Much of the UK is opening up at some level and while site work has mostly continued as normal, though with increased sanitary and health & safety practices in place, an increasing number of businesses are back in the office to some extent, whether full time, on a flexible basis, or with staff returning to the office at a staggered pace.

If you are concerned about making your office-based staff feel safe returning to the workplace, or are unsure about how to provide peace of mind for new recruits that you are putting measures in place to help protect staff health and wellbeing, we can help you by providing our tips for a safe office environment:

Returning to the office safely

Knowledge about COVID and staying up to date on current measures put in place by the government

It’s important to make sure that everyone in the business is knowledgeable about COVID-19, social distancing and the current measures put in place by the government. This starts from senior management downwards. 

Take the time to educate senior staff and base safety measures in your workplace on what you learn. The more knowledgeable senior management staff are about the measures you implement in your workplace, the more likely other staff are to feel comfortable at work and follow these measures.

Make physical changes to the workplace

If you have space, you can implement social distancing within your workplace, ensuring that staff are seated a metre or two apart if possible. Whilst government regulations may have relaxed, continuing to social distance can help your team to feel more safe and comfortable being in the office. 

If space is restricted, you can consider introducing protective screens in between desks, or introduce a rota system for staff working in the office or remotely, ensuring that the office is never too busy with staff.

PPE and sanitising stations

With masks required in many situations for many months and many people still choosing to wear masks in busy public or confined spaces, you may wish to consider a policy for wearing masks when not at your desk.

To encourage clean hands and prevent the spread of germs at key contact areas in the office, such as door handles and light switches, you could install sanitising stations in strategic areas around the workplace.

Clear policies and communication

One of the most important things you can do to provide peace of mind for your staff is to ensure that any policies put in place to ensure their safety are communicated clearly. As things are always changing in terms of infection rates and government measures, you should communicate regularly with your teams to ensure that everyone is kept up to date with any changes and how this will impact the workplace.

You may decide to send out weekly updates via email and brief team leaders to ensure all staff are aware of any changes.

Monitor employee health

The most important steps you can take to make employees feel safe at work is to monitor their health and wellbeing. 

Any member of staff that displays COVID symptoms or symptoms of any other bug or virus should work from home if possible and get a COVID-19 test. They should stay at home until the results come back – if the results are negative, the member of staff should continue working from home until they feel healthy enough to return to the workplace. If the test result is positive, the employee should self-isolate for the number of days stated by the NHS.

If the employee tests positive and has been in the office within two weeks of testing positive, then you should close the office and take action to eliminate any harmful bacteria by organising a deep clean. Whilst this is costly to your business, this does not compare with the cost of losing staff to illness.

Remember, it is not only the employee’s physical health that you should monitor. The pandemic has been a difficult time for many people and the idea of returning to the workplace may fill some people with anxiety. It’s important to talk with your teams to address any concerns that they may have about coming back to the office, and decide on the best solutions to make them feel safe and less anxious.

Contact On-Site Group 

If you are an employer with concerns about finding new candidates for job vacancies within your company and how to ensure that they feel comfortable in coming to the office or workplace, then we can help you.

As specialists in recruitment for construction, mechanical, electrical and data communications, we are here not only to find the best fit for your company, but to act as a point of contact between you and potential candidates, so we can help communicate the steps you are taking to make the workplace as safe as possible.

Call 0845 070 3883 or email us to discuss your recruitment needs.