The current pandemic has been hard-hitting and the challenge of bringing employees back to work is huge. With most people having experienced physical and emotional issues, employers should ensure their workplaces are safe. In doing so, employees can feel even safer going back to work. There are several ways to create a safe working environment such as utilizing UV sanitizer hospital grade UV light. Other ways include;
Identify and mitigate potential hazards
With the current pandemic, no one had prepared for its effects. However, we can still learn from it and ensure that any future occurrence is well identified and mitigated. In any workplace, there are various potential hazards such as fires, injuries, mold, high noise levels, and worn-out machinery among others. Thus, it’s important to identify them early enough and take all the measures required to mitigate the risks posed. Also, you can implement solutions like R-Zero UV light disinfection of hospitals units to sanitation surfaces in the workplace. In the case of fire, you can ensure there are smoke alarms in place, fire extinguishers, and clearly labeled barrier-free emergency exits. For worn-out machinery, ensure they are replaced immediately or repaired and serviced regularly.
Be transparent
Realize that employees feel safe when they know what’s going on around them. This also translates to having their opinions heard and taken into consideration. As such, it’s important to ensure that all your employees are in the know of what is happening in the company. As an employer, you should also take the time to hear out your employees and their grievances. You can achieve these through transparency ensuring there is an open flow of communication throughout the company. Your employees need to know that you are at the forefront of looking out for their safety. In the case where your employees partly work from home, you can ensure there is still transparency through regular update emails, zoom meetings, and phone calls. Lastly, do less talking and more listening to your employees, and go through their feedback.
Bring in a professional help
As you ensure you have ample physical safety measures, the same should be done for mental health safety. Your employee could be having some issues that are beyond your HR departments to handle and you need to bring in a professional for that. Consider adding a counselor to your team to help your employees work through any re-entry anxiety. Mental and physical wellness should be prioritized.
Allow part-time remote working
In some departments, employees are productive if working remotely. Hence, as you strive to ensure your employees fully transition back to in-office working, let it be a step-by-step process. Your employees can work remotely part-time while you tighten up your health and safety measures. Such a move allows your employee to gain a sense of control of their lives and working schedules and effectively reduces any work-related stress. Employers should ensure their employees have adequate mental and physical support as they transition back to work. Establish safety measures, identify and mitigate hazards, bring in a counselor, allow them to work remotely, and above all, ensure you maintain transparency.
While the onset of the pandemic presented many challenges for businesses, as an employer you can implement strategies to ensure your employees feel safe hence are more productive. The above tips can help you come up with ways to provide a safe work environment for your employees.
