As with every other major city in the UK, Liverpool is currently facing challenges due to businesses reopening and employees expected to return to the workplace.
After months on furlough or getting to grips with working from home, thousands of people are now having to come to terms with getting back to work and dealing with all that entails under the ‘new normal’ conditions.
Lots of people are finding it hard to shake off months of official warnings about the dangers of the coronavirus and accept that it is safe to use public transport and gather in workplace environments. This means that employers face an uphill struggle, as not only do they have to implement new health and safety measures to ensure that they offer staff COVID-19-secure conditions, but they also need to deal with the psychological issue of employee confidence.
Testing
One of the biggest news stories of the moment is that of government testing capacity and availability. For some people, the requirement to have a negative test result can mean the difference between being able to return to work and having to stay at home, while for others the confirmation that they either do or don’t have COVID-19 means that they can plan around current ‘self-isolation’ rules.
As it looks increasingly likely that a second wave of the global pandemic is coming or has even already started in the UK, the demand for tests is becoming greater, and although it isn’t something that employers can really take ownership of at the moment, the concept of wider health testing is something that can come into play.
Workplace health
With the novel coronavirus still being something of a mystery even though scientists and medical professionals are learning more all the time, other more established health issues continue to impact on the world of work.
For some time, employers that take the health of their employees seriously have realised the benefits of workplace testing regimes that cover a wide range of conditions. As the lockdown brought its own issues unrelated to COVID-19, such as increased alcohol consumption at home, there are bound to be subsequent knock-on effects for some of those returning to work.
This means that employers are in a good position to initiate testing programmes of their own that can help spot potential problems and increase health awareness among employees.
The Hep C instant test from Matrix Diagnostics is a good example. It is a rapid anti-HCV test and one of a range of products from the company that can be used in a workplace environment with little fuss.
The test simply requires a drop of blood, which is analysed by a small stick device immediately on site. Nothing has to be sent away to a laboratory for testing, and results are produced quickly and transparently.
Confidence
Perhaps the biggest problem facing an employer that needs to get a workforce back on site is that of employee confidence. Since March, everyone has been bombarded with government announcements, medical advice, and new laws and rules that have been based on how dangerous the coronavirus can be.
To suddenly expect everyone to just forget this and get back to a ‘new normal’ is not only unrealistic but could also be dangerous if it led to people abandoning social distancing and other safety measures such as mask-wearing in certain environments.
This is why it is essential that employers recognise the need to play their part in making sure that workers are given the confidence that offices, factories, shops and warehouses are being operated safely and that their individual health is a priority.
Some businesses may need to re-evaluate working practices to make permanent changes that go beyond simply shutting the cafeteria and setting up some plastic screens, while others may already be used to programmes such as workplace health tests that can help build trust and confidence among employees.
Local knowledge
With various areas in the North West of England seeing some of the highest rates of new infections over the past weeks, it is important that business owners and employers recognise that if this is a ‘second wave’, there isn’t likely to be a ‘one size fits all’ national lockdown scenario imposed.
Instead, it is far more likely that as the R rate rises and falls around the country, local knowledge and area-specific actions will need to be taken to minimise risk. This means that employers in Liverpool will need to maintain a flexible approach based on what is happening here and make sure that the right actions are taken to protect both individual workers and the community at large.