It’s not that long ago that Kent and London businesses were able to reopen. The 19th July was dubbed “Freedom Day” and it was heralded as the day that staff could return to the office. However this week, with the arrival of a new Covid-19 variant named “Omicron” the government have moved to Plan B and the message is from Monday 13 December anyone who can work from home should work from home.
Many businesses will already have plans in place based on previous work from home orders throughout the pandemic but for those who may find themselves in this situation for the first time this article takes you through what you need to consider when asking staff to work from home and what to put in place to keep staff and visitors safe where work from home is not possible.
Should My Office Employees Work From Home?
The UK governments Cabinet Office has offered the following guidance “work from home if you can”. As a business it’s important to assess who can and cannot work from home. Those staff who are able to work from home should do so but anyone who e.g. needs access to equipment for their work or where the role they do has to be done in person they should continue to work in the office.
When considering who can and should work from home it’s also important to consider employees health and well-being and whether home working is appropriate for anyone facing mental or physical health issues.
As a business you will know which of your staff fall into the two categories.
Employees Working From Home
If your employees will be working from home you’ll need to carry out a risk assessment under the Health and Safety Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 as the duty of care which employers owe to their employees also applies when they are working at home.
The type of assessment will depend on the type of work that is being done. Any assessment should work with employees to assess and adapt their workspace to identify any hazards and risks and minimise or eliminate them where possible.
As previously mentioned mental health issues and risks where loneliness and feelings of isolation should also be taken into account.
You must take reasonable steps to make sure any staff working at home can do so safely. In the majority of cases you should not need to visit them at home to ensure their health and safety, but you should make sure they have a healthy and safe environment to work in. You should provide guidance and information to help staff risk assess their working environment. Consider the following when carrying out any home working risk assessment:
- Check for and minimise any slip or trip hazards by keeping work space clear of any obstruction or trailing wires from electrical equipment.
- Check electrical equipment for any damage to plugs or leads with any equipment used for their work. Ensure that electrical extensions are not overloaded. You are only responsible for the electrical equipment you have provided.
- Make sure your staff know what to do in the event of an emergency. This should include information on how to contact you and any emergency numbers they should have.
- Check desk and chair layout and heights along with the positioning of your computer screen and adjust them so they are setup correctly. The HSE website provides information on Seating at work and the Display screen equipment (DSE) workstation checklist.
Where an employee will be using Display Screen Equipment (DSE) The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 are also applicable. These regulations outline the obligations employers have in relation to the use of work supplied DSE. Where work at home is temporary employers are not expected to undertake a full assessment but should provide information and guidance on reducing risks. Where employees are likely to be working from home for extended periods of time employers should:
- Identify any risks where DSE is used (including the use of laptops) for prolonged periods (HSE guidance defines this as daily usage for an hour or more)
- Reduce any identified risks as far as possible
- Provide employees with training and relevant information in the use of DSE
Any display screen equipment should be assessed using the “Working safely with display screen equipment” information given by the Health and safety Executive (HSE).
Where staff are working alone it’s important that both you and your staff have ways to keep in touch and contact should be regularly scheduled.
ACAS, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service have also published guidance on working from home.
Employees Working In the Office
Where staff are working in the office, the government have provided the “Working safely during Covid-19” guidance to help reduce the risk in the workplace.
This guidance should be used by businesses when they are preparing health and safety risk assessments and putting mitigations in place. There are priority steps you should take in your workplace in order to protect your staff and site visitors during the pandemic. They are:
- Carry out a health and safety risk assessment including the risk that Covid-19 brings. The HSE have a page dedicated to how to carry out a risk assessment during the Covid-19 pandemic. You should:
- Look at what work activity or situations may cause/increase the transmission of Covid-19 may be transmitted within your workspace.
- Identify those who will be at risk e.g. staff, site visitors, contractors and delivery drivers.
- Establish how likely it is that any of these groups might be exposed to the virus.
- Think about how you might mitigate and control the risks to reduce the transmission.
- Ensure that your workplace has adequate ventilation. We know that one way to mitigate the risk of transmission is through good air flow. This can be done through natural ventilation by opening windows and doors (which may be problematic during the colder months) or through mechanical ventilation using air conditioning, fans and ducts. It’s important to identify areas where there is poor ventilation as this is where Covid-19 is most likely to spread, and then take steps to improve the air flow in these areas.
