Back to Work Final

RETURNTOOFFICE GUIDANCE Welcome back!

RETURNING TO THE WORKPLACE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction Return to Work Plan – Key Dates

3 4 5 6 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 9

Sickness and Absence Health & Safety at Work

Travelling to and fromWork Social Distancing in the office Staggered Hours Office Occupancy Levels Social Distancing in the office At your desk Office Walkways / Stairways Shared equipment and resources Hygiene Hand Sanitiser Stations Hand Washing Toilets Increased ventilation

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Cleaning offices Reception Areas Kitchen Areas Use of PPE PPE – provided by B&Co Face Coverings Internal Meetings

Video Conferencing: Face to Face Meetings Advice on traveling to other offices for a meeting Communication to All Staff Annual Leave Any Questions?

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INTRODUCTION

As we return from lockdown, we will need to adapt to a new way of working for many months to come.

We will be setting out a detailed plan for our phased re-populating of offices, all of which follows the Government’s ‘Covid Secure Standards’.

It is possible we will need to update and adapt the information in this booklet, from time to time, in order to maintain our safe working environment and to keep up with new information being provided during this this fast-moving and evolving situation. This booklet should be read in conjunction with the following documents: • Covid-19 Return to Work Policy • Covid-19 Risk Assessment Working in Office (one risk assessment per office) • Covid-19 Risk Assessment Working in Other People’s Home (Residential Services)

A copy of the following declaration will be available on our website, signed by Charles Whitaker.

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RETURN TO WORK PLAN KEY DATES SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE

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SICKNESS ABSENCE

REPORT ANY CORONAVIRUS SYMPTOMS The main symptoms of coronavirus: • High temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature) • New, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual) • Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms. Symptoms are usually mild, but some people can become very unwell.

Urgent advice: Use the 111 online coronavirus service if you have any of: • High temperature • New, continuous cough • Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

111 will tell you what to do and help you get a test if you need one.

Use the 111 online coronavirus service.

Call 111 if you cannot get help online. Do not go to places like a GP surgery, hospital or pharmacy.

Absence and Sickness Policy Please refer to the Absence Management and Sickness Policy (inc. Covid-19 amendments). A copy is available on the intranet under both the Staff Handbook and the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Updates sections. If an employee has suspected or confirmed Coronavirus With the IT infrastructure, Working from Home Policy and Risk Assessments we have in place, we will be able to react quickly to both a suspected and a confirmed case of coronavirus in any office. We will notify all those in contact with the affected employee and ask them to self-isolate for 14 days in line with current government guidelines. If necessary, we will close the office and de-populate; something we are geared up to do in less than 24 hours now. We will ensure the office is cleaned thoroughly.

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HEALTH & SAFETY AT WORK COVID SECURE STANDARDS: These are the legal requirements workplaces will need to meet in order to reopen. Part of the ‘Covid Secure Standards’ guidance requires employers with 50+ employees to produce a written risk assessment of working conditions for their staff, prior to re-opening. We have produced 3 documents for all staff and Partners: • Return to the Workplace Booklet • Covid-19 Return to Work Policy • Covid-19 Office Risk Assessment; what should be happening in your local office. Employers have a legal duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees and anyone else who may be affected by the employer’s business. This includes conducting regular risk assessments to identify COVID-19-related risk and appropriate measures to control that risk and reviewing them on an ongoing basis.

[https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19]

Whilst none of these measures can completely eliminate the risk of Covid-19, we will do everything we reasonably and practicably can do to minimise that risk.

We recognise that the risk to people’s health from this pandemic are psychological as well as physical, particularly, anxiety about the ongoing health crisis. Before returning to the office employees and Partners will be briefed on the measures in place at their local office and everyone is encouraged to put forward suggestions, questions, concerns about any related matters to the Coronavirus support team; email to BAC Coronavirus Team.

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TRAVELLING TO AND FROMWORK From 15 June, the Government advice states that everyone must wear a face covering on public transport. Social distancing guidance on public transport must be followed rigorously. Where possible, those in our first phase of repopulating the office do not include those who solely relied on public transport to get to and from work, prior to this pandemic.

If they can, people should instead choose to cycle, walk or drive to work, to minimise the number of people with whom they come into close contact.

Upon arrival at your office you must immediately follow the social distancing and hygiene rules in place; such as using hand sanitiser on entering the building, for example. Please consult your local office risk assessment.

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SOCIAL DISTANCING IN THE OFFICE It is important to maintain 2 metres social distancing wherever possible, including while arriving at and departing from work, while in work and when travelling between sites.

