2020 was undoubtedly a year for the history books and is one that many of us will not be forgetting anytime soon. Businesses forced to close and move themselves online wherever possible, entire high streets turned into ghost towns, and roads empty. We don’t know about you, but it definitely felt like something that you would see in a horror film at the local cinema!
With working from home wherever possible currently being advised by the Government, there are millions of people out there who have hastily turned the dining table into their new working space. Often, sharing that space with the family pet or children who are attending online lessons.
So, what happens if you are one of those employers, or employees, who do not fall into this working from home category? Everywhere you look, you see people bragging about how they can work from home in their pyjamas and enjoy the unlimited access to snacks in the kitchen.
As the owner of a business that cannot work from home at this challenging time, you have a duty of care to ensure that your employees are as safe as they can be. Putting appropriate safety measures in place is the first place to start, and that is where we are here to help!
We have compiled this helpful guide below, for those who are a bit unsure how to secure their workplace properly during the ongoing pandemic. Take some deep breaths and read on for more!
Always Enforce Social Distancing Measures
While it can seem rather draconian to tell your employees where they should and should not be in the workplace, it is essential to remember that you are doing it for their safety and your own.
In line with the government advice to socially distance from those who are not within your household or support bubble, ensuring that your employees are sticking to these guidelines while in the place of work, will lower any risk of transmission.
What’s more, you could implement a one-way system around the workplace, to minimise the number of times that employees are coming into contact with one another, while heading to the bathroom or other areas of the business.
Limiting the Number of People in the Workplace at One Time
If you are in the position where you can stagger start and finish times of employees, or alter the days that the employees are working, then it is advised that this is also something that is implemented.
By limiting the number of employees that are within the workplace at one time, you are giving yourself a better opportunity and more space to work with when socially distancing workstations.
However, if you are unable to limit the number of people due to needing all hands on deck, ensuring that the areas employees are in, are well ventilated can further minimise the risk of anyone becoming unwell.
While keeping windows open is not all that appealing in this colder winter months, you can contribute to an area’s ventilation by ensuring that the air conditioning is in full working order.
Providing Any Necessary Protective Equipment
Masks have become the staple item of our everyday lives. They are the new necessity that we ensure we have when leaving the house, along with keys, phone, and wallet.
Mainly in areas where social distancing is difficult, it is advised that all persons wear some sort of protective equipment, whether that be a face mask or a shield.
Encouraging the wearing of protective equipment among employees, by setting the example yourself, is a different way to protect your employees during such a difficult time. Some employers have been providing protective equipment for their employees, while others have been subsidising the cost of high-quality protective equipment, like FFP2 masks.
Providing 95% protection against airborne particles, you and your employees can rest assured that they are as protected as they can be, with the use of these masks and other safety measures in place.
If you are an employer who wants to provide the protective equipment for their employees and are searching for ways to bulk buy this equipment, check out the likes of businesses like Chemist Click. Providing a whole host of protective equipment for workplaces like yours, we are confident that you will find something suitable for your business here.
Ensuring that Sanitising Facilities Are Available
A bit of a given, really. You want to ensure that there are adequate sanitisation stations available in the workplace, so you can guarantee that employees have clean and sterile hands, workstations, and areas at all times.
Positioning these stations in areas that are frequented often, and having sanitiser available on the desks of employees, ensures that everyone in the office or workplace always has access to some.
While it is essential to encourage your employees to sanitise themselves regularly, it is also vital to provide the resources to allow employees to clean their work areas regularly. Ensuring that touchpoints are sanitised after each use and that bathrooms and communal spaces are cleaned routinely will contribute towards minimising the risk of falling unwell.
Sectioning Off Desks
This is ideal for those who are struggling to socially distance their employees, and for those who need all employees in the workplace at the same time.
Using available resources, such as Perspex screens, to section off desks and secure them from one another, will ensure that employees can still see and communicate with one another while feeling protected from any airborne transmissions.
You will be reducing the levels of loneliness and isolation that employees would experience if they were entirely cut off from the rest of the team, and minimising the risk of viruses transmitting among your workforce. What more could you want?
Vulnerable Employees
While it is natural to want all employees in the workplace when unable to work from home, it is also crucial that you consider each employee’s individual needs. There will be some instances, where you have a vulnerable staff member, of whom needs to shelter during this challenging time.
What you do not want to do as an employer is to make the employee feel uncomfortable for something that they cannot control. By assessing each situation individually, you can put things in place to protect the vulnerable employee.
Whether you choose to allow them to work from home in exceptional circumstances or put them on furlough to ease any financial strain and worry, we are confident that the employee will appreciate any understanding and cooperation during this time.
While these are but some of the things that you can do as an employer, we are confident that whichever methods and techniques you choose to implement in your workplace, will provide comfort and security to all who are there. Whether you decide to implement all suggestions that are mentioned, or merely opt for one or two in tandem with one another, they are sure to make a world of difference.
With the vaccine distribution being ramped up, and the light at the end of the tunnel edging ever closer, we will be living in some sort of normality in no time. Work together, remember to relax, and that these tough times will not last forever.
