RETURN to work is about to start – and there is a national hype to get things going again. But do take a minute to stop and wonder – are we jumping the gun? Yes, work can start again, good, but are our customers ready to make orders as there were before? Are employers ready to adapt to the new norms? Here are some of the things that must be considered for the wellbeing of employees.

1. Stakeholders, Human Resource personnel, Socso and employers must consider the following:

Start production at a slow and steady pace – you do not want to have an oversupply in the market due to poor orders uptake, again resulting in another bout of money bleed.

To have a special allocation of leave for employees affected by Covid-19 especially for those in quarantine/isolation. Their current sick-leave of 14-21 days might not be adequate – a forced quarantine will eat into this. In the long run, it might result in some of them losing their annual leave and perhaps even income (unpaid leave). Even more so for daily-wage earners. The question remains: how many days should they be given a year for this? Staff that have been given the clear after the virus should not only undergo a medical health return-to-work screening but a mental-health assessment as well.

There must be some form of Socso compensation for those who are quarantined/isolated/admitted due to Covid-19 for daily wage earners.

In the event of quarantine/isolation – allow staff to work from home without affecting their quarantine leave etc. Give the employees the liberty to choose if they are well enough to work from home or not. Allow staff to work from home at least one to three times a week.

2. There should be no overtime as there was prior to the pandemic. Staff scheduling to be altered.

Staff should not be allowed to overtly commit to overtime – there will be a tendency, especially with some employers trying to make up for lost time/profits. Staff who may have had their mental health affected during the pandemic might suffer from relapses.

Having these mental and physical stresses due to overworking might result in an increase in the rate of sick-leave/absenteeism. This will cause a domino effect, making other staff come in causing the next suggested system to not work.

Staff should be scheduled to work at different times – regular changing of shifts will reduce contact among staff, limiting the number of workers at a time and thus prevent overcrowding. This has to be thought through properly to avoid confusion and overcrowding during the change.

Staff should have different breaks/lunch hours so there won’t be overcrowding of pantries. Time between each break slot should also be done so that it gives cleaning staff an opportunity to clean the place after break periods.

3. Making the workplace infection-free/prevention education

Staff should be allotted the following if the building/workplace design is suitable.

i. Punch-in and punch-out via QR codes (contactless – handphone linked with GPS to ensure location of punch-in) and if possible, there should be a limit on the number of people that can enter a lift at one-go – best use the stairs – so social distancing is possible but one has to be careful about holding the railings and etc.

ii. Staff should be given adequate PPE according to their contacts/workplace appropriateness. Preference of more sophisticated materials given to front-liners dealing with the public (receptionist staff etc). This includes sanitisation materials.

iii. For toilets to be allotted if multiple are present on the same floor. For those with only one toilet – a signalling system (occupied/ not occupied) is suggested in the common area so that staff will not crowd around the toilet to use it.

iv. Disinfecting workplace common areas – toilets, pantries etc regularly. This must be done with disinfectants.

v. Educating and re-educating staff daily. This can be done with a daily announcement system/signage on basic hand hygiene – to wear masks/PPE always and to maintain social distance. Reminders of new rules and regulations – especially on breaks should be sent from time to time, preferably in electronic forms.

vi. For those dealing with the public, a number system for people to come into the premises for an appointment – perhaps via whatsapp/SMS/call so that they can wait in their cars/ other areas to not crowd at one place. For walk-ins, best install a wireless intercom system so that in and out in close areas are monitored. For bigger institutions, it is time to have an online FAQ site, encourage emailing/whatsapp or online forms for appointments and enquiries.

Although the steps may seem drastic but the dynamics of it is needed to ensure that we win the war against Covid-19. – May 8, 2020.

* Dr Arvinder-Singh HS is a medical officer with a masters in health research who is currently pursuing a PhD in community health.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.