Back to Business After Covid-19: Safeguarding Your Workers and Customers

Posted by : Mercury Labels Ltd on Thursday, June 11, 2020 in Printed Tape.

Evidence suggests that after months of restrictions the likes of which peacetime Britain has never seen, the worst of the Covid-19 outbreak could be behind us.  For the first time in a long time, there’s light at the end of the tunnel and life is showing signs of slowly returning to normal.

Unfortunately, it’s likely to prove a long and challenging road back to anything that even resembles normality as we know it. Until there’s a viable vaccine or cure for Covid-19, it’ll be the responsibility of each and every UK citizen to let their common sense guide their actions and activities.

As far as businesses are concerned, the responsibility is even greater.

Back to Business?

Over the coming weeks, it’s expected that the UK government will announce further relaxations of lockdown restrictions and begin the process of restarting the economy. The result of which will be millions of businesses once again opening their doors, allowing both workers and customers onto their premises for the first time in weeks.

Only in post-Covid-19 Britain, things won’t look quite the same as they did before!

Unsurprisingly, a distinct (and growing) lack of clarity from the government is making life difficult for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Panic is never the best response in difficult times, but it can be difficult to avoid for business owners who have every intention of safeguarding the health and wellbeing of their follow citizens.

The question is - what can and should every responsible business be doing to prevent a second spike of Covid-19?

Physical Indicators and Reminders

Physical indicators and reminders can make all the difference when it comes to social distancing.  From social distancing floor tape to simple hand-washing reminders, there’s no such thing as drilling the point home too aggressively.

With basic supplies like floor stickers and barrier tape, the importance of these simple visual indicators extends to all types of office environments, commercial premises, retail businesses and elsewhere. In fact, anywhere groups of people are likely to congregate when business gets back to (almost) normal.

It’s been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that where visual or physical indicators of safe distances are provided, those present are more likely to behave responsibly. Even something as simple as a strip of social distancing floor tape can be enough to keep people the recommended two metres apart, helping everyone stay safe in the wake of Covid-19.

Of course, the signs that remind people to wash their hands on aregular basis, avoid touching their faces, use hand sanitizer on a regular basis and so on also play a vital role.

Leading by Example

Setting a strong example in the workplace also holds the key to the kinds of common-sense habits that will help the UK as a whole get back to business.  After all, you can’t expect people to follow your instructions if you aren’t willing to follow them yourself.

Leading by example also means being kind but uncompromising in your attitude and approach to Covid-19-proofing policy in your workplace. If you see members of the workforce or customers breaking the guidelines, they should be given a firm but friendly reminder for their own good. Training your workforce as a whole to do likewise is also advisable, as it’s not as if you can watch the whole place yourself at all times.

Enhanced Scrutiny All Round

Throughout the phased restart of the UK economy, the government is making it abundantly clear that all relaxations are effectively experimental and could be reversed at any moment. In the event that a suspected Covid-19 case is detected in any workplace, it will be forced to close while each and every occupant self-isolates for the specified 14 days.

Scrutiny will inevitably be stepped up over the coming weeks and months, making it borderline impossible for businesses to get away with bending the rules. Or for that matter, not doing everything they possibly can to safeguard their workers and their customers.

All of which, makes now the time to start taking things seriously. Informative signage, Covid-19 floor tape, physical barriers, plenty of hand sanitizer and so on - it’s a small price to pay to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself.