Return to the office or carry on working from home?
It’s a conundrum employers are continuing to grapple with as the COVID pandemic drags on towards winter – and possibly for many months yet to come.
On one hand, employees are being encouraged to return to the workplace for the good of the economy, and we all understand that, while on the other we are being told to keep our distance and avoid places where people congregate in numbers, which also makes perfect sense!
Then there’s the working-from-home factor to consider. Most people have been working remotely for a long time now and it’s proved to be largely successful, so should firms continue with that policy?
Moving forward
There are those who can’t work remotely and there are other reasons for getting back in the office – productivity and mental wellbeing, for example. So we need to find a way of achieving this without risking an escalation in COVID cases along with other winter ailments which can lead to increased absenteeism.
One way of helping the situation is by installing screens inside the office.
Being COVID secure is a term we have been hearing a lot since restrictions began to ease and is something employers need to ensure is in place for the protection and reassurance of employees.
Thinking long term
It’s ultimately up to businesses to decide whether they have the office kitted out to make it COVID secure or stick with the policy of staff working from home. We believe COVID is likely to be with us for some time so employers need to decide on their long-term strategy and if they want their team to come together they should prepare now.
Installing screens means less illness circulating through the office, adding a level of reassurance for those returning to work and resulting in a higher level of overall productivity.
Screening also has a positive effect on other health issues. The flu season is rapidly approaching, a time when many employers experience a high level of staff sickness – something which hopefully can be prevented with screens and dividers and other measures in place.
Views of a client
We have been installing desk-mounted high screens, screen toppers and free-standing high screens for clients over many weeks now as businesses plan for a return to work.
One such client is J&PR Ltd. Operations Director Rhea Alton said they decided to invest in screens and dividers for their Wellington office. She added:
“Although we work on a cloud system and our staff work flexibly, it was important to us that the office was accessible when needed, especially after the encouragement from the Government to get people back to offices.
“We believe it is an investment as these restrictions could be in place for a long time, and for a number of our team it is not feasible to work permanently from home – their mental health and wellbeing is important to us, as is their safety in the workplace.”
Here at Chrisbeon we ensure all our screens are designed for people to work in as safe an environment as possible, reducing the risk of infection. We are very busy with screens at the moment, which means it can take up to three to four weeks for delivery so we would urge those who are looking for screens to get in touch as soon as possible.
For more about how we can help you, telephone us on 01952 292606, or email sales@chrisbeon.co.uk
