OPINION: In, out, shake it all about! Working under the new restrictions

Are you feeling a sense of déjà vu; fed up with doing the hokey cokey or do you think it's the right move to send your employees back to working from home?

This week we saw a return to stricter measures being put in place by the Government which are designed to protect us from Covid-19. Many people are commenting that they don't understand the inconsistencies of the various measures that are in place.

The aim, I think we all agree, is to reduce the overall risk of spreading and contracting Covid-19.

One of the principles of risk management is if you can't eliminate the risk, then you have to control it. That means that you need to reduce the likelihood of coming into contact with the risk. Ideally, if we limit the instances where we come into contact with the risks (i.e. other people), that should reduce the likelihood of that risk leading to harm (people developing Covid-19).

The theory is all very well and as much as we might agree with controlling it as best we can; I know many are getting pretty fed up. We thought that if we got through lock down that life would return to "normal". Sadly, that is unlikely to happen and we are trying to find ways to understand what the "new normal" looks like.

So, how do we manage those feelings? From an employment point of view, when your people are feeling anxious or worried, disengaged and disgruntled, that is likely to affect your business. From a human point of view, we want to make sure we can look out for and support our employees.

It's worth remember that no-one wanted this to happen, no-one is to blame and getting through this well will be as a result of us all working together.

One advantage we have, is that we have experienced this before – six months ago – so what can we learn from that experience? What went well, and what didn't go well. How can you be more effective in enabling your employees to work from home?

Who worked well at home and who couldn't wait to get back to work – survey results suggest it is about 50/50 – that means that you have a choice about who wants to work where. Obviously, there are constraints – not least the need for social distancing and increased levels of hygiene and cleaning. If you haven't already assessed the risks and need a simple Covid risk assessment and sound advice, you can find one at the HSE website.

Both you and your people may be feeling demoralised about the new restrictions; by starting the conversations early though, you can get people involved in planning the way forward – so understand what each other's issues are, talk about them, understand how you will stay connected and what you both need to do for that –you'll be relieved to know that the solutions and suggestions don't have to come from you as the business leader – your people know your business and they know how they work best.

We can't avoid the fact that there may be another more rigid lockdown if the "R" rate doesn't come down. Similar issues will be faced around sharing home for work, childcare, schooling and family time. The advantage we have is that we now understand some of the issues and the obstacles we are likely to face.

If, schools have to close (and there has been some suggestion that that might happen after the October half term if the R rate doesn't reduce); even if they don't how will you manage people off work isolating or absent with Covid? Planning that now will be time well spent. Considering options such as "time off for dependents leave", "flexible working", agreed amended hours, amended job roles.

If you are worried about how you are going to manage the next few months with your people and need some advice and guidance, give Sue a call for an informal chat on 07989237057 or email [email protected].

Written by Sue Cockayne of East Devon HR.