Gemma Harle: Seven things to think about on return to our offices

As lockdown begins to ease and we find ourselves venturing back onto the streets, into shops, pubs, and hairdressers, the inevitable questions is when will we return to our offices?

The official government advice remains that workers should stay at home if they can and it is unknown how long that will remain the case. Given this, it's important for employers big and small to think ahead about what an office re-opening would look like for them.

Within our own advice network we have seen an increasing number of questions on how to safely return to to the office. There are seven things we would encourage for any firm owner who is preparing to re-open their office.

1. The people: Think about who actually needs to work from home and what criteria need to be factored in when asking people to return. For instance: do people still have childcare challenges meaning they need to continue to work from home? Are they worried about coming back? And, on the other hand, are there people who have been negatively impacted by working from home who would benefit from coming in?
   
   
2. The physical space: Unsurprisingly an office will need to be deeply cleaned before anyone returns. However, that's not all. Before an office is opened you need to ensure it meets Health and Safety Guidelines. This includes the servicing of any heating or air conditioning equipment and the testing of water.
   
   
3. Social distancing: Every office will need to implement social distancing protocals differently depending on the size of their office and number of staff entering. At Quilter, in order to maintain the two metre rule we're working on a maximum occupancy of around 30%. Plans are in place to make a one-way system with signs to highlight the routes in and out of the office. Desks should be two metres apart. However, if that isn't possible screens could be used to decrease the risk of transmission. People should work back-to-back or side-to-side and not facing each other.
   
   
4. Commuting: This is may be an area of challenge for some of your employees so it is important to discuss this with them as part of the return to work conversation. To reduce congestion in the office or car park you could consider staggering employee start and finish times.
   
   
5. Seeing clients: There is now the possibility to visit clients in person. However, this should only be done in consultation with the client. Social distancing needs to be observed, so there should be no physical contact and hand sanitiser should be used if documents need to be exchanged. At Quilter we still believe the best and safest way to deliver professional advice is through video conferencing for the time being.
   
   
6. Meetings: Visitors should be discouraged from attending the office unless absolutely necessary. In the event there is no choice but to visit the office, they should observe social distancing and should be briefed on what they are required to do. In terms of meetings between employees, these should only include necessary internal participants. Meeting rooms should have floor signage to help people maintain social distancing and should also have hand sanitiser available.
   
   
7. Regular cleaning: While most offices are cleaned on a regular basis, it is likely for most people that this will need to increase. All desks and surfaces should be cleaned at least daily, with cleaning wipes provided to enable people to clean their own desks before use, should they want to.

For further information the Government produced a guide to working safely during Covid-19 in offices and contact centres, which could be helpful.

Gemma Harle is managing director of Quilter's advice network

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