The past year and a half has seen many of our work lives drastically change. The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the implementation of social distancing and social isolation rules, which asked everyone who could stay home to stay home. Of course, this meant that many of us who are able to work remotely began to work from home on a permanent basis. However, as vaccines are being rolled out around the world, many of us are looking forward to life returning to normal and some businesses are starting to consider bringing their staff back into the office environment. Now, after many of us have finally settled into working from our own premises, a return to a more professional and formal environment can seem daunting. It’s important that you don’t feel overwhelmed and to ensure that you feel entirely comfortable with your return. A reminder of your rights at work should help with this. Here’s some information to keep in mind!
Health and Safety
The issue at the forefront of most people’s minds right now is going to be health and safety. We’ve lived through a global pandemic and many have managed to avoid catching the virus, which can prove fatal. Now, more than ever, it is so essential that at work there are all sorts of health and safety laws in place. It’s also absolutely pivotal to every worker’s well being that your employer sticks to them. Remember that by taking on staff, your employer becomes responsible for all workers’ health and safety in the workplace. This means that they should provide a safe environment for you to work within and make sure that you have been given the right training to do your work safely. In terms of Covid, precautions should still be being taken. This involves wearing masks, providing hand sanitiser and ensuring that workers can remain two meters apart at all times.
Testing and Isolation
Everyone should be completing two rapid flow tests a week right now. This can allow everyone to ensure that they are healthy before heading into work. If you test positive, you must isolate – and so should anyone else who experiences a positive test. Your employer needs to allow for this. If your employer contests this, consult workers’ compensation attorneys for further advice.
Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing is a controversial topic, but it’s important that we know our rights in regard to it. If you find that your employer is doing something wrong, you should be free to report it to the relevant authorities to ensure that something is done about it. You also cannot be condemned or experience repercussions as a result of this. You should feel comfortable raising complaints if your employer isn’t complying with rules and regulations surrounding Covid, which includes providing a safe workspace and ensuring that individuals with symptoms or positive results isolate.
These are just a few areas to focus on and be aware of in light of many of us returning to the professional workspace. Hopefully, some of the topics will help you along the way to getting back into a usual working routine comfortably!