With government restrictions easing, and new guidelines giving us more freedom, it appears that everyone is keen to return to a sense of normality after the Coronavirus outbreak. This means the reopening of pubs, visiting more family members (maintaining 2m where possible), a trip to our much-needed hairdressers, meals in restaurants, and of course a return to the workplace.
If you’ve been working from home, then heading back into work can seem particularly daunting. However, within the next few weeks, your employer should be communicating their plans to keep everyone protected and happy in the workplace.
While there is still a risk of infections, both employers and employees must take safety in this new kind of workplace seriously. These changes need to be implemented quickly, so not only can business owners’ clawback thousands in lost revenue, but so employees and customers can feel safe, and protected from the ongoing risk of infection.
So, what kinds of changes can you expect to see in the workplace? Read on to discover how employers plan to keep their employees and their customers safe.
Preventative measures
Health and hygiene are vital. For months we’ve been told the importance of washing our hands for at least 20 seconds and cleaning anything that may have been handled by others numerous times. Employers need to work with their employees to ensure that health and hygiene continue to be a top priority. Here are some of the ways your employer could make changes:
- Facemasks: Branded face masks for protection just make sense. Although there are discrepancies as to their effectiveness, wearing face masks in your place of work means you’re less likely to transfer the virus if you’re asymptomatic, and you’re less likely to catch the virus from someone else.
- Touchpoints: In any place of work there are going to be areas that are heavy with traffic and likely to be touched more often than others. Tills, countertops, coffee machines, door handles etc. Your employer needs to identify these touchpoints and ensure these areas are deep cleaned continuously.
- Sanitation points: There should be areas available for both customers and employees to sanitise their hands throughout the day. This will kill any lingering germs, giving everyone peace of mind.
New workplace approaches
The way we work will be different for the foreseeable future. The changes you’ll see will differ depending on the industry you’re in, however, general changes to workplaces may include:
- Staggered working times: Workers may be required to share shifts, however, staggered arrival and departure times may be encouraged to avoid potential contamination.
- Shared transport: If you share transport with other employees, whether you’re in sales, or even a carer travelling between clients, or if you carpool, then these travel solutions may be dropped.
- Meeting with clients: Meeting with clients in an office setting may be done via video call to minimise travel and potential contamination risks.
Final thoughts…
Feeling anxious about heading back to work? Speak with your employer about the new changes to your workplace as soon as possible.