- Put in place a cleaning regime to ensure that all hard surfaces, especially those that are likely to be touched most often, like hand rails and door handles are cleaned down regularly. Introduce hand sanitiser stations and encourage staff and visitors to clean their hands frequently.
- Make sure anyone with Covid-19 symptoms understands that they must stay at home and self isolate and book a PCR test even if they have been fully vaccinated. If staff test positive they should self-isolate for 10 full days, this includes the day symptoms started (or the day you of the test, if no symptoms were present). Staff should self-isolate for longer if they get symptoms while self-isolating or where symptoms do not go away. They should also understand that they should self-isolate if they are contacted by Test and Trace as a contact of someone who has had a positive test for Covid-19 (unless they are exempt). As their employer you must allow them to work from home if they need to self-isolate.
- Although there is now no longer a legal requirement to collect staff or customer contact details doing so supports the Test and Trace system in identifying close contacts of anyone who tests positive. You can allow people to check in using a QR code and a system to record contact details you do not have the NHS app.
- Communication and training are key and you should keep your staff and any site visitors up to date on the safety measures you are implementing so they know what is required of them when they visit your business.
Other Mitigations You Should Consider In The Office
Over and above the steps outlined by the UK government there are other steps and mitigations you can put in place to keep staff and visitors safe. They are:
Office Layout
You should consider your current office layout and whether it will help or hinder you in reducing virus transmission. In a previous article we looked at ways to adapt your office space to the new reality of Covid-19 including:
- Changing the layout of your office space so that there is more space between desks.
- Providing smaller office furniture or individual booths to make it easier to space desks further apart and to social distance.
- Using design techniques to highlight safe routes and prompts within your décor, flooring and furnishings to provide visual cues to ensure staff keep their distance including the use of flooring specifically designed to “show pathways” or separate areas.
- Designing and implementing larger meeting spaces and breakout areas where possible.
- Installing video conferencing equipment to allow for more “virtual meetings” allowing your workforce to connect no matter where they are.
- Reducing touch points through the use of automated controls.
- Utilising a hot desking booking app system which enables staffs to book their desk in advance. Once the space is vacated cleaners are notified and once cleaned the app makes the desk available again. This gets round any concern over hygiene and cleaning of shared space.
Office Partitioning
Office partitioning can provide another way of keeping staff safe.
Partitioning can be used to change and reconfigure your office layout to provide space for individual offices, meeting rooms, storage areas and more. The various different types of office partitioning provide businesses with a large range of choices which can meet the requirements and which will fit in with their current workspace. This includes:
- Sliding or folding partitions (electrically operated individually suspended panels, straight sliding walls, zigzag folding walls, vinyl concertina, lightweight sliding panels and gliding panels that run on a ceiling mounted track to move anywhere within an work space).
- Full and partially glazed partitions (frameless glass, aluminium framed, curved glass, glass partition with integrated blinds, toughened glass and acoustic glass panels) which are particularly favourable when dividing smaller spaces, as they maintain the natural light.
- Timber, plasterboard, composite laminate, veneer, decorative acrylics and polycarbonates.
- Fire rated partitions
- Soundproof
More Information
We have written a number of articles on adaptability, downsizing and Covid-19 secure office spaces including “Kent and London Office Interior Design Ideas For 2021” and “London Office Fit Out Trends In 2021”. In our “Top Tips For Returning to the Office After Step 4 Restrictions Have Been Lifted” article we looked at how to prepare a workplace for staff returning after restrictions have been lifted and mitigating future risks by adjusting the workplace so that your business can be ready and prepared for future outbreaks and cases of Covid-19 through a variety of measures.
Further information can be found on the government website “Keeping workplaces safe as coronavirus (Covid-19) restrictions are eased – sources of advice” and should provide the information on changes following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) website also provides information for employers and employees including “Planning to return to the workplace”, “Keeping the workplace safe” and “Talking to staff about workplace changes”.
How Can JBH Refurbishments Help?
JBH Refurbishments have over 30 years experience in design and build, office refurbishments and fit outs and can advise on Covid-19 office layout, design and tech to ensure a safe return to the workplace. From your brief, to putting together a project plan, to developing your office design and layout to delivering your office fit out JBH Refurbishments will provide piece of mind.
To find out how we can help us via our contact form or by calling us on 0333 207 0339.