Back to work – guidelines for companies

All coronavirus-related restrictions are slowly being removed in Sweden. As employees start coming back to the workplace, companies must pay attention as to how the working environment is best secured. More employees onsite equal higher risk of infection.

Encourage employees to stay at home if they have symptoms

Before coronavirus, most companies probably never thought of the risk of infection with a disease as a risk to the working environment. However, companies are responsible for securing the health and safety at the workplace, and therefore for lessening the risk of infection at the workplace too. That includes ensuring:

• A good ventilation in the workplace
• Access to clean hands thoroughly, preferably with soap and water
• Thorough and good cleaning routines (surfaces and premises must be cleaned regularly)
• At least one safety representative onsite if there are five or more employees
• To make risk assessments before and during the employees’ return to the workplace

The return to the workplace should also happen gradually. That entails that it should be communicated to employees that they should still stay at home if they are showing symptoms of coronavirus.

In this connection, companies are recommended to:

• Create plans on the return to the workplace (information on gradual return, access to remote working etc.)
• Communication internally (e.g., that employees must stay at home at symptoms of coronavirus)

IUNO’s opinion

When working life returns to the situation before coronavirus, it is important to continuously be aware of the risks in the working environment and to be attentive on how the situation develops when employees return to the workplace.

IUNO recommends that companies follow the guidelines from the Swedish government so that the transition from working remotely to onsite will go as smoothly as possible. This is important because the Swedish Work Environment Authority might carry out inspections at workplaces, and if companies violate working environment rules, a fine may be issued.