Ensuring the safety of your workers should be your number one priority. With the COVID-19 pandemic unfolding across the globe, it is imperative that measures are implemented to reduce its impact on your workforce. While many organisations have been ordered to allow employees to work from home, some businesses are still required to resume work as usual. In both cases, employers should prepare and manage their workforce as well as they can during this period.
How to limit the spread of COVID-19 at your workplace:
If your business is resuming operations as usual, various precautions must be implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19. Essential measures include:
- Enforce social-distancing by encouraging all workers to keep at least a 1.5m distance apart from each other.
- Provide sanitiser and alcohol-based hand-washing stations around the workplace or site and encourage all workers to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds.
- Regularly clean and disinfect your workplace, tools and equipment.
- Educate your employees to spot symptoms of COVID-19, so they can diagnose and self-isolate as early as possible.
- Display signs and posters around the workplace or site to alert employees of the precautions they must take to minimise the risk of contracting COVID-19.
What if your employees are working from home?
If your employees are completing their work from a home environment, you must continue to monitor their health and wellbeing. Working from home is known to have substantial effects on mental wellbeing for many. Isolation from the standard support networks that one would generally experience at their workplace can have a significant toll on any employee’s mental health. Subsequently, it is crucial that measures are implemented to ensure positive worker wellbeing. This includes:
- Daily communication and check-ins through e-mail or phone
- Provide them with access to a support program in which they are able to communicate any problems or difficulties that they are experiencing
- Familiarise them with beneficial and ergonomic practices that will foster positive work environments at home
The entire world is experiencing changes that businesses must learn to adapt to. Either on-site or working at home, your business must provide workers with consistent and clear communication to minimise the spread of COVID-19. Enforcing safety precautions for employees on site and providing support for those working from home will ensure the safety of your workforce during this crisis.
If you have any questions about how we are managing our workforce, contact us. For more information about our dedication to safety, please visit our website.
