On 10th May the government shared an overview of their plan to gradually move the country out of lockdown which included advising all those who can work from home to continue doing so and encouraging those who cannot work from home, such as those in manufacturing or construction, to return to work.

Before employees can return to the workplace there are a number of considerations and steps that must be taken to ensure the continuing health and wellbeing of the workforce. The government has laid out guidance for “working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19)” within 8 separate categories of industry, however there is no one size fits all approach. Their guidance is based on a robust risk assessment that will need to be translated into specific actions relevant to your business.

So what are the key practical considerations?

1. Can your employees work from home?

In the first instance all reasonable steps should be taken to enable employees to work from home. For those that cannot work from home and whose workplace has not been told to close the government message is that “you should go to work”.

If your teams have been working from home on a temporary basis, think about whether you can make that arrangement more permanent, either on a full time or part time basis. Are there benefits of extending home working in your operation? What might the challenges or limitations be?

2. Getting to Work

Where employees cannot work from home, employers must consider how individuals will get to work. Is there an alternative to public transport or would it be appropriate to adjust working hours to avoid periods of peak travel? Is there an option to increase car parking and encourage the use of private transport? For some it may be appropriate to encourage cycling or walking to work where possible.

3. Assessing the Risks

Before allowing a return to the workplace all businesses must conduct a COVID-19 specific risk assessment to determine what safety measures may need to be put in place before staff can safely return.  

4. Social Distancing

One of the key measures for managing the risk of COVID-19 transmission is ensuring social distancing of 2m or 6ft between individuals at all times. Some workplaces may be unable to accommodate a full complement of people given the requirement to maintain these protocols. You’ll need to think about work spaces, communal areas such as toilets and kitchens, as well as routes of entry. Think about how people flow around your workspaces and how you might achieve that constant distance. Staggering worktimes, creating one way corridors, setting up barriers or screens and careful positioning of work spaces may help to reduce the risk of infection. Is it practical to allow small groups or cohorts to work in the office at any one time with the remainder working from home?

5. Cleaning Practices

Cleaning routines may need to be intensified to ensure all high risk areas are managed and controlled. Double check your COSHH Assessments to ensure all materials are stored and handled appropriately. Cleaning and disinfecting products should be easily accessible and individuals briefed to maintain a thorough cleaning routine for their own workspace including their phones, keyboards, headsets, tools etc at the beginning and end of the working day.

Encourage high standards of personal hygiene, with regular hand washing and disinfecting as necessary.

6. Preparing Staff for Return

Along with making sure the workplace is ready, there will be work to do in preparing staff to return to work, particularly in reintegrating furloughed workers with those that have been working from home. It would be useful to consider:

  1. Stepping up communication with employees to gauge feelings and concerns that need to be dealt with before lockdown restrictions are lifted;
    1. consider open days for small groups of employees to demonstrate the measures that have been taken to ensure safety
    1. Think about arranging return to work inductions
    1. keep the risk assessment process transparent, involving employees as much as possible and communicating regularly about the measures that are being put in place.

7. Looking after Mental Health

The need to look after employee mental health and wellbeing will continue to be a challenge but one that needs to be high on the agenda. For employees already suffering from mental health issues, the lockdown may have exacerbated this. Others may be anxious about a return to the workplace, concerned about their own health or that of family and loved ones, perhaps worried and stretched by the need to care for and teach their children during the period of school closures. For many the loss of social interaction will have had a negative effect on their mental health and employers need to be understanding of these additional stressors. Employers are encouraged to put in place robust safety measures, maintain good communications and promote Employee Assistance Programmes where they are available.

8. Managing Annual Leave

An amendment to the Working Time Regulations 1998 means that workers can carry over up to four weeks’ annual leave into the next two holiday years, where it has not been reasonably practicable for them to take it as a result of the effects of coronavirus. Employers will need to consider the most appropriate way to manage this, particularly as some employees may be reluctant to take time off when there is nowhere to go.

9. Staying Alert

Remain vigilant, understand the symptoms to be aware of in yourself and your team members and make sure you have a plan of action to follow if an individual contracts or is suspected of contracting the virus.

What will the future hold? It is already clear that the world of work has changed and we will all have to adapt to the “new normal”.