Employee Wellness Checklist for COVID-19

As a precautionary measure, many foodservice and grocery retailers are using checklists and questionnaires to quickly ask employees about their health prior to starting their shifts. Using an Employee Wellness Checklist during COVID-19 demonstrates to employees that you are taking extra measures to ensure a safe work environment. It also lets customers know you are working to ensure employees preparing food, stocking products, and providing essential services are healthy.

For instance, McDonalds asks employees questions about symptoms and close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. Restaurant Brands International (RBI), the parent company of Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Popeyes sent 15,000 infrared thermometers to its brands. This way employees can confirm they do not have a fever and are fit to work. Michigan based grocer Meijer takes every employee’s temperature. They also request employees fill out a health questionnaire. Starbucks employs what it calls “Quick Connect” wellness checks ahead of shifts. Temperature checks remain voluntary.

If you are a retailer who is open or beginning to reopen, you may want to ask employees to fill out a health questionnaire before starting their shift. Below are some sample questions to include.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: This checklist was compiled by non-medical personnel, to the best of our abilities, from a number of public sources. It is provided here as information only and without representation or guarantees. Bindy shall not be liable for any indirect, special, and/or consequential damages, arising out of or in connection with this checklist. Readers are encouraged to consult with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and/or other health and labor agencies in their own country before implementing a checklist for employee wellness.

Travel and contact

1. Employee has not traveled to or returned from another country within the last 14 days.
2. The employee has not had close contact with anyone who has traveled to or returned from another country within the last 14 days.
3. There has been no close contact with anyone having symptoms of or diagnosed with COVID-19 (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) within the last 14 days.

Symptoms of COVID-19

1. Employee does not have a fever. (Verify with infrared, contactless thermometer if appropriate).
2. The employee is not have any of the following symptoms: fever/feverish, new or existing cough, difficulty breathing.
3. Employee has not been diagnosed with COVID-19.
4. The employee has not been instructed to self-quarantine by a medical professional.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

1. Employee is supplied with necessary PPE.
2. The employee understands how to properly use PPE as their job requires.

If an employee answers “no” to any of the above, they should not work. They may need to follow self-isolation protocols. Take the appropriate next steps should an employee exhibit symptoms or test positive. Employees should not return to work until cleared by a medical professional.

To cut down on paperwork and get checks done quickly, use a platform like Bindy. You can “request an inspection” or self-assessment from each employee before their shift.

Employees can fill out the checklist right from their mobile. They can even attach photos. Putting your inspections/checklists/forms on a platform like Bindy means they are easy to search. This is helpful should you need to produce records and reports.

COVID-19 is challenging retailers in new ways. Here are more resources to help you:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Checklist for Retail and Hospitality
• How to Quickly Communicate Policy Changes to Employees
• 5 Ways to Support Employees and Customers During COVID-19
• How a Furniture Retailer is Keeping its Closed Stores Secure
• Here’s how a National Franchisor is Helping Franchisees During COVID-19

More CHECKLISTS

If you are looking for checklists to manage your operations and brand standards, you have two options.

1. Register for a free trial of Bindy and get access to a library of professionally vetted public forms you can use to audit your locations in seconds.
2. Refer to our checklists category of more than 33 checklists to manage every aspect of your operations.