Steps for Preparing to go Back to Work After Lockdown

Plenty of people have taken to doing fun things during the Covid-19 lockdown, from reuniting with loved ones, talking to relatives far away, binging our favorite videos and movies, or just playing at Roulette 77 India to pass the time.

While it may seem like some ways away, we must start to look at how we are eventually going to come back to work. Please note that these are solely suggestions and staff should only be allowed to go back to work once it is safe to do so.

How to start returning back to work

There are several things that we can do to prepare for getting back to work the first time. These tips are going to help you become aware of certain aspects.

Prepare, Inform, Prevent, Recover

Those make up the PIPR approach. This is what that should entail.

Prepare

Identify your return to work plan and get ready to return to work. A few steps that should be included are:

  • Preparing your building for occupancy
  • Discussing the business return to work program with leadership
  • Review any service or issue that might pose a health risk, determine how you are able to minimize these risks

You will also have to determine who will return to work and who will not. That should consider the following aspect:

  • At-risk or vulnerable staff
  • Space availability and workplace distancing
  • Staff members who may have care obligations or who have children
  • Travel arrangements to ensure that the need for public transportation is kept to a minimum

Inform

It is important that you are in constant communication with your employees. It is better to have a senior communicate this information with the staff. In the back-to-work program, it is important to establish new protocols for your workplace. A few things to consider are:

  • Travel to and from meetings or client sites
  • Staff members who do not feel well or have symptoms stay home
  • The use of fridges for personal food items, eating and drinking
  • Seating arrangements
  • Following the government advice for the use of public transportation
  • Arranging for arrival, ensuring that not all employees arrive at the same time

Prevent

Returning back to work means an increased focus on hygiene and health. That should include the following factors:

  • Clean washrooms regularly determine whether it is necessary to clean more often than otherwise would be needed
  • Identifying key touchpoints in the workplace and ensuring that there are enough places available to clean hands
  • Determining the necessary cleaning frequencies
  • Reinforcing the necessary distancing protocols in the workplace

Recover

Business recovery is an absolutely crucial key stage. Management must ensure that the work program is both effective and enforced. The business must support those people who are returning back to work. Not just effectively, but also restore overall confidence.

It is important that you are constantly open to feedback, take the lessons learned from the lockdown, and critique what you implemented and constantly improve. It is also important that workers understand the need to stay home if they are not feeling well, not just for themselves, but for the greater overall good.

Lessons learned from the lockdown

Even though many of us would prefer the lockdown to never have happened, it is important to take the lessons learned from the time working at home. Are there positives that we can take from this turbulent time? Perhaps families were able to come together, people could focus on what matters most of them.

Teams are forced to evolve. This should give them a chance to see how they can work in a new way. Even though the aforementioned is not all necessary information, it should offer some structure on how to return to work. By following these steps, you should be able to get back to work when the time is right to do so.

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Ajay Deep

Ajay Deep is a young enthusiast who Loves Chandigarh and is always eager to make this beautiful city even more beautiful. A Mechanical Engineer By Chance and Working in an IT MNC by Choice. A Writer, Photographer and a Budding Entrepreneur. A Designer, Developer and Digital Marketing Expert. In brief : A Jack of All Trades and Master of Few :) You may reach Ajay Deep at ajay@chandigarhmetro.com
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