Five ways to encourage a safe return to the office
Returning to the office should only be done when absolutely necessary – for now, if you and your staff can work from home you should. But in the instances where the office is needed, check out the following tips, and always check government guidelines and advice.
1. Risk assessment and communication
The first thing any employer should be doing before returning to the office is completing a risk assessment. Understanding your space and finding out where you can make improvements for safety is crucial to the health of your returning employees. You can find the guidelines on risk assessments for office-based workplaces here.
Always consult your employees too – find out the reasons they want to return, or don’t want to return. This will allow you to be able to understand the numbers you’ll be dealing with and allocate appropriate space.
2. Examine your facilities
Shared spaces can pose a real risk in these difficult times. Does your kitchen have adequate space for several people to be in there at once, or does there need to be a ‘two at a time’ rule? Ensure these areas are cleaned frequently, and any surfaces which are used often, say the door handle or fridge door, are wiped down ideally after every use.
When it comes to bathrooms, is there enough space by the sinks and between any cubicles/urinals to allow social distancing, and to allow individuals to pass one another safely on entry/exit? If this isn’t viable to have more than one person in the toilets at a time, it may be worth looking into some hiring options. Outdoor luxury portacabin toilets are a far cry from the festival loo’s that no doubt many have experienced – you can arrange these from Fortis Hire that give you a lot of space and ease of movement for both users and cleaning.
3. Provide appropriate space between workspaces
Are your desks facing each other? Are they banks of desks that don’t allow enough distance between seats? You’ll need to examine your numbers of employees who’ll be returning to the office, and putting some changes in place.
If your desk spaces don’t allow the required two metres, you can change terminal positions around to allow more room around each individual. You could even put up some screens between positions so the individual desks are more protected.
Enforce wearing a mask when moving between spaces, or depending on how your team works together, all the time. Always check the guidelines to be sure you’re doing the best for your people and the safety in the building.
4. Handle handwashing
Provide ample opportunities for your staff to be able to wash their hands while at work. Creating small wash stations and having antibacterial hand gel dotted around the office – especially at any entrances and exits – is paramount to ensuring your staff stay as safe as possible. You can hire stations for this purpose, buy them or even make them if you were in a pinch.
5. Limit your people traffic
Reduce any opportunities for crowding to happen. Create a one-way system around the office, if you can, to avoid any people traffic. If it would suit your employees, try staggering start and end times so that there are fewer people in corridors, doorways, or shared spaces.
In every point we make here it is worth reiterating that you should always consult government guidelines on office-based working and best practice for keeping your workers safe.
