The U.K.’s workplaces will be markedly different from the environments employees left behind before lockdown but businesses stand ready to help restart the economy.
Boris Johnson is set to unveil a roadmap for the U.K. to exit lockdown and restart the economy on Sunday. Central to his address could be proposals to get businesses and employees back to work.
The government’s draft back to work guidance for U.K. businesses includes staggered shifts, screens between desks in offices, avoiding hot-desking and ensuring lifts are half-empty, according to reports. Employees should not work face-to-face or share pens and other equipment and must maintain a two meter distance where possible. Businesses will also need to make sure they have hand sanitizer at entrances and exits as well around lifts, while staff may be forced to change into and out of uniforms at work.
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Guidelines for hotels, restaurants and shops are set to be different, with bar and seating areas closed and the number of customers at one time limited.
While a timeline and details are yet to be finalized, the majority of U.K. companies said they could be ready to restart operations within a week, according to a survey conducted by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
The survey of 540 companies revealed that 25% would not need any notice at all to get back to work, while 35% said they would need less than a week’s notice. Smaller businesses – with fewer than 10 employees – need less time to restart than those with more than 50 employees, according to the findings.
“Over the coming days, business communities will require clear forward guidance from the government on plans to reopen parts of the economy, transport networks, schools and local services. Our results show that businesses’ ability to restart quickly varies by company size, and by sector. For these reasons and more, it will be crucial for the government to maintain and evolve support for businesses, to give as many firms as possible the chance to navigate a phased return to work,” BCC director general Adam Marshall said.
Trade unions and business groups have been consulted on the government’s draft proposals for a return to work, which are still being finalized, producing a mixed reaction.
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The Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary said the guidelines “fell short” and the union could not recommend them in their current form. “The problem is the government is asking us to trust employer discretion. It used like ‘consider’ social distancing, ‘consider’ having soap or sanitizer available – that’s just not good enough,” she told BBC Radio 4.
“There are huge gaps in the guidance, nothing on PPE or testing,” she added.
The Confederation of British Industry deputy director general Josh Hardie said businesses were not “hurrying to restart” and government and unions must work together to get it right.
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“Lockdown was, by necessity, brutal and fast. Restart will be slower and in a sense, more nuanced – so there’s so much that we can learn from the great firms who have already started expanding their operations in line with government guidelines and we can see how important it is to have that health first approach so that we don’t risk another lockdown,” he told Sky News.
