PAS 3002 is a code of practice on improving health and wellbeing within an organisation. It’s an ideal framework for helping your organisation deal with people challenges during the coronavirus crisis and for managing their return to work.
The code covers the issues that join together HR and H&S. No longer is the health and wellbeing of employees just about ensuring they avoid slips, trips, falls and other accidents in the workplace. Today, responsible, forward-thinking employers have policies and procedures in place to develop the workplace culture and protect the mental wellbeing of colleagues too.
Currently, many employers are typically experiencing these issues amongst their employees:
- Anxiety due to uncertainty in both home life and the work situation
- Problems managing work-life balance, especially if home working or a key worker
- Pressure of additional work or new responsibilities
- Depression from loneliness of home working
- Stress from job insecurity
- Headaches, back aches and other physical conditions as a result of using non DSE compliant equipment and furniture
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A PAS 3002 compliant employer would have measures in place to deal with all of these challenges, for example:
- Policy and procedures for pro-active support of physical and psychological health – Have you surveyed staff? Spoken to them about their working conditions and assessed their suitability? Have they done DSE tests at home? Have you provided them with the equipment necessary?
- A work culture and practices based on collaboration – Are you having regular team meetings? Have you provided the means of ensuring everyone can keep in touch? Are you involving everyone in decision making and keeping them informed?
- Encouraging learning and development – If staff have downtime, even if they are furloughed, they can do training. Get senior colleagues to train junior staff – it costs nothing.
- Ensuring jobs are designed to offer meaningful work – Don’t just give staff work to do for the sake of it to keep them busy, make sure it is making a valuable contribution to business goals.
- Providing effective rehabilitation support for workers to return to work – Normally associated with supporting workers after a period of illness but equally appropriate to supporting those returning after furlough.
Many organisations with capable HR and H&S staff are already doing these things. If that’s the case for your organisation, you may well be PAS 3002 compliant but without the certificate to demonstrate it. If you fall into this category, you should think about getting PAS 3002 certified.
If you don’t yet meet these standards, you should think about implementing PAS 3002. It improves the physical, mental and financial health of your organisation.
