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]]>We have a confession.
As workforce management innovators, not all of our job management processes have always been up to par. Whether you call it a case of the “cobbler’s shoes” or “builder’s backyard”, we weren’t taking enough care of job management processes in our own development team to ensure we were reaching our potential.
Giving the best customer care and providing a professional service with minimum disruption are top on our list of priorities. But falling behind schedule on app improvements wasn’t exactly going to put us in the best position to do those things. So, we did some navel gazing.
Realising that if we truly believed in the power of Okappy we’d be using it ourselves, we took the plunge. We followed in the footsteps of our customers and embarked on our very own journey of using Okappy in-house to manage our development team’s activities. Richard Harris, CEO and Founder, and Robin Spinks, Lead Developer share their experiences of the journey so far.
Richard (Director): “We were using a Google Sheet and it was becoming unwieldy and difficult to track what was going on. We realised that we could be using our own product to help manage work streams within the development team. So, we tried it and found that it works really well for issues-tracking and book-tracking.”
Robin (Senior developer): “Google sheets was very slow and inefficient. I was getting frustrated by the amount of dates entered manually with mistakes, a lack of space and flexibility, and the inability to attach documents to issues, such as crash logs or images and videos showing issues in effect. It just seemed much more sensible for us to use our own product which was saving our customers so much time and money!”
Richard: “We do a kind of weekly sprint. We’ll work out what goes into the sprint on a Monday morning and then Robin, our lead developer, will work on those pieces throughout the week. Each morning we’ll revisit what needs to be done, assign the jobs to Robin and mark them by a high, medium, or low priority. Then, Thursday morning, it’ll go into testing with a view to releasing Thursday night. For every update, we can see the status in real-time with time stamps when each job is updated and by whom. It’s just a really easy way to keep track of everything!”
Richard: “The most common issues included:
We ended up having thousands of rows in any one sheet. We could filter things, but then if someone else made a change, it would mess up the view and appear in the wrong order. The cells contained too much text as we’d try to keep the history in each cell. It became overwhelming and hard to navigate.
The Google sheet contained over 3,000 requests and, so, version control also became an issue. It was difficult to see who had made a change. We’d manually put in the initials, date and time. Sometimes we’d forget or accidentally delete information in a cell.
Before we could actually start looking at each feature and issue, we were spending time trying to work out whether we were all accessing the correct data on Google Sheets. With Okappy, this all happens automatically so we don’t need to think about it and can get on with the work that much quicker. ”
Robin: “It was large, slow and felt heavy. I was constantly fiddling with the filters; trying to make it possible to quickly show what I wanted, but I had to check each one every time I used it, which negated any benefit!”
Richard:
“We have a filter called “Jobs for today” and so straight away we have a smaller list which we can all see. We can also filter on words a lot more easily. For example, if we’re talking about Android we just type in “Android” in the filter, and straight away we’ve got a list of all of the outstanding Android jobs.”
“Once the job is completed we can mark it as complete. Straight away, we can see all the issues that are going to be in the current release, so it’s easier to track. Then we can archive them once they have been released. This way, we’re keeping the spreadsheet or the amount of data a lot more focused. With Google Sheets, either we would delete it, in which case it’s lost, or change the status – which means an ever expanding spreadsheet. With Okappy, it only shows the work that’s live.”
“I can add and see jobs on my phone when I’m out and about. Or if I’m not on my computer but have a thought about something. I can quickly open the app, view a job and it’s status, then update it and add videos and screenshots if I need to. With Google Sheets, we’d upload an image into Slack, copy the link to the image and then put that link into Google Sheets. Whereas, with Okappy, you just upload the document straight into the job.”
Richard:
We can empathise better with what the customer is experiencing as we are experiencing it too. It lends weight to the feedback we get and it even gives us new ideas!
Adding tasks for developers is more streamlined – any book that gets highlighted or a feature request, we add it in as a job. We can quickly filter down to the key issues and features that Robin, our lead developer, needs to look at.
This helps us out a tonne with our prioritisation of work. We’re no longer faced with an overwhelming spreadsheet of never ending work. We can group tasks into quick fixes or longer sprints – helping us stay organised overall. ”
Robin:
Okappy jobs keep a changelog, so you can see exactly when an action was performed or an update made – and who by.
Okappy enables multiple job types, so you can list all your work in one place or filter by job type – quickly.
It’s so easy to switch the view in Okappy so you can see what’s coming up, or what you just did, or what you have later today.”
Richard: “We raise our invoices in Okappy for our customers which show up in their invoices received. It means we save a lot of time not having to print and manually send invoices. We also use Xero so the integration with that saves duplication and effort.
Okappy also integrates with our CRM and customer facing case management systems which means we don’t also have to update them.
Richard: “We turn around features more quickly. The volume of work (betas and issues) completed has increased by 20%. Using Okappy to manage it all has also improved the quality of work because it’s so much easier to see what’s going on. It allows us to test more effectively and have a more comprehensive understanding of the information we input. We spend less time in meetings. In the past our daily standup would be an hour – now it can be 10 minutes!”
Robin: “Sometimes Richard has meetings in the morning, so he goes through the jobs marking those he feels should be looked at that day. I then pick and choose from that short list. Completed jobs regarding fixes or features that have been released can be archived, which means that, while I can still bring them up if I need to, they’re out of the way, so the only jobs I see are current. The most notable change for me is that I have a less stressful job!”
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Well, we don’t know about you, but we certainly feel better getting all that off our chest! Ok, confession time is over. Using Okappy in-house has dramatically improved efficiency for our team and meant we were able to better empathise with our own customers. What more could we ask for? Nothing… except perhaps, for you to join us in the journey.
Okappy Portal+ is here to help bridge communications, not only between people within the company but, between your company and it’s subcontractors and external parties. Interested in finding out more about how Okappy could work for you and your team?
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]]>The post How to Adopt a Successful Hybrid Working Model in Facilities Management appeared first on Okappy.
]]>If you own a business that employs lots of people or are involved in workforce management for a large corporation, the idea of remote working may not be new. Of course, this is largely down to the pandemic forcing businesses to adopt working from home (WFH) while everyone was in lockdown. But, what is new is just how many companies are considering a hybrid working approach as a long-term model for their operations.
So, what does ‘hybrid working’ actually mean? To put it simply, hybrid working is a flexible working model which allows employees to work from a variety of different locations. Employees can be trusted to get the work done, standards haven’t dropped and the approach has several other benefits for the individual (not least for their work-life balance and overall productivity).
In larger companies, facilities managers are generally tasked with the job of adopting hybrid models because they play a central role in workforce management. But, saying that you want to take on new working practices like this is one thing. Delivering hybrid working is an entirely different ball park – especially when you may be dealing with multiple sites. And it gets more complicated as the size of your business grows.
Here are 5 of our tips for adopting a successful hybrid working model in the Facilities Management Sector…
Building a virtual community that works for everyone in your business is not as easy as it sounds. The first place to start is speaking with your employees to ease them into the idea of a partially online workplace. This is particularly crucial for those who are least likely to engage with online activities – perhaps because of their job type or age – and so, as a consequence, may feel left out. Slowly build confidence by offering training resources to get them up to speed.
As we come out of lockdown, it may be that some employees will want to work from home more, others may prefer to get back into the office. Getting the balance right and not damaging productivity and business growth (or staff morale) involves being honest with staff and showing that you have a clear and coherent strategy in place.
Not all work can be successfully handled from home. If most of your work is office-based, then it’s relatively easy to work remotely if you have the right software in place. If you’re running a maintenance department, where most of the state-of-the-art equipment is in one location, or spread out across multiple sites, it may not be so obvious.
