“This pandemic is taking everyone on a journey. Individuals are working, behaving and thinking differently. The impact on the workplace is huge.

Businesses must plan and consider future workplace design and how to stage return to work to ensure they care for their people. There is so much to consider. We just want to make it easier. Our Business Readiness Check provides structure and clarity.”

How Does It Work?

This Business Readiness Health Check provides a detailed assessment of an organisation’s readiness to manage COVID-19 return to work. The questions are taken from a compilation of advice from several sources (Society of Medicine, HSE, CIPD. The health check will highlight strengths and weaknesses in five key areas and provide a confidential report to help an organisation develop a plan of action.

Although this document will be kept under review and updated, it remains an individual organisation’s responsibility to ensure any advice given is up to date and accurate as knowledge of COVID-19 is still evolving. Advice may change. Whether you are just starting to build your COVID-19 strategy or have an established programme, the Business Health Check will provide practical information and guidance to ensure that you are COVID-19-ready. The health check involves an interactive question-and-answer session with one of our specialist consultants.

FOUR KEY AREAS ALL FOCUSED AROUND THE EMPLOYEE

The session will cover these four key areas, prompt discussion among the group, and provide strategic guidance and action-planning ideas.

The full checklist has over 100 questions; here are some examples.

• Strategy and policy – Do you have a written strategy or policy for managing COVID-19 return to work? Have you identified key people in your organisation who will be involved in COVID-19 feedback and decision-making?
• Culture and leadership – Are your managers/supervisors competent in a new work environment? (This could be under new guidance or remote working?). How do they feel about their roles in the new workplace environment?
• Workplace safety – Do you have a process to manage an incident at work which has led to someone’s possible or actual exposure to COVID-19? Have you considered how you will ensure ‘at risk’ groups within organisations are supported adequately?
• Wellbeing – Do you know how their wellbeing has been affected by lockdown? Do you know how your people feel about returning to work?