It’s official, Omicron is over – well, according to the NSW and Victorian governments at least, who have removed both work from home recommendations and mask mandates in the workplace. Both states are currently suffering from ailing CBD economies, with businesses in both Sydney and Melbourne struggling to get back to BAU with bills mounting and only a small number of office workers to patronise them.
However, it’s important to remember that, sadly, the pandemic is ongoing, and future outbreaks simply can’t be ruled out. After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve been told to go back to the office only to be shut out again a few short months later. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; this is not the ‘new normal’ – this is the ‘new world’.
We recommend, therefore, the hybrid model of working where possible – that is, half remote and half onsite. There’s no doubt that we’re all sick of Zoom meetings (and sick of hearing jokes about how we’re all sick of Zoom!) but in this ‘new world’ it’s critical that we utilise the technology at our disposal and remain flexible and adaptive. There’s no telling when the next outbreak may be (or possibly something worse) and you can no longer rely on your team to be all in the same place at the same time.
The important thing is knowing how to keep communicating with your variously dispersed team members – you can prepare this by running regular hybrid training and exercising for your emergency and crisis management teams, so that they know exactly how to respond when an incident occurs and your CIMT Leader is out of the state.
On this point, your regular Fire Wardens and onsite management may have changed from the last time you were in the office (or on rotation). Remember to keep contact lists up to date so that you don’t get caught out.
Most businesses have been able to transition from the office to remote working fairly easily for the last two years without too much disruption thanks to modern technology – but there’s no denying the benefits of workplace collaboration in the office. That’s why we think it’s highly beneficial for workers to return to the office – just not in the way that we used to.
Call me on 0417 160 120 or email allan@crisisshield.com.au for a chat on how we can help prepare and protect your business to survive for better times ahead.