Each department is different, but it’s important to nail down the jobs or tasks that can be carried out remotely and those that can’t. Employers need to be clear about the reasons so they don’t feel their needs are being ignored. Companies also need to be flexible enough to change things if business growth is being affected or new solutions are found.
Running a hybrid working model without an official strategy in place may be okay for small businesses. The larger your payroll, however, the more important it is to have a hybrid working strategy document with clearly defined OKRs/KPIs.
Your strategy is going to need to factor in ways of monitoring employees – another reason why you need complete buy-in from employees. This can often be the most contentious part of WFH and requires a good deal of trust, thought and openness. Like most strategy documents, your hybrid working strategy isn’t set in stone. There should be regular reviews of how it’s working, including analysing data to evidence any updates.
Hybrid working models should be viewed in a holistic way, alongside your business goals. Facilities Management leaders should have a mechanism for monitoring performance and measuring how remote working delivers, not only for the company as a whole, but on an individual level.
Understanding the challenges employees face and what resources they require to do their job properly is key to making sure the model is fit for purpose. Make sure you schedule in check in calls with your employees to gather feedback, keeping your KPIs in mind. You should be seeking to continuously improve the ways of working within your organisation to meet both employees and business needs.
One of the areas that has advanced and made hybrid working more viable is technology. But making sure you’re using the right tools can make or break the success of a particular department or company as a whole. Collaboration software is vital and there are several key considerations for businesses to make when choosing a package.
Many FM companies require multiple packages, others find that one workforce management software works well for them. Another key consideration is how employees engage with the software – it needs to be intuitive and easy to use, not just for those working from home but those in the office and out on site too.
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Great hybrid models are agile and can be adapted to different circumstances. Understanding this and knowing how to implement different strategies, while keeping control of the ‘whole vision’ is critical.
Okappy Portal+ is here to help bridge communications, not only between people within the company but, between your company and it’s subcontractors and external parties.
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]]>The post Health and Wellness Tips For Your Workforce appeared first on Okappy.
]]>The last few months have been challenging for many of us. It’s more important than ever to take care of your body and mind at this time. Here are some health and wellness tips for you and your workforce.
Self isolating, social distancing and working from home may have left you bored, frustrated or lonely. You may have experienced periods of feeling low, worried or concerned about your finances, health or people you know – these are completely normal to feel under these circumstances.
It’s important to accept that everyone reacts in their own way to the current situation, and, for most of us , these feelings will pass. Here are some health and wellness tips from us at Okappy for you and your workforce.
Many people are worried about work and money as many businesses face a great deal of uncertainty. It’s important to take extra care of the people in your organisation during this time.
The UK Government website has published it’s coronavirus guidance for employees,
including information on the details of Statutory Sick Pay and other things employers may be able to do to help. Acas (the Advisory, Conciliatory and Arbitration Service) also has information about coronavirus for employers and employees, including guidance on sick pay and taking time off to look after a child or other dependent.
If you are an employer or involved in running a business, you may find this coronavirus guidance helpful:
There is also information about what support is available for businesses:
It’s highly likely that the normal routines of people in your workforce have been disrupted and it’s probably not going to look how it did for some time. It’s important to think about how you can adapt, create positive new routines and set yourself goals. Writing things down can be a good place to start planning for your day or week.
It’s also crucial to maintain boundaries between work and personal space. If you’re working from home – keep the same hours you would normally work and stick to the same sleeping schedule. Make sure you’re taking time off as well. It’s easy to continue to work and never switch off when working and resting are in the same place. You could implement a marker to end the day, such as going for a walk or changing your outfit.
Sometimes when we feel worried or low, we might stop doing the things we enjoy. Although some of those things are not possible to do anymore, think about how you could adapt them, or try something new!
A whole host of restaurants have released recipes for their famous dishes for people to try at home – why not organise a meal “out” at home and invite friends to join in via a video call. If cooking isn’t your thing, there are a bunch of free tutorials and courses online for other options. How about hosting a pub quiz or music concert?
