send message to members [clients] regarding company’s response to the situation.
  2. Steps to follow IF a staff member or agent, in the case of a brokerage, has had direct contact within the past 14 days with an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19 [but does not have it or showsigns of sickness]
    KEY: Do not reveal the individual’s identity in any communications.
    1. A senior Human Resources representative (or SVP of Human Resources, if applicable) will immediately remove the exposed individual from the building and require them to work remotely, if able, for a 14-day period. Encourage exposed individual to be tested.
    2. Report situation to Chief Executive Officer and property managers. [CEO to inform leadership team executive committee or board of directors, as appropriate].
    3. Allow individuals working on the exposed individual’s floor to work remotely for a 14-day period, if desired.
    4. A senior Human Resources representative (or SVP of Human Resources, if applicable) to send a prepared and pre-approved email message to staff and agents informing them that an individual in the building has been exposed to an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and describing the steps the company is taking in response (i.e., require exposed individuals to work remotely for 14 days, evacuate floor, deep clean).
    5. Chief Executive Officer to contact building property managers and insurance company to engage company to perform deep cleaning of affected spaces.
    6. Chief Marketing Officer to send message to members [clients] and agents regarding the company’s response to the situation.
  3. Steps to follow IF staff or agent, in the case of a brokerage, returns from an area with confirmed cases AND exhibits signs of illness
    1. The individual is not to report to the office, and if they do so, they should be immediately removed from the building.
    2. Individual required to work remotely, if able, for a 14-day period. If individual is too ill to work, company’s sick leave policies apply.
    3. Ask, but do not require, a doctor’s note to go out on sick leave or to return to work. If an individual has a confirmed case of COVID-19, you may require a return to work note, but you cannot be too prescriptive with regards to the format of the note (i.e., an email or a call from the doctor is sufficient).
  4. Steps to follow IF staff or agent, in the case of a brokerage, resides in a household with someone who has been quarantined
    1. The individual is not to report to the office, and if they do they should be immediately removed.
    2. Individual must immediately inform [name of senior Human Resources representative or SVP of Human Resources, if applicable] at [email and telephone number].

Plan to Address Client Reports of COVID-19

  1. Steps to follow IF an agent’s seller client has a confirmed case of COVID-19
    KEY:  Do not reveal the seller client’s identity or the property in any communication unless written consent is obtained.
    1. If the agent was in the physical presence of the seller client within the past 14 days, agent must immediately inform [name of senior Human Resources representative or SVP of [brokerage] Human Resources, if applicable] at [email and telephone number] that the agent was exposed to an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
    2. Agent should attempt to obtain the seller client’s written consent to disclose to any agent who toured the client’s property in the past 14 days that an individual residing at the property has a confirmed case of COVID-19.  It may not be necessary to identify the name of the individual with the confirmed case, only the property location where an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19 resides.
    3. If the seller client’s consent was obtained, the agent should immediately inform any agent who toured the seller client’s property within the past 14 days that an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19 resides at the property; agent should recommend that the buyer agent immediately inform their client that toured the property that they may have been exposed to COVID-19.
    4. If seller client does not provide consent, agent should contact any agents that toured the property within the past 14 days to inform them that they toured a property where an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19 resides, but should not disclose the specific property or individual involved.
  2. Steps to follow IF an agent’s buyer client has a confirmed case of COVID-19
    KEY: Do not reveal the buyer client’s identity in any communication.
    1. If the agent was in the physical presence of the buyer client within the past 14 days, agent must immediately inform [name of senior Human Resources representative or SVP of [brokerage] Human Resources, if applicable] at [email and telephone number] that agent was exposed to an individual with a confirmed case of COVID-19.
    2. Agent should immediately contact any agent representing a property the buyer client toured in the past 14 days to inform them that their buyer client has a confirmed case of COVID-19; agent should recommend that the seller agent immediately inform their client that they may have been exposed to COVID-19.

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