As most of Australia begins gradually easing COVID-19 restrictions, many businesses are anxious abou...
As most of Australia begins gradually easing COVID-19 restrictions, many businesses are anxious about returning to the office safely and efficiently.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for every business, there are guidelines and policies available to help organisations ensure that their employees can return to work safely and productively post-lockdown.
Here’s what you need to do to ensure a healthy and happy return to work for every employee.
Safe Work Australia has outlined the physical distancing requirements every office must implement to ensure the safety of their employees. On top of enforcing a one person per 4 square metre rule, employers must:
Acclimatising back to the office can take time and what works for one person may not work for everyone. As employers, remaining flexible and listening to your employees is going to be important for the mental health and wellbeing of your entire workforce, including yourself. Organisational culture will become more important than ever post-lockdown, as it may be challenging to keep everyone on track and aligned if some employees' roles remain remote. Maintaining daily WIPs, standups and team building sessions via video conference, will help lift morale and align goals within your teams.
Here’s what Safe Work Australia outlines as important wellbeing guidelines for employers and their staff during this time:
Keeping workspaces clean and sanitised at all times is a requirement for every organisation. The following guidelines will help in keeping your workplace hygienic:
To keep employees safe, your organisation mustn’t just provide hygiene equipment and implement appropriate policies, you also must be vigilant in ensuring that these standards are upheld over time. The following checklist will help make sure that best practice hygiene standards are maintained in your organisation:
Communication is key, no matter what industry or position you work in. The more you can keep your employees updated on organisational changes and include them in the decision making process, the better your outcomes will be for the organisation and staff. Keep your finger on the pulse with internal communications or a feedback loop such as employee surveys.
Returning to work safely takes commitment and sacrifices but by planning ahead, employers can minimise any negative impacts to their business. Investing in audio, video and managed conferencing solutions that allow your team to stay connected and your business moving forward, regardless of what restrictions are in place is one way you can protect the financial health of your organisation as well as the physical health of your employees.
Express Virtual Meetings are experts in reliable, secure and easy-to-use video and audio conferencing solutions that keep businesses connected and moving forward. Contact one of our friendly team members to see how you can access free video conferencing for 2020, today.
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