Building physical activity into your daily routine is also vital to keep both your mind and your body healthy. The majority of us don’t own exercise equipment like treadmills or heavy duty weights, but there are still a whole range of ways you can stay active.
Many personal trainers and fitness bloggers are offering free classes online such as Joe Wick’s PE classes and Yoga with Adriene. You can also get the exercise in whilst cleaning your home, and going up and down stairs. It’s likely that many of us are finding ourselves sitting down for long – you can reduce this by setting alarms to get up and stretch, or even do a set of star jumps. These gentle seated exercises from the NHS will also help to improve your mobility and posture.
People working in the Trades have a reputation for living off pies-on-the-go and energy drinks, but these options are probably doing you more harm than good. Fuel your body with nutrient-rich food and drink lots of water, so you can keep healthy and perform your best.
Stick to the facts and get your information from credible sources you can trust like the GOV.uk, NHS and WHO – and fact-check any information you get from social media or Whatsapp group chats. Be mindful of what you share as inaccurate information can be harmful to others too.
Consider limiting the time you spend consuming news stories and think about turning off alerts for breaking news on your phone to avoid getting overwhelmed. It might be helpful to set yourself a specific time to read updates or limit yourself to a couple checks a day.
One way to relieve stress, anxiety and depression is through breathing exercises. This is a calming activity that takes just a few minutes and can be done anywhere. Have a read of this NHS article on breathing technique for stress, anxiety and panic. Also worth checking out, is this helpful article from Mind on relaxation tips and exercises to help you.
When we’re experiencing times of high stress, we cope better in company and with a support network. Try your best to keep in touch with your support network via phone calls, emails, social media and video calls. Lots of people are also finding the current situation difficult, so staying in touch could help them out too.
There are also lots of helplines you can call if you are in distress and need immediate help. You can call NHS urgent mental health helplines any time of day. Search ‘NHS mental health crisis’ to find local helplines and speak to a mental health professional.
There are also many charities offering helplines, support and advice including:
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Okappy is designed to streamline your communications and workforce management processes, and is one solution that could help you reduce work-related stress and stay connected to the people in your business. With Okappy you can communicate with your network, send and receive jobs, manage your workforce remotely, run reports, and raise invoices – all on one platform. You can receive updates to job details as they happen and view all important documents needed for the work in one secure place. To learn more, request a call here.
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]]>The post How Are The Okappy Community Adapting to COVID-19? appeared first on Okappy.
]]>Against the very uncertain backdrop created by the spread of the COVID-19 virus, businesses have had to adapt fast to their changing environments. We caught up with two of our customers in the Drainage sector to see how they’ve been adjusting the way they work.
COVID-19 has altered things massively. The main adaptation has been with our use of PPE and making sure that it’s all in place. The way that we are with our clients is different now, since taking on board the social distancing regulations. Especially with things such as the RAMS (Risk Assessment and Methods Statement) that we do. Previously, we were just using the RAMS set up to cover a general drainage site, but now that has to be set up to cover the Coronavirus risks too.
As soon as we were advised by the WHO (World Health Organisation), we started making changes. Those guidelines were passed directly onto our engineers. Obviously, the office staff were sent to work from home. So, now everything is done communicating via online apps and phone calls. There’s no face to face meetings or human interaction at the moment.
We were as well prepared as can be. We were never anticipating something of this scale to happen, but we had everything in place to cover us so we weren’t left out on a limb. As long as we have access to a computer then the business can still run, the engineers can still get their jobs and, as long as they’ve got their smartphones, they can still carry on as if things were normal.
With Okappy we’re just carrying on as the same, we haven’t had to make any adaptations to the way we communicate whatsoever. Nothing needed to change with our workforce management at all.
We get all our information straight from WHO and the government’s advice. We took everything on board that the WHO had to say as soon as we could.
