Whether you are a large private organization, a young start-up, or a government enterprise, employee safety is a critical and essential responsibility of every employer. This means that every employee, regardless of age, gender, culture, race, and religion, should feel safe while working in your organization.
Recently there was a drop in the rates of the employee’s personal feeling of safety. The SafeDay report – In the face of a pandemic: Ensuring Safety and Health at Work highlights the occupational safety and health (OSH) risks arising from the spread of COVID-19. It also explores measures to prevent and control the risk of contagion, psychosocial risks, ergonomic, and other work-related safety and health risks associated with the pandemic.
The massive layoffs and changes in the working environment led to a decrease in employee safety. Of course, it would not be fair to ignore the instability that employers are going through and their sense of dropped safety. However, if you are still holding a team, there are responsibilities towards the employees and you will have to try your best in order to maximize their feeling of occupational and healthy safety. In a changing world where remote became popular and required, it is harder to establish this common feeling for individuals but there are several guidelines that an employer must follow:
- Create a remote work policy: During the pandemic, people struggle and many are even afraid to visit the physical offices. Establish a clear policy regarding working from home. This will require a balance between effectiveness, productivity, and the need for providing flexibility nowadays.
- Cleaning and Disinfection- if you are managing a workplace at medium risk and employees are visiting the office, make sure to clean and disinfect at least two times a day objects and surfaces that are touched regularly. Consider suspending any activity where physical distancing of at least one meter cannot be implemented in full.
- Share your plans- to increase occupational safety, your employees should feel that someone is navigating “the boat” toward a safe shore. Share with our employees your vision and plans regarding COVID 19 and try to provide them a feeling of security, that even if it is not the best period business-wise, at some point with the right measures it will stay in the past.
