The U.S. government experienced a partial shutdown, which ended in late January 2019. The partial shutdown impacted many employees and businesses across the nation, and it cost the economy around $1 billion each week.
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While the partial government shutdown obviously affected federal employees, it also affected other employees and employers throughout the country. In the wake of the event, here are some things employers should have noticed or need to consider now.
Employees Need Financial Wellness Training and Incentives
During the partial shutdown, many workers weren’t able to pay their bills, stopped going to the doctor, and took out loans to survive. This is significant because a lot of employees live paycheck to paycheck and don’t have an adequate amount of savings for emergencies. Many employees don’t have a savings account at all.
If you haven’t already, you should implement financial wellness training programs and incentives across your organization. This way, your employees won’t be stressed, will be more productive, and will be less likely to leave your organization.
To learn more, read “How to Develop and Implement a Successful Financial Wellness Program.”
Equal Opportunity and Employee Safety Can Easily Be Jeopardized
During the partial shutdown, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Justice were affected and partially closed, so, they weren’t handling a lot of discrimination and harassment claims the way they typically do.
A lot of employees across the nation therefore lacked the protections they need inside the workplace, which indicates that employers should become more invested in their workplace harassment prevention training and initiatives.
Otherwise, they could risk losing valuable employees and damaging their brands or reputations and wind up facing other unforeseen consequences for not appropriately handling workplace discrimination with internal processes.
Conclusion: Employers Need to Do More
Overall, what the partial government shutdown revealed is that individual employers can and should do more for their employees. Not only should they strive to offer their employees better compensation packages and stable work environments, but they should also help them with personal financial wellness and planning.
Employers should ensure they are treating their current and prospective employees fairly so there is no need for interference from an outside government entity or agency and to ensure their employees feel safe and included in a productive environment.