The rise of the pandemic in early 2020 saw the unfortunate loss of millions of businesses, with even more jobs either on the line or lost altogether. However, now the cloud of smoke is beginning to lift, and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, many businesses are preparing to reopen around the world in anticipation of the vaccine rollout being successful. It’s completely natural to feel apprehensive about reopening, whether your worries have evolved around the virus, or the possibility of having lost valuable customers while you were closed. Either way, here are some tips to make the working environment safer for all employees upon reopening.

Create a back to work plan

Much like governments all over the world, you need to work on a step by step plan when it comes to reintroducing people back into the workplace. For example, if you need your sales team on hand to begin moving things along again, then logic dictates they are your first team to bring back on board. However, your marketing team, for example, may still be able to effectively work from home for the time being, therefore reducing the chance of spreading the virus within the workplace. Take the time to create a solid back to work plan so your employees know where they are and most importantly, can see that you’re making a conscious effort to keep everyone safe.

Seek professional advice

Every government will have different rules for workplaces to adhere to when it comes to reopening your business. However, you may want to add your own additional safety measures to ensure everyone is as safe as possible in the workplace. Not sure what else you could be doing? Many business owners are reading up on the advice from Carlos Ramirez Safety to ensure their workplace is as safe as possible for employees to return to.

Be compassionate

Everyone feels differently about the virus, and even though numbers may be dropping thanks to people shielding, isolating, lockdown, or even the vaccine, there are still millions of people who are feeling very nervous about the virus. As an employer, now is the time to be compassionate. If an employee is feeling nervous about returning to work, try and make adaptations for them to continue working from home (especially if they have done so during lockdown). Of course, this is a difficult decision to make, but for the welfare of your business and your employees, it’s the right one.

Don’t forget about regular safety

Finally, with everyone worrying about social distancing guidelines and washing their hands regularly, it’s important not to let regular safety rules and regulations slip into the background. Take special care not to compromise safety guidelines put in place by the changes you’re making for your staff returning to work.

Returning to the workplace isn't’ going to snap back into place like before, but with these steps, you can ensure your working environment is safe for you and your employees.