Across the globe, the workplace as we know it has rapidly evolved with a greater focus on employee safety, and minimising the spread of the Coronavirus.
A virus-safe economy
On the 29th of April, Australia’s Industrial Relations Minister, Christian Porter released the new work health and safety guidelines.
The industry-by-industry guidelines were published online by Safe Work Australia with the goal to establish a virus-safe economy by July 2020, providing businesses with the tools to implement safe guidelines, immediately.
The five duties outlined by Safe Work Australia are simple. They focus on looking after your people, keeping them safe, ensuring they are as productive as can be when they begin to return to the workplace and balance their time working outside of the office.
Unispace's approach to creating a COVIDSafe workplace
For some workplaces the changes that need to be implemented will be minimal; the simple addition of sanitisation stations, the removal of workstations and seats to adhere to the mandated 1.5m distancing, increased signage and the communication of workplace changes to employees.
Other workplaces will need to be reconfigured or restricted, and many workers can expect to see changes to their daily routines. There are also logistical barriers preventing a smooth return to the office, including public transportation, building lift restrictions, limited cafes and lunch spots, restricted pantry provisions and kitchens in the office, and reduced collaboration space.
These immediate amendments are reflective of what we’ve implemented across our national studios.
At Unispace, we’ve implemented a staged return to work for our Australian team, with the first phase involving a timetable based on discipline and days of the week. We’ve also introduced some simple changes that follow the guidelines, as illustrated in the video below.
