In the second episode of this new Podcast series from The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM), we explore the many challenges around return to the workplace as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions end.

For employers there are multiple concerns, such as balancing rebooting operations with keeping their team safe, along with managing expectations about how the working model will be in the long-term. Employees may have their own concerns, for example: is the workplace safe, has 18 months of disrupted working impacted relationships with colleagues, and do they really want to return to the workplace at all?

Host Steve Randall speaks to Jonathan Gawthrop, Executive Director, Wellbeing Sustainability & Assurance, EMCOR UK, Jonathan Hill, Head of Occupational Health, Anglian Water, and Justin Jones, Head of Physiology & Clinical Development Lead at Nuffield Health about the impact of the pandemic on the workplace and the strategies that their organisations have taken to support and protect employees’ physical and mental health throughout the pandemic and beyond.

About the speakers:

Jonathan Gawthrop is Executive Director, Wellbeing Sustainability & Assurance for leading FM Company EMCOR UK responsible for the development and practical application of the organisation’s enterprise strategies for these disciplines. A Fellow of IIRSM and the Royal Society of Fellows, Jonathan has a Masters degree in Behaviour Change and is a PhD student studying Organisational Health & Wellbeing. He is a member of the BSI international committee for Occupational Health & Safety, an independent verifier for the Mayor of London’s Healthy Workplace Charter and advisory board member for a number of cross industry panels working together to evolve safety and wellbeing throughout the UK.

Jonathan Hill is Head of Occupational Health at Anglian Water. He started his career as a professional rugby player before becoming a physiotherapist within sport. The comparisons and challenges between the professional ‘sports athlete’ and ‘industrial athlete’ lead him into the world of Occupational Health. He has previously worked for Fit for Work, Welsh Government and Transport for London before settling in Anglian Water.

Justin Jones has an MSc in Sport and Exercise Physiology and over 15 years’ experience working in the health and wellbeing industry. He is responsible for the clinical development, quality and safety of health assessments at Nuffield Health and leads the professional development of a nationwide team of health and wellbeing physiologists. Within his role, Justin also advises key corporate clients on their wellbeing strategies with reference to employee data, industry-wide health trends, alignment to clinical best practice and emerging research.

Resources:
•COVID-19 return to work in the roadmap out of lockdown: guidelines for workers, employers and health practitioners https://www.som.org.uk/COVID-19_return_to_work_in_the_roadmap_out_of_lockdown_March_2021.pdf
•Returning to the workplace after the COVID-19 lockdown: A toolkit https://www.som.org.uk/Returning_to_the_workplace_COVID-19_toolkit_FINAL.pdf
•Returning to work after the COVID-19 lockdown webinar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uJW-QYKDiQ
•Sustaining Work-Relevant Mental Health Post COVID-19 Toolkit https://www.som.org.uk/Sustaining_work_relevant_mental_health_post_COVID-19_toolkit.pdf
•The effects of remote working on wellbeing, stress and productivity https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/the-effects-of-remote-working-on-wellbeing-stress-and-productivity