Where possible to do so, colleagues should remain a minimum of 2 metres away from one another at all times.

Where social distancing cannot be followed in full we have put in place many risk reduction measures, which adhere to the covid secure standards.

Staggered Hours Our offices are generally populated between 8am and 6pm.

Not all staff arrive to work at the same time and not all staff leave work at once. Therefore, the government guidelines on staggered hours are already part of our working practice. Office Occupancy Levels Due to the nature of B&Co’s work, over 50% of our staff (‘professionals’ and Partners) are regularly absent from the office due to client meetings, site visits, viewings, valuations, etc. We will continue to repopulate offices slowly, even once the government gives us the ‘all clear’ to return to work, because our employees’ physical and psychological wellbeing is of utmost importance to us. We believe this phased repopulation will further support social distancing and help to minimise risk of the virus spreading throughout all our offices and continue to provide staff with the safest working environment. Offices rarely have every member of staff in at once.

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At your desk It is unlikely that you can maintain the 2 metres social distancing rule when sitting at your desk, the government and health guidelines cover this as follows: • Where it is not possible to remain 2 metres apart, staff should work side by side, or facing away from each other, rather than directly face to face/opposite one another, if possible.

• No hot desking, no sharing computer equipment.

• Make use of PPE and Video conferencing.

Reposition your desk or computer Desks are to be moved (where practicable to do so and adhering to manual lifting procedures) to minimise prolonged face to face contact and increase distance between workstations. It may be possible to move computers to the opposite corner of your desk or for you to work from the opposite side of your desk. Use monitors and anything practicable as a screen between colleagues who sit face to face. Where face-to-face contact is essential or unavoidable, this should be kept to 15 minutes or less wherever possible, as much as possible. Disciplinary Action Continued failure to adhere to these social distancing measures may result in disciplinary action. The Disciplinary Dismissal Policy has been updated to reflect the seriousness of this matter. Office Walkways / Stairways One-way walking systems may be introduced, where practicable to do so, to minimise face to face contact with colleagues. Arrows will be marked on the floor in tape. Only one person on the stairs at any one time. Wait at least 2m away from the top or bottom of the stairs until free. Shared equipment and resources Try to limit the number of times you use the photocopier or any other shared equipment/resources. Wipe down all hard surfaces once you have finished using them. Wipes will be provided. There will be tape around the photocopiers etc. to designate where only one person should be standing.

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HYGIENE

Hand Sanitiser Stations Upon entry to the office all staff should use hand sanitiser or immediately wash their hands. All offices will have a number of hand sanitiser stations. Use as frequently as necessary. Hand Washing Throughout the day, everyone should wash their hands with soap and water, at frequent intervals – not just after using the loo. Paper towels will be provided in all offices, to stop the reliance on shared towels or hot air, electric hand dryers. Toilets Paper towels to be used in place of cotton hand towels and hand dryers. Blue roll or disposable, biodegradable wipes should be used on taps, sinks after each use.

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INCREASED VENTILATION Where safe and practicable to do so, offices should be increasing the ventilation throughout. Windows should be regularly opened, so fresh air can be circulated as often as possible. Opening doors (unless fire doors which are not to be kept open) increases air flow and minimises the need for employees to touch door handles.

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CLEANING OFFICES The HSE advise that there is no need to deep clean offices upon returning to the workplace. Normal cleaning products kill the virus and it is known that the virus cannot live on hard surfaces for longer than 72 hours. There should; however, be increased cleaning standards in all offices and each cleaner/contractor doing the cleaning should be adhering to covid-19 secure standards for cleaning.

All waste bins should have bin-liners.

Tissues should be disposed of by flushing down the toilet, not in office waste bins. Everyone should regularly wipe down their own workspaces, including desk, cupboards, computer equipment (with the correct, appropriate wipes), chair/arm rests etc.

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RECEPTION AREAS Tape should be on the floor to mark out 2 metres from the Reception Desk – everyone should stay behind this line when addressing reception staff.

Receptionists should sign the Visitors Book on behalf of the client.

Receptionists should sign the staff ‘movement’ sheet on behalf of employ- ees, but where this is not possible, staff should use their own pen to mark themselves in or out of the office.

Hand sanitiser to be provided in all Reception areas.

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KITCHEN AREAS Each office to decide the maximum number of people allowed in the kitchen area at any one time, dependent on size of kitchen. A note is to be put on the door to remind staff.

Everyone should make their own drinks.

