On April 24, Governor Jay Inslee announced a plan to allow current construction projects to be completed, based on recommendations informed by workers, contractors, health and safety experts, and local government officials. This is an encouraging development as our state starts to turn the dial on reopening worksites safely

The safety of employees and customers, and that of our community as a whole, remains at the forefront of these considerations. As the economic study that we commissioned with the Business Health Trust noted, “Economic recovery projections depend on the predictability of control of the virus. The immediate focus of all businesses in Washington state should be to help stop the spread of the virus.”

With that in mind, as you think through what reopening worksites could look like for your own business or organization, we have two opportunities this week to help you think about your overall strategy and specific tactics:

  1. Webinar: Planning for What’s Ahead, Tuesday, April 28, 11:00 a.m.
    The latest in the Chamber’s free #WeGotThisWA webinar series, this free webinar will help you think about engagement, partnership, and stakeholder expectations as businesses transition to a new post-shutdown reality that still looks very different from the pre-COVID-19 world. Leaders from APCO Worldwide will share insights from their client work on what immediate steps organizations need to start planning for – and taking – that will help in the long run.
  2. Webinar: Safe Work Planning Checklist, Thursday, April 30, 11:00 a.m. 
    Our second #WeGotThisWA webinar series this week, this free webinar will share recommendations for businesses to consider as part of re-opening, including how to support effective screening, tracking and tracing, and how to support employees. The Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, has been working for the past four weeks with Challenge Seattle, the Washington Roundtable, and many critical regional stakeholders including Microsoft on planning for a return to work and a new ‘normal’. They’ll share their work and recommendations.

A final note on reopening: experts continue to advise that as we begin this transition, employers should continue to allow telework whenever possible and feasible with business operations. We know that reopening is critical for jobs that require on-site work, but if your business is able to do portions of its work remotely, please remember that will give the virus fewer chances to multiply in our community.