The eight steps firms must take to get Covid-conscious workers back into the office
Employers need to recognise that workers will be “reticent” to return which means they will have to have “a stringent strategy in place to protect staff and address concerns,” said Ann Francke, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute.
“This will be best achieved through consulting with staff and ensuring a phased return to the workplace to assist with social distancing,” she said.
One-way traffic systems with corresponding signage on floors, dividing screens between desks, workers placed back-to-back rather than face-to-face on desks spaced two metres apart and bans on hot-desking are among measures recommended in Government and HSE guidelines.
But some are harnessing technology. For its new City offices, AXA Investment is developing 3D-printed room status flags that digitally change colour if a room is occupied, free, or ready to be cleaned. This is allied to contactless entry and exit to doors and meeting rooms.
Smart Spaces is considering technology that monitors the concentration of particles in the workplace, sensors to calculate an area’s density of occupants to ensure rooms do not get overcrowded, and instant messaging to help those shielding at home stay in touch.
Working practices
Covid could spell the end of presenteeism as office hours and practices are overhauled to reduce risks.
Like schools, reduced breaks and condensed hours have been introduced by some firms as well as requiring workers to stick to the same team of workers like pupils in class “bubbles.” Others have introduced rotas of the same staff coming in on different days to reduce transmission risks.
British Land has already introduced staggered starts and flexible working. Its offices opened for volunteers in mid-June, with capacity gradually increasing in July. From early September, most workers will be in for two or three days a week on a rota.
Convene, an office space provider, has encouraged members to sign an agreement setting out their safety duties as part of the “new normal” for office space.
Amy Pooser, HR boss at the company, said: “This includes basics like regular hand washing, wearing a mask indoors, and staying home if you think you may be ill or have been directly exposed to someone who is sick.”
