Question: How can employers help workers deal with the stress of the pandemic?

Answer passage (source: CDC):
page_title: What Workers and Employers Can Do to Manage Workplace Fatigue during COVID-19
section_headers: What steps should employers take to reduce workplace fatigue for workers?
section_content: 
Recognize that these are stressful and unusual circumstances and risk for fatigue may be increased.
Create a culture of safety with clear coordination and communication between management and workers. This can include establishing a Fatigue Risk Management Plan or strategies for fatigue mitigation on the job. Share and ensure that employees understand the processes.
Spot the signs and symptoms of fatigue (e.g., yawning, difficulty keeping eyes open, inability to concentrate) in yourself and your employees and take steps to mitigate fatigue-related injury or error. 
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a short survey that can be posted in a common area for workers to quickly rate their fatigue.
Create a procedure that does not punish workers for reporting when they, or their coworkers, are too fatigued to work safely. Build it into team comradery as an example of how management and staff can support each other.
Develop processes to relieve a worker from their duties if they are too fatigued to work safely. 
If available, and agreeable with workers, consider assigning workers who are just starting their shifts onto safety-critical tasks.
If possible, rotate workers or groups of workers through tasks that are repetitive and/or strenuous. Tools or workstations that are unavoidably shared need to be properly cleaned and disinfected between usage.
If possible, schedule physically and mentally demanding workloads and monotonous work in shorter shifts and/or during day shifts.


Provide information for workers on the consequences of sleep deprivation and resources to assist workers manage fatigue.
Allow staff enough time to organize their off-duty obligations and get sufficient rest and recovery. 
Schedule at least 11 hours off in-between shifts (each 24-hour period), and one full day of rest per seven days for adequate sleep and recovery.
Avoid penalizing those who may have restricted availability to work extra shifts/longer hours (e.g., caring for dependents).


If rotating shift work is needed, use forward rotations (day to evening to night) and provide staff with sufficient notice when scheduling, particularly if there is a shift change.
Avoid scheduling staff for more than 12 hours, if possible.

Formalize and encourage regularly scheduled breaks in clean and safe areas where social distancing can be maintained. Recognize the need for additional time for increased hand hygiene and putting on and taking off required personal protective equipment (PPE).


Provide alternative transportation to and from work and mandatory paid rest time prior to driving commutes after work, when possible. 

Consider arranging for nearby offsite housing for those working extended shifts and at high risk for COVID-19, such as health care workers. Nearby housing will reduce travel times, allowing for more rest and recovery.




Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This answer set information on and gives an outline to ensure safety
This answer can be helpful to answering the question and thus qualifies as an answer to the question.
This is the most appropriate answer to the question because it gave detailed facts and ways employers can help to reduce stress of their workers.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent