Wise workplaces in the COVID-19 Era

It’s been around a year since the COVID-19 pandemic turned our world upside down, and that includes the world in which we work.

Certainty has hung up its hat, normality looks unlikely to return and unpredictability is here to stay for the long term. How can organizations manage in this context, and how can employees keep themselves safe while fulfilling their obligations?

Agility and flexibility are the hot new recruits, according to Sally Swingewood and Martin Cottam, Manager and Chair of ISO/TC 283, ISO’s expert committee on occupational health and safety (OH&S).

The committee recently published ISO/PAS 45005, Occupational health and safety management – General guidelines for safe working during the COVID-19 pandemic, a publicly available specification designed to help employers and employees in all areas of work, from one-man bands to multinationals.

As the pandemic shows little sign of relief for some time yet, we discuss why some organizations are faring better than others in this era, and what more can be done.