As stage four of the road map kicks off from the 19th, we are left with decisions that need to be made by Employers.
Whilst the Government has removed many of the legal restrictions that have been imposed during the course of the pandemic, this still leaves grey areas in the work place.
As an HR Provider, our advice and message is clear – act with caution.
The Government may have removed legal obligations surrounding its previous ‘Hand, Face, Space’ ‘Work from Home if you can ’ slogans, BUT the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has so far NOT removed any of its recommendations or key indicators the help fulfil a legal obligation to provide a safe, Covid secure, work place.
Measures of a safe space, as per the HSE – is based around hygiene, social distancing, the use of face masks, and ventilation. So to suddenly stop promoting these key safety measures would mean you fall down on these standards set by the HSE. It is worth highlighting that a vaccinated work force, does not satisfy HSE rules and regs in showing you as an employer have provided a safe environment.
So from this perspective, as it stands, not too much would change if your office is currently already open.
A gentle, holistic approach is recommended by us. Hybrid and flexible working, with a regular review would be a sensible place to start, especially if this has worked for you during the last 18 months. Why rush to change on the 19th?
It is still vital to speak to your staff, listen to your workforce, understand and alleviate concerns and promote wellbeing.
Already, across friends, family, clients, we are seeing a surge in cases and the need to isolate. We don’t want to take a 2 steps forwards, 10 steps back approach which is why we advise progressing with care.
We of course do not want to promote a negative message. This is a huge, exciting step, but is also a step feared by a lot of people who are still at risk or vulnerable which is why we suggest a gentle, and hopefully irreversible path to slowly getting back to normal.
For help, advice or questions. Get in touch with one of our team.