Omicron variant: five steps to reduce risk and disruption
Omicron variant: five steps to reduce risk and disruption
Safe Working Practices
Peninsula Group, HR and Health & Safety Experts
(Last updated )
Peninsula Group, HR and Health & Safety Experts
(Last updated )
The government has launched new measures tackle the ‘Omicron’ COVID-19 variant.
Jump to section:
Loading content...
Omicron variant: five steps to reduce risk and disruption
FAQs
Got a question? Check whether we’ve already answered it for you…
HR management outsourcing is when a team of experts manage your HR by looking after your contracts, policies, and procedures.
These are the HR essentials every business needs. Without them, your staff could bring successful claims against you, you could lose thousands in legal fines, and even face prosecution. Never underestimate the benefits of HR support for a small business.
We have years of experience in providing HR for SMEs and HR management outsourcing. Contact us to see how we can support you, including HR advice for small businesses - as well as medium and large companies.
Good human resource management is having round the clock support when you need it the most.
Whenever there’s a staff challenge or an important legal update, you just pick up the phone and get the help you need – no matter the time or place.
The main benefits of HR outsourcing are:
- Cost saving: Reduces the expenses for such things are hiring, training and employing an in-house HR team.
- Time saving: Saves time for staff members away from HR tasks.
- Improves expertise and compliance: Provides ongoing advice and support to ensure complete and total compliance.
- Reduces risk: Reduces the risk of any payroll and compliance failures.
Outsourcing HR is cheaper than hiring internal staff and saves you money overall when it comes to your HR service. Plus, you avoid making mistakes that could cost you heavily in claims and legal fines down the line. Every business should consider HR support as a way to avoid claims.
Peninsula is one of the leading HR outsourcing services in the UK, and by working with us you get access to our HR advisory service. Contact us for your outsourced SME HR today.
The key functions of HR outsourcing services are:
- Payroll and benefits: Helps a business to manage employee wages, tax processing, and employee enrolment.
- Recruitment and onboarding: Helps with job descriptions, sourcing new candidates, interviewing, and ensuring a smooth onboarding process.
- Compliance with employment law: Helps to ensure compliance with ever-changing employment legislation.
- Employee relations: Helps to manage grievance and disciplinary procedures, and any ongoing support that's required.
- HR admin: Helps to handle and manage daily tasks, such as employee records, sorting employment contracts, and processing any leave requests.
- Training and development: Helps to create and deliver staff training programs to improve employees' skills.
This anonymous employer was worried about asbestos risks in a building their staff were refurbishing. So they asked Gavin Scarr Hall, Peninsula’s Director of Health & Safety, for expert advice.
The government has launched new measures tackle the ‘Omicron’ COVID-19 variant.
Along with a return to face masks on public transport and in shops, there’s also tougher self-isolation rules for travellers returning to the UK. Which means more disruption for employers like you…
So, to protect your business from COVID-related absences, follow our checklist of HR and health & safety tasks:
1. Roll out tighter safety measures
Concerns over the new COVID-19 variant are ramping up. So if you have vulnerable or anxious staff, they could feel seriously unsafe at work.
Plus, while the severity of the new variant is still unknown, it’s important to tread
carefully. Not being cautious could lead to widespread or severe sickness in your workforce – especially if the new variant is more transmissible.
So, if you relaxed your COVID control measures, now’s the time to return to tighter safety guidelines. And if you didn’t, see if you can toughen up your existing measures. Here’s how:
Increase the amount of ventilation in your workplace.
Clean surfaces and communal ‘touch points’ more frequently.
Ask staff to leave a 1 or 2 metre distance between each other while they work.
Ask staff or customers to wear face coverings – even if you’re not required to by law.
Block off communal areas.
Stagger breaks and exit times to avoid crowding.
Once you’ve outlined your tougher safety measures, update your COVID-19 risk assessment and share it with your staff.
2. Make your Christmas party safer
Current guidance doesn’t say anything about avoiding contact with other people. So, your Christmas party – or any other staff event – can still go ahead.
However, it’s worth bearing in mind staff safety. As the severity of the variant is still unknown, you should take steps to curb the spread where you can. Otherwise, you could face heaps of absences during the busy festive rush…
Think about ways you could make staff events a little more COVID-secure. Whether it’s taking the festivities outdoors or simply letting more air in, take practical steps to reduce risk.
Also, advise your staff to take a lateral flow test before attending. This reduces the risk of the virus spreading through your festivities like wildfire.
And of course, make it clear that staff don’t have to attend if they feel uncomfortable.
3. Create a policy for foreign trips
If your employee is heading abroad, think about how you plan to accommodate the new self-isolation rules. Because now, your employees will need to take a PCR test within two days of returning to the UK – and isolate until they get a negative result.
Does your employee have enough holiday left to book extra leave for their self-isolation? If not, see if you can allow remote work or offer unpaid leave.
Create a policy for overseas trips which outlines how you plan to tackle any self-isolation periods. Sharing this with your staff before they jet off means there’s no nasty surprises when they return.
4. Make plans for flexible working
As it stands, there are no plans to return to the government’s ‘Plan B’: which would include asking your employees to work from home if possible.
However, with concerns growing about the new variant, it’s good to plan ahead for Plan B. This means you won’t suffer delays if remote working guidance comes into force, and you’re not prepared.
This involves making sure your employees have the equipment they need to tackle their work from home.
Plus, if you do return to remote work, it’s good to create a remote working policy which includes:
Your expectations on availability and responsiveness.
What tools staff should use to communicate.
Guidance on clocking in and out – a tool like Blip in BrightHR allows staff to check in to work remotely, no matter where they’re working from.
Health & safety guidelines – like completing a DSE checklist – to make sure your employees are working in a risk-free environment.
Security guidance – like asking staff to use a VPN or avoid public Wi-Fi to avoid data breaches.
Any consequences for not following your remote working policy.
5. Call Peninsula for advice
Currently, not much is certain about the new COVID variant.
However, one thing that is certain is you face big decisions over how to best protect your staff and reduce COVID-related absence.
So whether you’re having doubts over your Christmas party or want to strengthen your health & safety policies – or anything at all – get in touch today. You get instant advice from qualified consultants who want the best for your business.
Blog
Gavin Scarr HallDirector of Health and Safety
Blog
Peninsula Team
Blog