Welcome back to the BCRS blog.

Remember when no one had even heard of the Coronavirus (COVID-19)? We were all going about our everyday lives as normal and then in such a short space of time, COVID-19 took the world by storm and has transformed the employment and economic landscape of the UK.

Fast forward a few weeks down the line, week 11 to be exact, many of us are settling into isolation working practices and all of this beginning to seem ‘normal’. However, this is just the beginning of the long road ahead to allow more businesses to start trading again.

As mentioned in last weeks blog post, businesses are starting to re-open this month, starting with non-essential high-street stores. Pubs, restaurants, cinemas and beauty services are due to follow suit in July at the earliest.

Is your business post- lockdown ready?

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, ‘If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail’ if you haven’t already, use this time to plan for life after lockdown.

Keep reading to find out some key information to keep in mind…

The new working environment

First things first, we would be naive to think that all businesses can resume trading exactly as they were before lockdown measures were put in place. Adjusting the work environment will be the main challenge businesses will face in order to comply with social distancing measures. Rearranged office spaces, high-street shops and food outlets will be amongst those that need to be considered to keep all employees and customers safe to reduce the risk of infection. Strict hygiene measures are a must!

Consider the risks that are involved upon re-opening. Have a detailed risk assessment outlining every eventuality that could result in the transmission of infection. Visit HSE to ensure you are within the revised government safety guidelines.

Revised workforce

The economic shock may have impacted the business’ needs. For those that have been furloughed, are you able to bring all employees back to work at once or will this need to be a staged process? Do you now find yourself needing extra team members or the need to reduce the workforce to ease the post-lockdown pressures on your business?

For those staff being retained, can they continue in their current roles. It may be necessary to appoint new roles or assign extra roles for the time being at the best interest of health and safety.

For example:

• Should staff who have previously tested positive for Coronavirus and have now recovered, be transferred to customer-facing duties due to some immunity, resulting in reduce risk of re-infection?
• Can you protect the most vulnerable staff by moving them away from frontline duties to a role in which they face a lower risk of infection?
• Should staff continue working from home wherever possible?

Employee Support

Some may have found it difficult to adjust to lockdown life over the last few weeks and adjusting back to a ‘new normal’ could also prove very challenging for some. Managing challenges of home schooling, working from home or financial strain due to furlough will have been exhausting without the need to mention the impact of isolation.

You should consider how you are going to best support your employees to resume ‘normal’ working life after lockdown and what you can do to help them with the challenges they currently face.

That’s it from me, I hope you have found the above information useful as you prepare your business for life after lockdown.

As always, BCRS are committed to supporting West Midlands based businesses that have been affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Click here to find our eligibility criteria and find out more about how we can support your business during these challenging times.

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Published by – Lauren McGowan – Digital Marketing Assistant