Preparations an HR needs to do to ensure employees restart working from the office post lockdown

As your company’s Human Resource official, it is only natural to worry more about your employees’ health and safety after the onset of COVID-19. While vaccination is in full swing, there is no complete cure for the disease, putting world economies and citizens in a fix. Work from home is now a norm and continues to be so until there is an absolute surety that it is safe to venture out like in the pre-pandemic times. Between the frequent lockdowns imposed and lifted, the toll has fallen both on businesses and employees alike. As an HR, you need to ensure your company takes all steps to keep employees' health and safety a priority, especially during the post-lockdown phases. Here are a few things you can do for the best of your employees.

Make workplace sanitization a frequent practice.?

Workplace sanitization has become more of a must after COVID-19 hit the world. It is crucial to sanitize every spot of your workplace with alcohol-based disinfectants at regular intervals during the day. Ensure that each employee has a separate sanitizer and install hands-free sanitizers at strategic areas. Keep tissues, masks, and COVID-19 medicine at hand for emergencies. Reduce any deliveries including office deliveries, correspondence mail, and food ordering (if possible). Encourage to carry out all coordination online as much as possible.

Maintain safety and social distancing rules.?

Earlier, there might not have been much space between two employees. But now keeping a distance of at least 6 feet between two employees is a must. Rearrange your work area, lunch-rooms, pantry, boardrooms, and any other gathering space in a way that maintains a distance between any two employees at a given time. Ensure that employees who come into the office don’t sit too close, especially during lunch breaks or a celebration. Also, encourage employees to get home food and avoid eating junk or unhealthy food to keep their immunity intact.

Track employees' health every day.?

Keep a close check on your employees’ health every day. Assign security personnel to take their temperatures before entering the office premises, and do the same after wrapping up the day. Make a list of vulnerable or high-risk employees – like those suffering from respiratory, chronic, or lifestyle ailments. It is vital to value their health and ensure their work does not take a toll on them during the pandemic. Moreover, by keeping track, you can also protect other employees from contracting the disease.

Help secure private transportation modes.?

Ask your employees about their daily mode of travel. For those who have their private vehicle, ask them to continue to travel that way. For those who use public transport or travel from far, set up separate or paired company transport vehicles for their safety and convenience. Try and leave everyone before the curfew begins and arrange transport or reimbursement for those who have to stay beyond working hours.

Continue to carry out operations online.

Until there is a 100% cure for COVID-19, or at least until every employee undergoes vaccination, keep most of your business operations online. It will keep your employees safe, save their travel time, and boost productivity. Moreover, it will give them enough time to spend time with their family, friends, and loved ones, without compromising on work. Until it is of absolute necessity, avoid calling employees to the office.

Make employee mental health a simultaneous priority.?

People’s mental health has taken a toll after the onset of COVID-19. Despite all the verbal attention, mental health is gaining, there is little to no practical action to boost employee mental health. As an HR, you can keep employee engagement and morale up by:

• Keeping weekly activities
• Approving leaves without delay or questioning
• Giving extra bonuses
• Rewarding them for their efforts through verbal and non-verbal ways from time to time