#BTColumn – Managing expectations during prolonged disasters

by Britanny Brathwaite

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados TODAY Inc.

Just about everyone has suffered loss in the past year- in an employment context, the loss of revenue for employers and the commensurate loss of income for employees is and will continue to be a central issue across the region and particularly here in Barbados.

While business owners, practitioners, and the like, may have previously crafted Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), cognisant of us being naturally prone to disasters, I am not convinced that many may have envisioned ever being in a constant state of disaster for such prolonged periods.

By its very title an employee assistance program, is intended to help employees in the areas where there may be lack; be that financial, mental, or otherwise.

The obvious difficulty is that the disasters like those being faced in Barbados currently, prefaced by the damage done by COVID 19-, also leaves employers in a state of lack.

Managing expectations & financial assistance There is a readjustment of expectations and a level of understanding that simply need to be achieved if Barbados is to recover.

This calls for both parties within the employment relationship to be realistic about what the other can and is able to provide and rebuild expectations on that basis.

Employees therefore need to reconcile with the fact that internal assistance programs which previously facilitated salary advances, short- and long-term loans and carrying types of financial assistance is simply not a real possibility in many employment contexts.

Conversely, employers need to reset expectations by clearly stating any new conditions around this type of support – possibly only medical emergencies related to the employee and their dependents or whether it may be suspended.

Requests will abound in the current environment and where they may be perceived as unmet, that could be further construed as uncaring. There is value is being clear about your ability and/inability and while employees may still feel as though needs are unmet – there is respectability around transparency.

In addition to resetting expectations around normal financial assistance found under regular EAP’s, there are also circumstances where employers may have covered payments during previous national lockdowns for: insurance premiums, pension premiums and some may have possibly applied for moratoriums to company loans.

Some employers have chosen not to recoup these funds, while others will in fact recoup. In the latter circumstance, it would be important for employers to be guided by the Protection of Wages Act regarding deductions from wages/salaries and to provide adequate notice to the employee regarding the start date of any such deduction.

A point for consideration would be the coverage of such premiums, for short periods, when redefining an EAP and this may be valued in some cases, more than the access to a short-term loan.

Consider an employee who may have an ailing dependent and wishes to be considered for coverage of their health insurance for two months.

This could serve as a level of support while arranging for repayment in the future. This recommendation nonetheless is subject to an employer’s ability and if the ability is currently nothing – then communicate the same.

As a result of the uncertainty created by all these disasters one must always consider, when undertaking these arrangements, the likelihood of the employment relationship ending before being able to recoup.

If these payments need to be recouped from any final/ termination payments, in a case where the employment relationship must be ended, both parties should reference the Holiday with Pay Act, Severance Payments Act and the Employment Rights Act (guidance on minimum periods of notice) , subject to their relevance in the specific circumstance.

Employees who may have agreed to the aforementioned coverage of premiums or moratoriums and were informed the monies would be recouped, should ensure they communicate any challenges they may be encountering which may prevent them from honouring any recommended repayment terms.

Where you refuse to repay these funds after previous agreements an employer may be able to take action subject to the terms of the arrangement.

There is no legal requirement for any employer to render assistance outside of the agreed terms of the contract of employment. Nonetheless, scenarios provided above occur naturally in many employment relationships and should be managed with care in the current employment climate.

Brittany Brathwaite is president of the Human Resources Management Association of Barbados (HRMAB).