Human resource association renews call for work-from-home mandate

In light of the significant spike in COVID-19 cases, hospitalisation and loss of life, the Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica is repeating its calls for the Government to reinstitute the work-from-home mandate for those whose jobs allow them to do so.

The association’s president Lois Walters argues that this will provide more than a persuasive influence on employers and is a necessary and important signal from the Government to organisations, and the country on a whole, on the imperative of limiting COVID-19 spread through uncontrolled workplace infections.  

Walters says the association strongly believes that every employee who has the capacity and the resources to work from home should be at home.

This, she says, will allow for resources and strategy to be concentrated in areas such as the frontline team members who are unable to perform work remotely.

“In any event, as a country, we need to focus on measuring output, activity, and results, rather than relying upon traditional methods of workflow management, as work should no longer be defined as a location,” she said in a statement today.

“While we encourage keen attention to all workplace protocols, HRMAJ strongly re-emphasises our support for mandatory mask-wearing in offices and urge strict vigilance on this by employers,” she added.

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