The vast majority of business owners rely on a team of employees to oversee the daily running of the company and achieve key targets. As an employer, you assume responsibilities, one of which is to keep your employees safe. In this guide, we’ll cover some essential considerations to prevent illness and injury, boost health and wellbeing and minimize the risk of legal issues.
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Drawing up employment contracts
Employment contracts are beneficial for both employees and employers. Employers have the opportunity to outline guidelines and expectations and provide detail about the requirements of the role and employees have a written agreement to protect them if they have queries or concerns. Offering contracts to employees is always beneficial when hiring new members of staff, and it’s useful to work with lawyers to ensure that the contract covers all the critical points and satisfies legal guidelines and regulations. Before you welcome new members to the team, spend some time going through the contract with them and ask them to take it away and read it thoroughly before they commit to joining the business. The contract should cover everything from working hours and leave entitlement to sick pay and employee rights.
Implementing health and safety measures
Employers have a legal obligation to keep their employees safe at work. Regardless of whether you run an office, a warehouse or a construction site, it’s vital to ensure that you are familiar with the latest health and safety guidelines and that your workplaces are fully compliant. It may not be possible to prevent every accident or injury, but implementing measures and procedures can help to reduce risks dramatically. It’s also critical to adhere to rules set out by authorities to avoid accidents at work and work-related illness. If you’re negligent, and an employee suffers injuries as a result, you could face legal action. Carry out regular risk assessments, provide health and safety training for your employees, ensure any issues or hazards are addressed promptly and respond to any concerns raised by your team.
Promoting health and well being
As an employer, you want to get the best out of every employee. A happy, healthy team is more likely to be productive. It is beneficial to go above health and safety guidelines to actively promote physical and mental health and wellbeing. It helps to be aware of potential risks, for example, susceptibility to work-related stress or occupational illnesses, such as back pain, and to take steps to support your workforce. You could look into introducing measures to help employees manage or combat stress, for example, access to free yoga or meditation sessions or creating tranquil communal spaces to relax between meetings, or prevent back pain by investing in ergonomic furniture and offering advice about maintaining good posture. It’s also critical to listen to employees, to talk openly about factors that might be impacting their health and to try and identify solutions based on common concerns or issues.
Staying safe in the Covid-19 era
Covid-19 has brought a raft of fresh challenges for businesses. Employers are now required to enforce measures to keep clients and employees safe and stem the spread of the virus. As well as taking advice from health authorities and implementing new rules, it’s also beneficial for employers to take steps to reduce anxiety and make employees and customers feel safe and reassured. Levels of stress are high, and many people are apprehensive about leaving the house to either go to work, shop or travel. Communicate with your staff, offer clear explanations about the changes that have been made, be prepared to answer questions and meet with employees on a one-to-one basis and provide training. Every employee should be aware of the risks so that they understand why action has been taken and how they can change the way they work to stay safe and protect others. It’s also beneficial to engage with customers and share updates to keep them in the loop. Whether you offer services, or you sell products online or in-store, your customers will want to feel confident that they will be safe if they visit a shop, place an order for delivery or arrange for a home visit.
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Employers have a duty to protect their staff members. Workplaces and work-related tasks often carry risks, and it’s important for company owners to be aware of hazards and address them swiftly. In addition to health and safety measures, employers can also help teams by prioritizing health and wellbeing, ensuring they comply with employment law regulations, and providing additional reassurances during the pandemic.