Covid safety measures at work - is your employer still enforcing any?

[Fagin99]

I'm a bit concerned as I'm about to start a new job and I've just found out I'm 4/5 weeks pregnant (which I'm pleased about), however, my new employer/office don't have any covid safety measures.

I haven't started yet (and I of course haven't told them yet about the pregnancy) but I went in yesterday to collect something and I was quite shocked to see crowded offices, no windows open and someone openly coughing away.

I politely asked about covid measures and was told they don't open windows "as it makes the room cold" (it's summer!) and that they are expecting people to work normally now - no masks or hand washing advice etc.

I'm a bit anxious about avoiding Covid (even though I'm doubled vaxxed). Is this normal now for offices? Does your work employ any safety measures? I'm a bit concerned about their relaxed attitude.

I work at a university and they're still being fairly careful. We're all still WFH on the brink of going back but with a kind of hybrid home/office timetable. They're still recommending masks, although I don't think forcing people. Similarly they're recommending LFTs and because we'll all only be in sometimes, they're giving us more space layout-wise. We'll all be on site for A-level results etc and they have screens up between desks and lots of sanitising for communal spaces for all the call centre people. They're still pretty diligent.

I dunno because I'm not supposed to be there and it ends up being inconvenient to go in so I don't bother (but lots of people do go in).

We have retained the hand sanitiser and masks when interacting with clients, and clients are also asked to wear masks, but we have no masks in the back office. Windows are generally open and ventilation is good. The vast majority of staff are double jabbed.

We are still on a hybrid model of some office working and some wfh, but people will be returning to the office in higher numbers from next week. We'll continue indefinitely with some home working for everyone who wants it, so the overall numbers in the office on any given day will be lower than pre-covid times. Most staff seem pretty relaxed about stuff tbh.

Back to normal here.. it’s completely an employers discretion now, there are no rules they have to stick too. Social distancing is gone, screens are gone, windows are closed (cos it makes the air con go haywire). We are being asked to wear masks to go to the toilet or communal areas but it’s 50/50. And realistically, what difference can me wearing a mask for 5 minutes in the kitchen make when I’m sat for 8 hours without one?! I wear mine but it seems a bit daft!

We are now hybrid workers permanently, that’s the main change for us. So the office is considerably quieter on Monday & Friday and also Tuesday to a lesser extent. Wed & Thursday is pretty much full.

Unfortunately, I don’t think you can really do anything unless you tell them you are pregnant. Then they’ll have to do a risk assessment & you may have room to ask to WFH or have adjustments made..

We tend to open windows. That it. No masks, no distancing.

We're still WFH.

Full measures still for us. Masks, temperature, windows open, canteen closed, hand sanitiser and gloves (life sciences), social distancing and half bay occupancies to reduce numbers. Approx 60% on site. Any one in the family sneezes work from home for 10 days. Tedious but manageable.

We still have all the covid measures in place from last July when we went back after the first lockdown.

Even the staff canteen has been expanded and is more spaced out with one person per table

The Government have pretty much said that it’s up to each business to carry out their own risk assessment and decide themselves what measures (if any) they want to impose.

This means that some offices have lots of measures, and some have absolutely none.

Would home working be a option do you think?

Nhs so Covid measures are still in full force and will be for the foreseeable

No safety measures where I work but we never really had then anyway. I'm not scared of Covid so I'm not bothered.

Hand washing and enhanced cleaning of surfaces. Masks in communal areas and when talking to visitors. Social distancing and hardly any shared equipment. Will continue like this until October, then review.

Measures were abandoned in the last week of term.
Schools. No measures from now and no self isolating either.

Good measures in place here, masks, sanitisers, temp checks, canteen closed, meeting rooms closed and no shared equipment.

nothing for us.....large retail chain. token hand sanitisers lying around. few people in masks

its getting less and less by the week

I work in a primary school. According to the DFE we need to be relying on ventilation and hand washing now. A fab idea, until you take into account old Victorian buildings with non opening windows and deficit budgets crippled by covid costs.

If I was in your position I wouldn’t be going to work there pregnant. They sound absurd.

We are all still working from home (civil service). There was a plan to start a gradual return (eventual 50/50 model) but we are still waiting for official guidance on doing it safely. We very much will be following some Covid guidance and those in the office at the moment (a handful) are all following the original Covid secure rules

We still have some measures but they are reducing. There’s no requirements anymore and most people don’t want them.

No mitigations here. School business admin.
Desks less than 2m apart (my chair is back to back with colleague) no masks, distancing or screens.
We have a window, though air con also on, recirculating air.

Thanks very much everyone for your replies. It's interesting and helpful to gauge what is "normal" these days. It sounds as if businesses seem to be 50:50 as to whether they take on precautions or not.

If it weren't such a good opportunity I would be seriously reconsidering. I just have to hope it isn't a red flag!

Pharmacy here.
Twice weekly lateral flow tests. Everyone wears masks. Only one person in the break room at a time and surfaces must be cleaned after every person. Pharmacy and retail surfaces cleaned three times a day. Hand sanitizer at every till-point and door.

I teach so find it unusual when I do see people employing ‘Covid secure measures’ as just used to being around hundreds of people with some open windows. Try not to worry, I know it’s difficult though. I was really worried when we returned after lockdown but a year on I’m used to working normally.

Still masks for another month, still social distancing, still limits on rooms, 1 in toilets, handgel/wipes etc...

May take down after a month.. But at moment as was