We haven’t seen many changes in terms of the sorts of jobs, but we have seen changes to the flow of jobs. It has slowed down massively. This is both with our call outs and with the PPM (Planned Preventive Maintenance) that we serve. The reason being, at the moment with how uncertain things are, a lot of people have put a hold on things. Obviously, a lot of sites have closed as people aren’t going into work for there to be problems for us to help resolve.
With Okappy we’ve had nothing that we’ve needed to adapt or change at all. As long as I have access to my computer, and as long as the engineers have access to the mobile app, then everything can carry on as normal. There haven’t been any hiccups on the way – it’s just been plain sailing in terms of managing our work and carrying on as we were.
It’s become more reactive than preventative in terms of the maintenance measures we perform. Although, I’m aware that some places are using their time to carry out preventatives due to empty buildings. A lot of places are shut, so that means the work has stopped working for a lot of sites for the time being. Some camera surveys have slowed up, which makes up a proportion of the work that we do. A lot of work is now up in the air as acquisition of properties, end of tenancies and condition surveys are on hold at the moment. When lockdown ends we’ll see who’s still standing!
We’ve taken some more PPE measures such as using hand sanitiser and face masks. It’s quite strange going into residential properties, as you can’t see everyone’s faces because they’re all wearing masks.
Nothing has really changed with how we were working before in terms of our workforce management. A lot of people have furloughed loads of staff, we haven’t furloughed anyone.
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If you want to keep up to date with business activity across the Okappy platform you can do so on our Business Activity Index Page. We’re tracking the number of jobs completed by day by companies across many different industries including Plumbing and Drainage, Electrical Contractors, Facilities Management, Construction and the Public Sector.
Okappy is designed to streamline your communications and workforce management processes, and is one solution that could help reduce disruption to your business. With Okappy you can communicate with your network, send and receive jobs, manage your workforce remotely, run reports, and raise invoices – all on one platform. You can receive updates to job details as they happen and view all important documents needed for the work in one secure place. To learn more, request a call here.
You may also be interested in:
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]]>The post How to Handle Your Cashflow Amidst COVID-19 appeared first on Okappy.
]]>Managing cash flow may present some challenges over the next few months. We share some of our tips and tools for how to handle your cash flow amidst the global crisis of COVID-19.
Across the world, the impact of COVID-19 on trade businesses has been unprecedented. In terms of the volume of jobs, quotes issued and invoices sent, there was a big drop in April as the lockdown took hold, but a bounce back after Easter. Many businesses operating in the UK are likely to have already experienced a decrease in income or may well experience this in the coming months.
Tracking your cash flow and learning how to forecast are crucial in order for trades businesses to operate. But even in the best of times – with multiple stakeholders along the chain of work – this can present a challenge. It’s imperative to have a good understanding of the money coming in and out of your business.
Having a clear overview of your cash flow is vital and can help paint the paint of how your accounts are fairing over time. So, how do you do this?
The number one thing to get to grips with is forecasting. This starts with understanding what the current cash flow situation is and how you expect it to change over time. We know that this may not be looking its best at the moment, but understanding what’s going on will help you put a plan in place to improve it.
There are a few things you can do using Okappy to help you with this.
On Okappy, you have various invoice report options that will help you put your cash flow forecast together, such as for:
These reports can be combined into a Google sheet to create a cash flow forecast.
Use the reports to estimate the impacts of increased costs, decreased income and to help you make decisions. Since no one knows what the future will bring, you can use your cash flow forecast to help you factor in for any number of different scenarios that may present themselves e.g. what happens if income is reduced by x for x amount of time?
Additionally on Okappy, you can also see from the jobs dashboard which jobs are completed, but not invoiced for. This allows you to raise invoices more quickly and easily, ensuring your forecast has all the correct data.
Once you’ve built up a clearer picture of the cash coming in and out, and what it may look like in the future, you can start to plan accordingly. There are some proactive steps you can take to positively impact your cash flow over the next few months. Here are some things to consider:
Cutting your costs
You may be limited in what you can do to increase your income in the short term, but there are likely to be ways you can reduce your outgoings. What is the state of your variable expenses? What about your overhead costs? It’s worth reviewing these in detail to identify what could be reduced, even if temporarily. Suppliers might even be prepared to give you a discount if they can, so it’s worth checking.
