The pandemic has changed so much about the way businesses operate and employees work, especially those that have been working from home. Indeed, lockdown created a catalyst in homeworking and, for many, the only contact they will have had with colleagues and customers for six months, will have been virtually. There have been reports that employees are quite happy to continue working this way and some will continue to do so. But many will have to return to the workplace mandatorily, while others – whether they have the choice or not – will be yearning for the buzz and friendship that the workplace provides,

A recent survey* backed this up, revealing that ‘feeling a part of something’, the informal conversations and having clear separation between home and work, are what people miss about going to a workplace. Some even miss their manager and the ‘me time’ offered by their daily commute.

But despite the hope that a return to the normal routine looking increasingly looking possible, there are real concerns and fears for many employees going back into the workplace. Indeed, *survey results show a clear 84% have some form of anxiety about returning to the workplace during this transitionary point of time. Even now, with transmission rates lowering, there is still the risk of contracting the virus and people have genuine concerns about how this could impact them and their family’s health.

How to Reassure People

It is taken as read that it is a top employer responsibility to ensure a safe and healthy environment for their employees as they return. But employers face tough challenges in creating a COVID-secure workplace. Beyond implementing social distancing policies, there may be a need to physically adapt the workplace, or to stagger start and end times to ease congestion. But there are many associated concerns to consider, such as the stress impact on mental health, on top of the very real concern of physical health.

Every employer must prepare to reassure staff, understand the legal, policy and procedure implications of this challenging transition and be prepared to clearly communicate the new way of working to all employees. Additionally, a comprehensive COVID-19 Workplace Health Programme can reassure staff – and mitigate legal concerns – and should include personalised individual risk assessments, PCR (swab), antibody (blood) testing and physical and mental health checks – all of which will need to be carried out, either on-site or at home.

As employers work through these transitionary stages, they will also need advice on updates and changes of Government advice on the physical environment and planning for ongoing management of symptomatic staff. But all this will come at a cost and so its imperative that HR makes the right choice that provides a balance of a comprehensive service at an affordable cost.

To find out more about GDPQ (a trusted NHS partner) and their comprehensive COVID-19 Workplace Health Programme, click here. Why not enquire about your free workplace health assessment?

*Survey conducted by Mind Gym and Censuswide, May 2020