The Offices and Contact Centre guidance for COVID19 states (as do all guidance notes) "Staff should work from home if at all possible. Consider who is needed to be on-site; for example: • Workers in roles critical for business and operational continuity, safe facility management, or regulatory requirements and which cannot be performed remotely"

At what point does an office worker become critical such that they need to attend work raher than work from home?

The term "critical" is quite subjective and means different things to a CEO, Office Manager and a H&S Professional!!

There may be a push to get as many staff back to the office with little of no regard as to the "critical" nature of their role or not as the case may be. At some point the word "critical" may bleed into "easier to manage".

As discussions progress to bring staff back into the office, I think all we as H&S professionals can do is to advise how the guidance reads and how it should be applied, but the final decision regarding the "critical" nature of each individual will remain with the office management

Our/my interpretation for my factory is as follows:-

• Those needed for the company to run safely and efficiently

From our point of view this is as follows

• Sufficent factory floor workers that we can get the orders out and still keep them socially distanced and safe. We are at around 25% capacity, since the orders have dried up anyway.
• Any office staff that cannot work from home and are needed for the business to still function (in reality this is myself (H&S), the quality manager, factory manager and a director. All sales, ordering etc. are working from home.
• sufficient supervisors to ensure the rules are followed and the work is carried out correctly (around 1 per 10 people)

As we get more controls in, or as guidance is relaxed we will start introducing more people back into the workplace. I have been very candid with the directors that I will not sanction more workers than we can keep safe.

Stupid is as stupid does - make your recommendations as documented advice and take the money.

As you do not own the company you personally cannot make anything happen - they could choose to dump your documented advice straight in the bin - they have paid for it and can do as they wish.

TBH there are things within this employment circle that can be controlled and influenced - there are also things without which in a moral world we would seek to control but the expediency of a commercial setting dictates should be ignored.

Any concern about transmission from the care home should be tempered with the understanding that any member of staff from the office could be exposed shopping/excercising etc. to any other member of the care home OR hospital OR.......

Zero risk = Zero exposure = Zero business