Workers Returning To The Office

The South Australian Business Chamber Today — 27 January, 2022
We welcomed the announcement by the Premier that the public service would commence returning to their offices, starting today with 25% returning. Predominantly based in the CBD, the absence of the public service from their city locations, as well as the corporate sector following suit, has been disastrous for city traders. But from today, hope begins to return for those businesses missing their customers. The South Australian Business Chamber has received advice from the Chief Public Health Officer about how to safely transition your staff back into the office, including consideration of the following:

• Approximately 25% of the workforce is recommended in the first instance, particularly in open-plan spaces. Those workers with separate offices can be in addition to the 25%.
• Masks should be worn at all times in the workplace, including at desks, in shared spaces like kitchens and bathrooms, in shared working spaces.
• Business continuity plans should be in place and activated to reduce the chance of entire teams being exposed.
• Employees should be allocated individual workspaces (ie avoid ​‘hot-desking’) which are regularly cleaned.
• QR code check-ins into buildings and offices are recommended. Individual QR codes should be in place for specific business units or floors to allow rapid contact tracing if needed.
• Communal gatherings should be avoided, eg shared meals in lunchrooms and meetings should continue to take place virtually unless absolutely necessary to meet in person.
• And finally, and most importantly, any staff with symptoms, no matter how mild, must immediately obtain a PCR test and not attend the worksite.