Food Protection Trends - July/August 2024 - 266

TABLE 5. Method and frequency of communication
Frequency (n)
Means of communicating with employees (n = 58)
Retraining or coaching
Regular and routine messaging
Postings in the establishment
Team meetings or shift huddles
1:1 conversation between manager and employee
Other (e.g., wellness checks every shift, etc.)
Frequency of communicating to employees (n = 54)
Weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
Semiannually
Annually
Other (e.g., posted, periodically, as needed, and unknown)
39
28
43
24
21
11
1
4
10
4
29
18
%
67.2
48.3
74.1
41.4
36.2
19
1.9
7.4
18.5
7.4
53.7
33.3
COVID-19 protocols in employee health policy
In terms of integrating coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) protocols into the written employee health
policy when given multiple-choice options of maintained
separately, integrated fully into health policy, or integrated
partially into health policy, more than half of the participants
(61.8%) responded that they had COVID-19 protocols
separate from their written employee health policy.
Some participants (32.7%) reported integrating COVID-19
protocols into their existing employee health policy. Others
indicated that they had combined some, but not all, elements
of COVID-19 protocols into their employee health
policies (5.5%).
Most effective elements and rationale of employee
health policy
An open-ended question was asked regarding the most
effective elements and rationale of the written employee
health policy (Table 6). More than half of the participants
(55.9%) reported that employees who are sick should refrain
from coming to work or leave work and report their symptoms.
Other key elements include managers monitoring
employees in the workplace (17.6%); establishing action
plans, procedures, and instructions for different scenarios
(14.7%); providing written guidelines in an easily understandable
format (14.7%); and addressing the benefits of the
policy to both the organization and its customers, including
266 Food Protection Trends July/August
the reasoning behind the policy (14.7%). Percentages were
calculated based on the number of participants who provided
at least one answer (n = 34).
Least effective policy elements of employee health policy
Regarding the least effective elements and rationale
of the written employee health policy (Table 6), some
participants (20.7%) reported that the least effective
elements were instructions for sick leave and close contact,
behavior monitoring such as glove changing (17.2%),
lack of understanding due to the wordiness of the written
policy (13.8%), and employees still coming to work while
sick because they believe they have to be at work (13.8%).
Percentages were calculated based on the number of
participants who provided at least one answer (n = 29).
Management's role and employee awareness of six
reportable FBIs
In terms of management's role in notifying regulatory
authority and monitoring hygiene behaviors (Table 7),
almost all management (91.2%) confirmed that they are
aware of the obligation to inform regulatory authorities in
cases where a food employee is diagnosed with jaundice or
one of the six reportable foodborne illnesses (FBIs) known
as " The Big 6 " pathogens: Norovirus, Salmonella Typhi, Shiga
toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Shigella spp., hepatitis A,
and nontyphoidal Salmonella. In addition, most managers
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