By Ezra Luca
Covid-19 has dramatically changed the way that the world has been over the past 12 months. For businesses everywhere there was an urgent need to change the way in which employees were treated, how workspaces functioned and operated, how customers were interacted with and many other big changes in how we work. As lockdowns ended and different restrictions came into place instead, there was a fresh need to make sure that workplaces were Covid-19 compliant. There are different ways to go about this, but the best and most efficient way, is to hire the services of an experienced company that can provide thorough and effective audits of your company. The Covid-19 audit makes sure that you are fully compliant and following all new regulations relating to social distancing in the workplace.
There have been mixed thoughts about returning to work from every person nationwide. Management of companies within certain industries have had to face facts that working from home and working remotely is possible without losing standards or levels of performance from staff and the best approach for many has been to listen to their employees and offer flexibility wherever possible. If you are in an industry where your staff can work from home, and some want to continue to do so whilst some want to return to the office, you have to think about the long-term mental health of your staff as well as the physical implications of a return to work in the Covid-19 age.
This is where a Covid-19 workplace audit comes into play. There are many different aspects of every workspace, no matter the industry, where quite dramatic changes must be made in order to provide safe and sustainable working environment for employees, for customers and suppliers. This might be more pressing in a hospitality setting such as a pub or a restaurant where there is more interaction between staff and customers, and between different sets of customers, but it also applies to an office environment, a retail store, a warehouse or other type of work setting. Until the Covid-19 vaccine is rolled out to everyone, it is important that all workplaces are compliant, provide social distancing measures wherever possible and have a responsible method of tracking both staff members and visitors to the place of work. This could be in the form of more dividers and screens in an office, tighter controls over numbers in the workplace at any given time and more flexibility for remote working.
We all have to be wary about a possible third wave of Covid-19 in the UK and being asked to work from home for longer or on a more flexible rhythm than in the past. Despite this, it is important that when you are asked to come back to work, that you feel as safe as possible and that the company owners have done everything to ensure that Covid-19 regulations have been implemented and are being adhered to. Speaking with an experienced team that can conduct Covid-19 workplace audits will provide you with all the information you need to ensure that your workplace is safe. It also offers guidance and advice for those instances where you might need to change things further.
