Ways to Keep Your Employees Safe in the Long Term
As the world of work gradually inches back towards a semblance of normality, owners and managers have a host of decisions to make. There are a large number of considerations that need to be taken into account when returning to the workplace, and the chief amongst them is that of safety. It may seem obvious to say that safety considerations are important. However, they are important in lots of different ways that many people do not think about. Of course, you have an ethical and legal obligation to keep your employees as safe as possible. Yet helping employees to feel safe at work also has psychological benefits, that could help your company recover more quickly, and increase productivity in a post-pandemic world.
The world has changed in many ways over the last few months, and although some of these changes may revert to ‘normal’, others look set to continue. We simply do not know what the new landscape will eventually look like, and all businesses must be prepared for a potential second wave of the virus to come. Many safety measures may work temporarily, but they are not economically or practically feasible as long-term solutions. Now is a vital time for owners and managers to start considering the long-term alterations that can be made to safeguard your employees and your business for years to come.
Home Working
In order to adjust to recent circumstances, many offices have switched to working from home, with millions of employees taking up residence in their studies and kitchens. For many, this has been a revelation. Businesses who assumed they could only function within the structures of an office, suddenly discovered that developing technologies now mean it’s not only possible but desirable for employees to work remotely. However, on the flip side, others have found it isolating and difficult to concentrate amidst many distractions.
Many companies are now talking about more permanent home working scenarios, as it also allows them to save on office space and adhere more easily to social distancing rules. On the face of it, this is a decent solution, especially where employees themselves have enjoyed the experience and they are eager for it to continue. However, it is very important for managers to bear individual circumstances in mind. As much as we might like it to be, this is not a one-shoe-fits-all situation. The last thing you want is for productivity to suffer in the long-term because half of your staff cannot adjust to working from home. One compromise may be to investigate a rota which allows people to work from home for a portion of the week, allowing you minimise office personnel whilst keeping engagement high. Of course, if you have employees who are high-risk individuals, or whose families might qualify as such, you will want to talk with them individually about continuing home-working and allowing them to move at their own pace. Taking the time to do this will help your employees feel safe in the long-term, improving morale and productivity.
Scheduling and Desk Space
Whatever way you decide to set up moving forward, you will need to work out the logistics of your decision with a precise hand. Scheduling can be complex at the best of times, and in order to come up with long-term solutions, you will need to find the simplest, most streamlined way to reorganise your working spaces. In small offices, social distancing can be very difficult as desks are situated close together. If you cannot institute a working-from-home rota, and you do not have the floorspace to create the required distancing, your solutions will have to be more inventive. Now, some offices have tried to use rules about employees leaving their desks, to ensure that only one person is walking around at any one time. This seems like a fair solution, however it will be very difficult to stick to long-term. Humans instinctively congregate – whether in pubs, kitchens or by water-coolers – and it won’t be long before your employees start to naturally ignore this rule until it becomes useless. If you are instituting new rules such as this, it’s important to consider how clear and easy they are to follow, and whether they contradict any basic human instincts. Rather than leaving any aspects unclear, you should make it as easy as possible for your employers to follow. For example, if you plan on putting ‘one-way routes’ through the office to minimise contact, ensure that everyone still has access to the kitchen and bathroom by following these routes. It will also be useful to mark the ‘lanes’ on the floor, rather than trusting everyone’s individual navigation. This will help to remind you all of the rules, and stop people using ‘quick shortcuts’ between desks that destroy the point of the system.
Uniforms
It might feel strange to talk about uniforms if you don’t work in a restaurant or in the military, however, it’s not as distant from office life as you might think. After all, if you have any sort of dress code, that counts as a form of uniform. Suits, smart trousers or skirts, and ‘work-clothes’ all fall under a wide umbrella adjacent to the aprons and overalls you might initially picture. With this in mind, one clever way to keep your office a safe space is to change small parts of its culture until they become ingrained into your collective expectations. One way to do this is with a protective uniform. Don’t rely on your employees to bring their own facemasks. Instead, institute a requirement for them as part of a uniform, and provide them to your staff yourselves. You can buy essential PPE supplies in bulk here, including masks but also other items such as gloves and coveralls. Doing this for your staff will ensure a basic level of safety across your company. It will also help them feel secure and know that you are taking due diligence when it comes to their health and safety, helping them to feel safe when returning to work.
Communication
Throughout this entire period, and going into the future, the most important thing you can do for your employees will be to communicate clearly with them. Communication is not only vital in troubling times; it is also the key to forming productive, healthy relationships with your employees whatever the circumstances. If you use this time to develop your communication skills, you will see the benefits grow far into the future. Clear communication is not just about simple, direct instructions. It is also about listening skills, and being able to form a two-way dialogue between your employees so that everyone’s concerns can be heard and dealt with. Your office may not get it right at first, and that is alright. This is a huge transition for any company to make, and mistakes are inevitable. However, by instituting clear and open communication, you can prevent these mistakes from growing into anything irreparable. Listen to your employees, learn from them, and work together to keep everyone safe.
Invest in Cleaning
Cleanliness and hygiene have come under a greater spotlight than ever before. Chances are, you already have a cleaning team who work within your office or building. However, now is definitely the time to review the effectiveness of that service and if you can improve it in any way. Having a clean, disinfected office consistently clean will go a great way towards helping your employees feel safe in their working environment. Firstly, you can start encouraging personal cleaning practices. Supplying each desk with a bottle of hand sanitiser isn’t a huge investment on your part, but it will make a big difference both psychologically and practically within the office. Aside from this, you can talk to your cleaners about the new situation, and discuss areas of particular focus for cleaning, or whether you need to give them a bit more time or manpower to work with. Again, this might require a small investment, so you’ll need to investigate the budgetary implications, but it will be worth it to keep your space as clean as possible.
Conclusion
The world has changed, and we still don’t know what the far-reaching consequences of the last few months might be. We can already see that the business world has had to drastically adapt, with some positive and negative consequences in either direction. However, adaptation is also one of the things that will keep us afloat in the years to come. Don’t be afraid to make changes, to confront any problems head-on, and to communicate openly with your staff about any adjustments through periods of transition. Keeping your employees feeling safe, secure and valued in the long-term is what will help your business survive. This will be a difficult process, but it is important that you identify what changes will work in the short-term, alongside those that you might be able to implement as permanent rules or cultures. It is these permanent adjustments that will be most important to get right as you move forward.
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