Back to work?

Although we've all been encouraged to work from home, those who can't are allowed to go to work. Our own office has been virtually empty as, technically, we are all able to work from home. But that's not the only thing to consider.

Some people can work from home practically, but suffer stress from being isolated and away from their colleagues. Dare I say it, but some people also find spending 24/7 with their families is slowly driving them crazy?!

As an employer you need to consider people's mental health as well as physical health. You definitely don't want to put anyone at risk of catching the COVID-19 bug, but if some of your staff are keen to return to the office, these are some of the things we're planning ourselves and thought you might find them useful.

Preparation

• Before anyone returns to work a deep clean needs to take place, so they're confident that they're coming back into a virus-free environment.
• Every employee should be equipped with anti-bacterial wipes and gel, including ones suitable for the mouse, keyboard and phone. Depending on the situation, also facemasks and gloves.
• Protective screens will need to be put in place where necessary - such as in reception.
• Notices for visitors will need to be put up in prominent positions.
• Towels in the cloakrooms and kitchen should be replaced with paper towels and proper disposal units for these, so there's no possibility of cross-contamination.

Protection

• A specific cleaning schedule needs to be planned so things like door handles are cleaned regularly.
• Every member of staff should bring their own cup, plate and cutlery in - and only use these, washing and drying them after each use. We've asked our team (when they return) to keep these in their own desk too.
• Internal doors can be kept open to cut down on door handle use (except fire doors, of course). If a private meeting is taking place and a door has to be closed, the door handles will need to be wiped with anti-bacterial wipes after touching.
• Only one person at a time in the cloakrooms and kitchens.
• A clear desk policy will help, asking each person responsible for wiping their own workspace down with anti-bacterial wipes at the end of the day, where practical.

Practicality

• Each staff member must only use their own keyboard, mouse and computer equipment.
• Kitchen equipment - such as kettle, microwave, toasters - must be wiped with anti-bacterial wipes after each use.
• If anyone visits the office, there will need to be only be one person in the reception (other than the receptionist).
• Sensible social distancing in communal areas will need to be practised - for instance, on stairs and in corridors.

If social distancing is impossible with all staff back at work, it's wise to take individual members of staff's personal situations into account as part of this process. This means that those who are happy working from home continue to do so, and those that need a break from the family can come back into the workplace.