Increasing your rates
Do you have any scope to increase your current rates? You can consider adding a premium to emergency services if you haven’t got one in place already. Make sure you are setting your pricing sensitively and appropriately.
Issuing all invoices
Have all invoices for work completed been sent out? Make sure they’re sent out as soon as possible to bring in cash quicker. The faster you send an invoice, the better the chances are of it getting paid. Consider who you’re doing work for, if a customer has big outstanding balance then maybe cut back on the work you do for them rather than risk not getting paid
With Okappy you can:
Getting financial assistance
If the situation of your cashflow finds you with more money going out than coming in, you may need to receive some assistance from the government. Information and resources regarding financial support for businesses can be found on the UK Government website here.
You may not be in a position to dramatically improve your cash flow right now, but there are other ways you can prepare your business for when things pick up again.
Keep connected with customers
Make sure you keep communicating with your customers to check in and update them with where you’re at. Even if it’s to say that you’ve furloughed all your engineers, but will let them know when you’re ready to serve again. This will help keep them in the loop and build trust.
Make improvements to your business
You may find yourself with more time to focus on some of the areas of your business that you don’t normally have time to address. How could it be looking in better shape? Perhaps now is the time to look into other areas of digital marketing, such as social media, that could be benefiting you. You could also use this time to ask for customer reviews – something we all know is important but often gets forgotten.
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We hope you find this article useful and it gives you a starting point in helping you understand and manage your cash flow during this time. Don’t forget, Okappy is designed to streamline your communications and workforce management processes, and is one solution that could help reduce disruption to your business. To learn more, request a call here.
You may also be interested in:
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]]>The post Managing Your Workforce and Staying Productive Amidst Coronavirus appeared first on Okappy.
]]>As the Coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, governments and businesses alike are making necessary preparations. Across the world, many businesses have closed and employees are being asked to work from home.
Google has requested all of its almost 100,000 workers across 11 offices in the US and Canada to work from home. Italy has put in place a national lockdown, restricting the movement and activities of the country’s 60 million inhabitants. It’s likely that the UK will experience something similar in the coming weeks.
In the 2020 budget, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a £30bn package to boost the economy and help the country take the necessary measures to get through the coronavirus outbreak. This includes suspending business rates for many firms in England, extending sick pay and boosting NHS funding.
But what can you do to make sure your employees and your business are prepared? Creating a sound framework and implementing strong processes and controls will put your company and employees in the best position for handling any significant disruption to business operations that the COVID-19 could bring.
Don’t wait until it happens to figure out that your team doesn’t have the right tools to be able to work remotely. Evaluate what software, equipment, information and resources you’ll need in place to maintain your productivity.
Identify and appoint key personnel (and back-up personnel) to coordinate pandemic readiness activities. It’s also a good idea to identify back-up personnel for key functional stakeholders should they fall ill or be unable to execute responsibilities.
When you’re working from home, there’s no opportunity to walk over to your colleague’s desk to ask a quick question. If you don’t already have a procedure in place, here are some questions to consider:
Start the week or day with an agenda that can be constantly updated so everyone can refer back to it and keep on track. End the week with an update to make sure everyone is up-to-speed on the progress of a particular project. Managing expectations and setting clear deadlines will help make sure everyone keeps on top of them.
Equally, you’ll need a communication strategy with outside parties such as your clients, subcontractors and vendors. Keep open communication with your critical service providers and make sure you are aware of their plans to support your business during disruption. You may want to develop backup or alternative processes (e.g. manual or in-house) to ensure the continuation of your critical business operations.
Test and secure remote access for work-from-home situations. Make sure you use multi-factor password authentication and encryption. You can identify any issues with remote working in advance, by beginning to rotate staff to work from home on selected days of the week in anticipation.
