How to reassure customers and employees returning to work

With the furlough scheme has come to an end and a general call to return to work, there are still many people who are genuinely frightened to do so; such was the effectiveness of Government messaging at the very beginning of lockdown (plus a rising death toll)!  These are extraordinary times and the situation is still very fluid, but we are going to have to get used to living with the COVID-19 virus until a vaccine eventually becomes available and a full return to work in the meantime is inevitable, notwithstanding localized lockdown measures. This article sets out to explore some of the issues.

BACK TO WORK CONCERNS

Working from home, once considered a privilege and even a euphemism for ‘skiving off’, has now become the norm for many office-based workers, with the support of modern technology.  Some will like the new arrangements because of the flexibility and improved work-life balance, but equally, there are those who do not have dedicated space at home or miss the social interaction with colleagues regardless of the health risks.  New research from the CIPD¹ shows employers expect that the proportion of people working from home on a regular basis, once the crisis is over, will increase to 37% compared to 18% before the pandemic.  However, there is an overwhelming majority of blue-collar jobs that simply cannot be done from home and workers need to be at the metaphorical coalface in sectors ranging from manufacturing and warehousing & logistics to retail and hospitality.  But organisations like the British Safety Council (BSC) recognise that individuals may be “in a different place” depending on their personal health and family circumstances and should not be rushed back to work, according to a recent podcast².  The BSC generally believes that no one should be injured or made ill through their work which is consistent with many company statements of corporate social responsibility.  Indeed, there is a legal duty of care under the Health & Safety at Work Act, 1974. 

RISK

In keeping with any risk scenario, having undertaken an assessment, and applied best practice it is normal to have strategies for avoidance and mitigation but also to address ‘it has happened’! 

The method of infection is well understood i.e. airborne transmission of the virus in exhaled, moist breath, and/or hand-to-face contamination.  Stay at home, was the original avoidance strategy whereas regular hand washing or sanitising, the wearing of masks and social distancing singly or in combination act as mitigation.  In the case that a test confirms an infection, contact tracing can also be used to isolate others who may have unwittingly become infected.  Without social distancing (and other pandemic containment measures) pathogens can spread exponentially and quickly get out of control as we have experienced in the so-called second wave following the relaxation of restrictions and some complacency set in.  Social distancing is, therefore, a key tool in a back to work strategy.