Navigating through the new regulations and consequences of the global health pandemic is difficult no matter what. However, trying to do so whilst running a business is even more complicated. Although the positive results yielded by Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine have allowed us to breathe a sigh of relief, there is still no telling how long we will have to endure working under these conditions.
Economically, the coronavirus crisis has been tough on all sectors. However, during these times we must remember what is really important – the health and safety of our employees.
Each employee has a set of fundamental rights, however, it is in your best interest to ensure their physical and mental wellbeing during these difficult times.
There are three Ps that every business should focus on to keep their employees safe: prevention, protection, and promotion. Here is how you can help protect the rights of your workers during a pandemic.
Prevention
The last thing you want is an outbreak amongst your team of employees, therefore, prevention is key. The best way to ensure the safety of your workers is by offering them the opportunity to work from home. Remote working has been encouraged by several governments worldwide and it has been linked to increased productivity levels.
Just because your workers are away from the office does not mean that their level of engagement or communication should be hindered. Try to foster a favorable work environment for them by setting up virtual meetings or coffee breaks. This will give you the opportunity to monitoring work from home employees check in on them and keep their morale high.
Unfortunately, not all industries can offer their employees the chance to work from home. If this applies to your business, then our advice is to carry out a workplace risk assessment. This will help you determine which safety precautions you should introduce.
For example, if you have communal areas, like a staff room or kitchen, you could enforce a strict occupancy limit. Other measures include spacing out the office to make sure that all workers are a minimum of six feet apart. If this isn’t feasible, you could also introduce a rota, allowing part of the staff to work from home whilst the rest come into the office. Make sure to take extra care with the most vulnerable members of the workforce.
Protection
After taking preventative measures it is a good idea to make sure that they are equipped with all of the personal protective equipment they may need. Depending on the type of work they conduct, this can range from masks to gloves or even isolation suits. This type of apparel is the best to defend workers from the threat of infection and other hazards.
A prudent idea is to have an abundance of hand sanitizer and wipes around the office so that they can help keep the area safely disinfected. Although this has now become a requirement in most closed spaces, it is important to encourage their use.
Even if your employees are working from home, sending them a protective kit with masks, gels, and wipes is a great way to show them that you care about their wellbeing, not just in the office but outside as well.
Promotion
Promotion in this sense refers to the promotion of values and safety information. Make sure you are creating a positive work environment. You should be letting your employees know how to keep safe both inside and outside of work. Give them guidelines to follow and let them know that you are open to discussing any issues they may have encountered during the health crisis.
It is a very sensitive time for us all. Mental health levels have been dwindling since the beginning of the pandemic and as an employer you should promote techniques to battle this. Symptoms of depression and anxiety have been on the rise since the virus emerged. A technique to naturally boost your mental health is regular exercise, as this can help raise your level of endorphins.
You could organize a fun ‘steps’ challenge for your employees that will motivate them to get outside and do some exercise, as well as boost team spirits. A steps challenge involves employees competing against each other to see who can walk the most throughout the month. This can be tracked through any fitness app and will help motivate your employees to become physically active during the pandemic. Of course, make sure they keep safe whilst completing their steps.