News & Updates

The safety, health and well-being of our employees is always Morcon’s top priority. That focus is especially emphasized during this extraordinary time. I am extremely proud of how our leadership team has responded quickly and with care in implementing additional measures to protect our employees.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Morcon’s obligation to our employees’ safety has demanded that we follow guidance as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Since the early onset of the threat of the coronavirus, we began educating our employees with information from the CDC. We encouraged employees to remain at home if they are sick.  We educated employees on hygiene etiquette including the proper way to wash your hands and to avoid touching your face.  We implemented routine environmental cleaning on all frequently touched surfaces.  We continually communicated this information, as well as posted easy-to-follow instructions in English and Spanish throughout all of our facilities.   We also provided additional information about our Employee Assistance Program, an employer-paid benefit that Morcon has offered through our comprehensive benefits package. We understand that during this time of uncertainty, employees may be feeling more stress or a heightened level of anxiety.  We are glad to offer a resource for our employees who need professionals to guide them through maintaining good mental health.  Moreover, as an employee who has used this service, I am grateful that Morcon cares enough about their employees to understand the importance of offering an EAP.

The cancellation of March Madness really amplified the impact of the virus and made everyone more aware of the serious actions people were taking to decrease the spread of the virus.  As the number of COVID-19 cases increased in the US, our approach to protecting our employees became more aggressive.  We began having daily calls with our legal and insurance teams to stay on top of new legislation and ensure OSHA and EEOC compliance.  We had frequent leadership and operational meetings to communicate our actions.  We will continue these meetings until the threat is over.  We have restricted vendors, visitors, truck drivers and delivery drivers from entering our facilities.  We grounded our sales team and restricted any travel for other employees.  We also implemented social distancing rules and are limiting the amount of people allowed in the break-rooms, bathrooms, conference rooms and offices.  We allowed employees to telework and implemented a remote-worker policy.  We require all of our employees who are unable to telework to have their temperature checked when they enter the facility.  We are following up with everyone who becomes ill to comply with our strict return-to-work guidelines.  We are continuing to monitor the CDC and OSHA guidance to make certain we remain pro-active in all of our safety responses.

In a time where multiple businesses are shut down and hundreds of thousands of employees are out of work, Morcon is fortunate to be deemed an “essential” employer and able to offer both full-time and overtime work to its employees.  All of these aforementioned processes are so important to limit the exposure of the virus and to protect our employees.  We will continue to do everything in our power to keep our employees safe and in good health so that they may continue to work and provide for their families during this uncertain time.

Written by Erlinda McCoy, HR Director

Source: Centers for Disease Control (CDC)