As the potentially devastating impact on the economy of Coronavirus lockdown becomes as much of a worry as containing the virus itself, the government has announced the re-opening of some manufacturing and retail businesses, as well as asking those who cannot work from home to return to their workplace.

With the panic-driven surge in demand having largely settled, businesses are now wondering how they can prepare, conduct and maintain future business operations in the post-lockdown period. Newly reopened businesses must prioritise protecting their workers from the covid-19 infection, which means ramping up cleaning efforts, maintaining social distancing, introducing staggered shift patterns and using technology to minimise the risk for everyone.

Many businesses are looking to flexible, temporary staffing solutions to fill the gaps in their workforce and ease the transition to their ‘new normal’. Here’s why:

  1. Research shows that large numbers of the public are still wary about venturing back to work. Many employees may still be considered high-risk, face mental health issues accelerated by the pandemic, or have vulnerable individuals  in their households, or children they need to look after. Even if you can address the crucial health and safety measures in the office or facilities and provide appropriate PPE, your workforce may feel anxious at the prospect of returning to work. 
  2. As lockdown restrictions have gradually been lifted, it might be easy to forget that Covid-19 is still a threat and infecting many. Because of this, businesses still face a percentage of their workforces being absent due to self-isolation or illness.
  3. There is no model to understand how the demand in business will pick up or slow down after Covid-19. If an increase in demand falls outside of permanent staffing capacity then hiring temporary staff to act as an extension of your workforce could enable businesses to meet with the increase in demand. Some companies have also shrunken their full time team so it would be more cost-efficient and flexible to hire temps during the volatile period. 
  4. While the peak of Covid-19 appears to have dissipated, the need to maintain immaculate standards of cleanliness for all businesses remains imperative. Hiring temporary cleaning staff will ensure your premises are in tip top condition.
  5. With the government suggesting the staggering of working hours to minimise the risk of infection, using a temporary staffing solution is an effective way to access staff for inconsistent shift patterns. 

 

Syft is the UK’s leading flexible staffing platform, connecting tens of thousands of workers with employers in the hospitality, industrial and facilities management sectors. Start hiring today.