After the stay at home period, when things become settled or after the announcement made by the local government, if the management decided to get the employees back to the office, it will the responsibility of employers to think of the safety of each employee and decide whether they can safely return to the office. Social distancing will play a big role to keep the employees safe but following the rules will be difficult as we live in the society and the employees returning to the workplace may find themselves drifting back to the old habits.
First thing is following the rules which are set by the government for the organizations and on the daily routine for everyone. What comes after is that, if deciding to get back to work, how can an organization encourage their employees to follow the internal rules to keep them safe.
Clearly set the rules
The obvious first step that an organization should take is to set the rules which will be followed by the employees both within an organization and as well as externally.
Up to date policies
Always make sure the rules and policies are up to date according to the situation. If the situation is not as serious as before, the organization can adjust and update the policies as keeping the employees in a higher stress environment unnecessarily can have negative impacts. It goes the same way if the situation becomes more serious, the management and HR should update the rules accordingly to keep them safe.
Set constant reminders
We are human, if people stop talking about something, we quickly forget and go back to our old habits. By giving constant reminders to follow the rules for safety, it will be helpful for them to remind and control themselves.
The organization should stay alert of the existing health and safety rules released by the government. As the employers are keeping everyone safe on behalf on them, even if this is for COVID, if one is not following, it may affect an organization in any ways. The management and HR should make employees aware that this is also part of the rules and policies set for an organization which to be followed.
