Establishing shift patterns and ‘working bubbles’ is an effective way to help reduce the transmission of coronavirus if you are returning to work. Employers should do everything possible to minimise the risk of infection such as installing Perspex screens, relocating workstations, and staggering work shifts.
Employers need to develop a strategy to ensure that the following factors are addressed before introducing staggered work shifts:
- Address employee skillset
- Establish effective communication
- Evaluate your workplace’s entrance and exit access
- Review travel and arrival/departure times
What do these factors mean?
Employers must address employee skillset by considering the collective abilities of the employees that will be working together on staggered shifts. Your workforce will be made up of staff with varying skills and responsibilities, so employers must ensure that the necessary skills and management are covered on each shift to enable effective and productive work.
Establish effective communication to ensure that changes to shift patterns are understood and managed effectively. Employers should communicate regularly to monitor staff wellbeing, morale, and workload. If employees are working unsociable shift patterns, employers should check in to see how they are coping.
It is important to evaluate how employees enter and exit the workplace in between their shifts. To minimise contact, employers should try to extend the time between shifts which can help prevent groups of people using the same entrance/exit points. Employers should also consider how their workforce access entrances and exits within the building. Are doors going to be propped open to avoid contact? Do employees enter and exit the building through the same door – if so, employers should consider implementing a one-way system to avoid crowding which will encourage a smooth flow of traffic.
Finally, employers should review the travel and arrival/departure times of their workforce. By staggering work shifts employers can prevent their employees from using public transport during peak times. If staff live nearby, employers could encourage alternative methods of travelling such as cycling. Moreover, staff that live close to one another could form a ‘work bubble’ by being put on the same shift pattern, allowing them to then share transport.
There are also many internal factors within the workplace that employers must consider. These measures must be implemented internally to help reduce contact and minimise the spread of infection. Find out more about these measures by using our checklist or get in contact with a member of our team for a COVID specific risk assessment for your workplace.
