products to help you return to your workplace safely 

Update from Adur & Worthing Council

Dear Business Owner

We know that the last three months will have been among the most challenging that you have faced due to the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown. With the government now indicating that these restrictions are slowly being lifted, I know many of you will be focusing your attention on recommencing your trading operations.

As many of you will be aware, on Monday 15 June our town and village centres will start to re-open, as shops selling non-essential goods are allowed to begin trading again.

The government has clearly set out that businesses are required to ensure adequate safety measures are in place that adhere to UK government guidelines and display a downloadable notice to reassure customers around COVID secure guidance and safety.

Retailers will also need to take certain steps to protect customers and staff, including limiting the number of customers allowed inside at one time, placing protective coverings on large items which may be touched by passing shoppers, and frequently checking and cleaning objects and surfaces. This also includes maintaining socially distanced queues outside your premises so they do not negatively impact other businesses and passing pedestrians.

We know that adapting to this “new normal” will take time to bed in. To help, we have collated a range of information and advice from trusted sources on our website which can be accessed at www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-advice. Our Public Health & Regulation team is also on hand to answer any specific queries on risk assessments that you may have.

At Adur & Worthing Councils we want to make sure that we continue to support your business and the town centres as a whole. We are working with partners, such as West Sussex County Council, Worthing TCI, Sussex Police and traders’ organisations, to make sure our town centres and urban areas are not only safe but also welcoming.

You may have noticed additional signage appearing in our town centres. This is to help guide pedestrian flow and further remind our communities and visitors of the need to stay safe through socially distancing.
As our retail re-opens and lockdown eases we are aware that footfall within our town centres will increase. As a result we are implementing a number of temporary measures as a part of the larger Safer Town Centres initiative, such as the widening of pavements through on-road parking suspensions and temporary road closures.

Finally, I want to say thank you for your ongoing support to our town centres which really are the beating heart of our communities. If the last few months have underlined anything it is the importance of working together. So if there are any issues or concerns that you may have around this important issue then please do get in touch.

Wishing you all the best for the foreseeable future.
Tina Favier
Acting Director  for Housing and Wellbeing

Andy Willems
Head of Place & Economy

The official requirements to return to the workplace and a practical approach to managing this return.

As more businesses prepare to ask staff back to the offices, it is clear that, not only must they manage the physical separation now required to keep them safe, but also offer reassurance to all who may be feeling anxious when using communal spaces such as shared kitchens and toilet facilities, or simply when entering the building. The threat of the virus is real but the threat to our mental health is perhaps more so as we return to our workplaces.

The Government has now issued clear rules regarding what must be adhered to when staff return to work, and for most organisations it is going to unfortunately be both disruptive and an unwelcome expense in the current climate. At Mocha, we have been through the 32 page document with a fine tooth comb and have assessed that the following key points issued relating to office and call centre workers are:

• Staff must retain a 2m distance between each other when working if at all possible
• If this is not possible screens or barriers to separate staff must be installed
• Back to back or side to side working is better than face to face
• Frequency of surface cleaning must be increased
• Increased hand washing throughout the day should be maintained
• No sharing of items – pens, cups, personal storage units
• No hot desking – one desk, one member of staff
• No communal touchpads to access rooms or conference calls
• Hand sanitiser should be available at all entry and exit points and in lifts
• Cleaning wipes are to be provided for keyboards, handles, printers
• Additional bins to be provided for used wipes
• The number of contact points should be reduced – if possible have multiple coffee points for a few staff rather than communal kitchen for all
• Operate a ‘one-way’ system around the office with floor signage to clearly show route and direction of travel
• Stagger arrival and leaving times to reduce traffic in lifts and on stairways
• Where possible staff should remain working from home

A link to the complete document can be found here