You may need to source provisional laptops for some employees or require employees to carry their laptop home everyday in case of short notice quarantines and closures. Ensure employees understand how to access critical business systems as well as company and/or client information remotely. For example, make sure you have digital cloud files of any important paperwork that may need to be accessed so you can share access to documents when required.
Make sure you have all your key contact numbers and email addresses saved. It’s also important to make your schedule available to your colleagues and network, so they know your contactable hours.
When working from home, the separation of work and personal life can become blurry. It’s important to carve out a dedicated workspace, whether it be a desk in a spare room or setting yourself up on the kitchen table.
Try and remove any distractions that might get in the way of you getting the job done. Turning off notifications can be a good start. Once you’re in the flow of work, it’s easy to keep on going and, before you know it, you’ve worked a 12 hour day. Set some boundaries, such as sticking to a strict clocking-off time.
Okappy is designed to streamline your communications and workforce management processes, and is one solution that could help reduce disruption to your business. With Okappy you can communicate with your network, send and receive jobs, manage your workforce remotely, run reports, and raise invoices – all on one platform. You can receive updates to job details as they happen and view all important documents needed for the work in one secure place. To learn more, request a call here.
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]]>The post Still working in the trades industry. Here’s how to stay safe on site appeared first on Okappy.
]]>We are in exceptional circumstances. Many of our customers working in the utilities industry, particular types of construction sites and other key public services are now considered key workers.
While Public Health England may change their recommendations in the future, for the time being we must all do our utmost to ensure the protection of the workforce still operating during the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and minimise the risk of spread of infection.
For those of you still working and doing site visits, here’s some of the latest advice on how you can stay safe:
Shielding, social distancing and self isolating are all very important tactics to protect yourself and others from Coronavirus. However, there’s been a bit of confusion about the difference between these, so we thought we’d clear it up for anyone still unsure what they are, and which you should be doing.
A measure to protect those who are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus (Covid-19) from coming into contact with the virus. Those most at risk should receive a letter or text from the NHS to strongly advise them not to go out for 12 weeks from the day you receive the recommendation.
Everyone in the UK should be practising social distancing at this time. It means staying at home and only going out to get essential supplies like food and medicine and once a day for exercise.You can also go out for medical needs and for work if it absolutely cannot be done for home. When you are out, stay at least 2 metres away from people that you don’t live with.
You should self isolate if you show symptoms of Coronavirus, such as a dry cough and high temperature, you think you might have been exposed to it, or live with someone with symptoms.
You should not leave home for any reason other than to exercise, staying a safe distance from others. If possible you should avoid going out to even buy food and other essentials. If you are unable to get supplies delivered, you should do what you can to limit social contact as much as possible when you do leave the house.
Being isolated can affect your mental health. If you’re struggling you can get support for your wellbeing from the Every Mind Matters website.
To implement the Government’s social distancing recommendation the Construction Leadership Council has now published Site Operating Procedures. Here is a summary:
Wherever possible workers should travel to site alone using their own transport and sites need to consider:
There will be situations where it is not possible or safe for workers to distance themselves from each other by 2 metres. Non-essential physical work that requires close contact between workers should not be carried out.
Regularly clean common contact surfaces in reception, office, touch points, access control and delivery areas e.g. scanners, turnstiles, screens, telephone handsets, desks, particularly during peak flow times.
Require all workers to wash or clean their hands before entering or leaving the site. Providing hand cleaning facilities at entrances and exits. This should be soap and water wherever possible or hand sanitiser if water is not available. Sites will need extra supplies of soap, hand sanitiser and paper towels and these should be securely stored.
Okappy is designed to streamline your communications and workforce management processes, and is one solution that could help reduce disruption to your business. With Okappy you can communicate with your network, send and receive jobs, manage your workforce remotely, run reports, and raise invoices – all on one platform. You can receive updates to job details as they happen and view all important documents needed for the work in one secure place. To learn more, request a call here.
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