Making excellence a habit
Published date: |
|
Modified date: |
|
As pandemic restrictions are eased, more organizations are preparing to re-open their workplaces. However, this welcome move comes with many challenges: as well as ensuring workplaces are Covid-safe, employers will need to adjust to shifts in working practices and provide additional support for employees.
The transition to full re-opening is likely to involve many organizations adopting a hybrid model where many more workers are based at home for all or part of the time. Managing this move to blended working will require the development of new policies and practices.
So, what should you consider when reopening your workplace?
Taking stock of the needs of your organization
Simply returning to old pre-pandemic routines is not an option. We are likely to see increased demand from employees wanting to work from home at least part of the time.
CIPD research indicates that 37% of people will want to work from home on a regular basis after the pandemic, compared to 18% before. Employers anticipate that 22% of workers will want to work all of their hours from home post-pandemic, compared to 9% before. Managers have mixed feelings about the shift to increased homeworking: 28% of employers say homeworking boosts productivity, 28% say it has a negative effect and 37% say there is no difference.
Many companies are taking a ‘blended office’ approach, allowing workers to choose whether working remotely or in an office suits them best. This flexible approach has the disadvantage that employers have a more complex risk profile to manage, needing to consider a wider range of working situations.
Seven things to consider on reopening
When preparing for the reopening of your office building, here are some elements you should consider.
1. Communication
Firstly, communication is hugely important in this transition. Your employees need reassurance about what is expected of them. For example, what new rules apply and whether processes have changed for procedures such as entering the workplace, holding meetings or using shared spaces.
Workers will also want to know what measures are in place to reduce risk as far as possible. Sharing your plans for reopening will provide reassurance about what is expected of your employees.
Communication is also a challenge around blended working. People will need to know that work and opportunities are shared fairly between home working and office working team members. Without effective communication, misunderstandings and even resentment could build up, or even create a split between employees in different locations. Employees who work remotely and those who attend the workplace should be brought together regularly to help ensure everyone feels connected and included.
2. Timings
You do not need to return all employees at once. A phased approach is safer and easier to achieve. Prioritize the employees who should re-enter the workplace first, and consider measures to reduce the likelihood of contact and virus transmission when they do so. Workers who have found remote working difficult could be prioritized. For example, those who live alone and feel isolated, or whose home environment is less suitable for work due to crowding, noise, small children or a lack of equipment.
Measures to help reduce risk of transmission could include:
* A staggered start, break and lunch schedule to minimize the number of people in shared spaces and help people to avoid rush hour.
* A shift system where colleagues could alternate days to help with social distancing.
* Physical distancing measures such as leaving every other desk vacant.
3. Mental health
Mental wellbeing is a hugely important consideration in re-opening. Many employees will have had difficult experiences during the pandemic. For example, losing loved ones, experiencing serious illness, managing to balance caring responsibilities with work, and dealing with loneliness and boredom. Many workers will also have anxiety about returning to the office and will require support, reassurance and ongoing flexibility from their employer.
4. Physical security
In terms of physical security, ensuring safe conditions in your premises is of paramount importance. A full check and workplace risk assessment should flag up areas that could be improved. You will need to review procedures for cleaning and disinfection to ensure that risk is minimized. This might include screening using standardized questions, communication to increase awareness of symptoms and a record of which employees have been vaccinated, where individuals are willing to disclose this. Signs and posters may be required, for example, to remind workers of the safe procedure for using stairs and lifts. You should also have a system for contact tracing.
5. Data security
Data protection should also be an important consideration. Consider how blended working impacts your data protection, as you shift from a temporary working arrangement to a more permanent one. This might mean reviewing temporary licences and other systems, updating antivirus programs, re-evaluating VPN networks and deciding whether changes need to be made.
New IT systems should be added to your system vulnerability scanning schedule and you should ensure remote employees have the right cyber protections and access rights. Don’t forget to review your business continuity management strategies in view of the new way of working.
There may be complexities in how you handle employee private data on reopening the workplace. This includes data gathered through contact tracing and health checks. A legally compliant, robust and transparent system should be developed for this.
6. Asset management
Out of necessity, many organizations adopted a flexible approach to asset management during the pandemic as continuity was the key priority. As we transition out of the pandemic, monitoring of assets (data, hardware and software, facilities management, personnel) may need to be increased to prevent security breaches.
For example, organizations may wish to review their position on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) to ensure appropriate security measures are in place.
7. Business continuity
The Covid pandemic tested the business continuity plans of most organizations. This period will provide valuable learning to help businesses strengthen preparedness for a future event, such as a malware attack. Your business continuity plans should be reviewed to allow for a phased return to work, and updated to reflect the changes of the pandemic.
How standards can help
Standards exist to provide guidance on best practice. With so many different factors to consider in the return to work, standards are invaluable in providing a comprehensive and logical guide to what needs to be addressed.
Throughout the pandemic, BSI has been active in developing standards and improving access. Earlier in the pandemic, BSI followed an accelerated standards development process to create ISO/PAS 45005. This guide sets out advice on safe working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The guidelines continue to be relevant and are free to download.
We also provided a guide to answer your questions on how ISO 45001 and ISO 22301 can support your organization’s response to pandemics such as COVID-19
Now, with a particular eye on cybersecurity and data governance, BSI has prepared a guide, Returning to work – post pandemic: Implications for cybersecurity and data governance. This sets out further information about the return to work.
These standards might also help your organization ensure ongoing health, safety, security and resilience:
Other sources of help:
Government guidance
MIND sources of support
As we emerge from the pandemic, organizations will need to adapt to a changed environment and help their people to recover. There are many opportunities to improve the way we do things, embed learning and become more resilient organizations. BSI will continue to work hard to develop guidance on the areas that matter to you.
Click here to provide feedback
You're seeing this article for free as
part of the Member Portal's public
article bank.
You can access Premium articles,
industry news, as well as the
Update Standards and Knowledge
Centre services by becoming a
BSI member.
All the services are updated
regularly, helping you get even
closer to industry experts and the
knowledge you need to do your job.