If staff wish they should use their own mug/glass/cup/cutlery and wash them up. Each member of staff should wipe the fridge door and any hard surface they have been in contact with before leaving the kitchen area.

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USE OF PPE

PPE – provided by Brown&Co Notwithstanding the lack of availability of many items of PPE, B&Co endeavour to provide every office with:

• Hand sanitiser • Hand soap • Paper Towels (for hand drying) • Blue roll (for surfaces) • Antibacterial/anti-viral spray • Desk/Surface wipes (biodegradable) • Tape – to mark social distancing measures on the floor • Gloves

PPE for those attending meetings out of office/meeting clients and the public: • Face masks – limited supply, on a need only basis • Gloves • Pocket sized hand sanitiser bottles (can be filled up from the office supplies) The Risk Assessments drafted specifically for Covid-19 disruption, cover all aspects of PPE.

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FACE COVERINGS

Wearing a face covering is optional and is not required by law in an office environment.

Face coverings do not replace social distancing.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you and your household must isolate at home - wearing a face covering does not change this advice. See the section on the Sickness Policy. Evidence suggests that wearing a face covering does not protect you; however, if you are infected but have not yet developed symptoms, it may provide some protection for others you come into close contact with. It may also help those anxious about returning to work. If you choose to wear one, it is important to use face coverings safely and correctly: • Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before putting a face covering on and after removing it • Avoid touching your face covering, as you could contaminate it with germs from your hands • Change your face covering if it becomes damp or if you have touched it • Continue to wash your hands regularly throughout the day • If the material is washable, wash in line with manufacturer’s instructions. If it is not washable, dispose of it carefully in your usual waste You can make your own face coverings. The key thing is it should cover the mouth and nose. Information on face coverings taken from: https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/staying-safe-outside-your-home/staying-safe-outside-your- home [Accessed on 14 May 2020].

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INTERNAL MEETINGS

Video Conferencing Use video conferencing facilities wherever possible.

Everyone with a ‘brown-co’ email address has a Microsoft Teams account.

Face to Face Meetings If a face to face meeting is necessary, then you must:

• Limit the number of face to face participants at each internal meeting; only those absolutely necessary should attend.

• Sit at least 2m apart throughout.

• Rearrange areas where meetings regularly take place, for example, remove chairs, use floor signage to help maintain 2m distancing rules. • Consider holding the meeting outside or in a well-ventilated area, if possible.

• Wash your hands before the meeting.

• Provide hand sanitiser in meeting rooms.

• No shared water jug / coffee pots etc.

• Clear your own mug/glass away and wipe down your table area at the end of the meeting. • Avoid further transmission during meetings by avoiding sharing pens and other objects. Advice on travelling to other offices for a meeting We can see no reason, presently, for a justifiable reason to travel to another office (other than your usual place of work) for a meeting or training.

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COMMUNICATION TO ALL STAFF All Staff Emails The first all staff email to address the risk of Covid-19 was sent on 11 February 2020. This was accompanied by a guidance sheet on travel and symptoms. Since that date, we have been continually updating staff with each, significant, development. Those staff who have been furloughed have had the all staff emails forwarded to their private email addresses. Guidance Sheets All guidance sheets have been emailed to all staff and uploaded onto the intranet, ensuring that they remain accessible to all. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) Update section on the intranet contains all guidance sheets. This will continue for as long as necessary.

They are also accessible through the Access Workspace tab.

Posters Please use the posters produced by the Marketing department - which do not breach image copyright regulations – for all offices to display where appropriate.

Video Blog Charles Whitaker has produced video blogs – the link has been emailed out to all staff – to ensure he is actively remaining in contact with everyone during this challenging time.

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ANNUAL LEAVE

There is a new policy called ‘Annual Leave - 2020 (Coronavirus Disruption)’.

It was emailed to all staff on 3rd April 2020, but it is also available on the intranet and through Access Workspace under the section entitled ‘Coronavirus (Covid-19) Update’ and under the Staff Handbook section.

This policy will remain in place until further notice from Partnership.

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ANY QUESTIONS

It is vital that every employee and Partner feels they are returning to a safe, supportive and caring environment. If anyone has any questions, improvements, suggestions or concerns about the contents of this document, any related documents or any practice within their local office please email or call any one of the Coronavirus Team; Charles Whitaker, Jim Major, Suzanne Morgan and Lisa Lee.

Suzanne Morgan 07799 543 094

Lisa Lee 07500 331 511

Charles Whitaker 07768 465 731

Jim Major 07768 465 748

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