With the weather getting dramatically wetter and colder, it is important that employees are comfortable and well-looked after in the workplace. Of course, looking after the physical health of employees is a priority, but it will also cost human-capital should your employee have a nasty trip from rain being on the floor, or catching the flu.
As an employer, here are five precautions that you should take to ensure that you avoid any hefty work accident claims and your staff is kept comfortable and safe.
Make use of wet floor signs
Wet floor signs are essential for any workspace, and probably one of the signs that will be most used during winter. Employees drag rain and snow in from the bottom of their shoes, and the person that follows might slip over on this.
Using a wet floor sign makes staff think twice about where they walk and allow them to be a bit more cautious when walking around.
There are a number of signs that you can purchase to prevent slips, trips and falls in the office. For some ideas, check out this page from Label Source on the sorts of signage that your office may need.
Set the temperature
You need to ensure that the office is set to a temperature where everyone is comfortable. You’ll always get employees that are hotter or colder than others, but you need to come to a decision that the majority are happy with when it comes to setting the temperature on the thermostat.
Ensuring that your workspace is the right temperature will certainly improve productivity and improve the mood of the office.
“We have a thermostat that automatically turns on when the temperature drops below a certain heat,” says Helen Hose, HR manager at Pure Commercial Finance. “This is to ensure the office is kept at a consistent temperature level. The thermostat is set to a temperature that is a reflection of how the majority of employees are feeling. If most of the office is cold, then they’re welcome to turn it up or vice versa, although I ensure that they check with the rest of the team first rather than turning it on whenever it suits them.”
Dedicate one entrance
If more than one entrance is used to enter and exit the office, then lock all of them bar one. This will ensure that you’ll only have to keep one entrance clear and clean rather than all of them, plus it will limit heat loss from the building during the colder months of the year
Make it obvious which entrance is in use by putting up signs pointing towards it.
Provide the correct equipment
If your staff are required to wear a polo shirt and trousers every day as part of their work uniform, then it might be a good idea to invest in some winter wear, such as company fleeces to ensure that your employees aren’t cold during their working day.
If you don’t want to spend money on company fleeces, then suggest that staff are able to wear their own outerwear in a basic colour so that they’re comfortable throughout the day.
Offer remote working
Rather than putting your employees at risk and asking them to come in when there is torrential rain or snow, if it is possible, then it might be worth offering employees work from home days. This will put the long commuters at ease as they won’t have to travel on icy roads, and it will avoid any accidents taking place in your workplace.
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