Direction of circulation, wearing a mask, hydroalcoholic gel, social distancing ... The health protocol has become a new component of business life. A headache for managers and directors of human resources who had to rethink all their workspaces.
Read also: Health rules: everything that changes in companies
According to a survey carried out by the National Association of Directors of Human Resources (ANDRH) from March 26 to April 6 with 550 of its members, " 91% of organizations have carried out checks on social distancing and compliance with barrier gestures "," 82% were able to provide hygiene and protective equipment (masks, hydroalcoholic gels, protective glass, etc.) ", and" 77% of organizations have intensified the cleaning and disinfection of their premises ". But as the spread of the virus weakens in France, relaxation is felt here and there in offices.
Marie, project manager in the human resources of a large company in the banking sector, deplores the fact that these health measures have gradually " come to the fore ". " For human resources, the priority is now the assessment that will be made regarding telework, " she sighs. On their gradual return to the site a month ago, the nearly 12,000 employees of the company received a pouch with masks, bottles of hydroalcoholic gel and disinfectant wipes. A gesture little followed by effects. “ Daily life has taken over. At the beginning, during the meetings everyone wore a mask. Now it's random, we walk side by side, the barrier measures are no longer respected even if of course we don't kiss each other, nor do we use our hands, ”she says. This situation is not without generating tensions within the company. During a meeting organized by Marie, one of the employees took part in another who refused to cover her face. “ Since then, this person has not made any comments. Maybe because she doesn't care or she doesn't dare… ”she wonders. And release " Sanitary measures, o n do not talk any more ."
Between concessions and vigilance
Human resources departments found themselves on the front line in the health crisis. Finding masks, reorganizing the workspace, setting up and ensuring compliance with health protocols ... A heavy task that could only be done in consultation with the employees, explains Sylvie Blanchon, director of human resources at three industrial sites in the Loire and in the North. “ At the beginning, it required additional administrative work and very close psychological support for the employees, but the positive point was that it brought individuals together. I really feel like I belong to a collective, it conveyed great values, ”she rejoices. Despite its vigilance, the HRD has consented to a few concessions. “ It's a somewhat natural reflex. When you feel that the danger is disappearing, you lift your foot a little , ”she says. At first, the mask was compulsory for everyone, then some of the 150 employees stuck to the simple visor. " We had relaxed the measures a little ," she admits. But after the discovery of cases in a neighboring company, she again imposed the wearing of a mask, systematic disinfection of work stations and social distancing.
Recreate the bond and allow a return to normal while remaining vigilant. A difficult balance that Philippe Guilbert is also trying to establish in his chocolate pastry shop "Gourmandine" in Valenciennes, in the North. From the start of the health crisis, the craftsman did everything to ensure the safety of his 21 employees and allow his business to remain open. Plexiglass windows made by him, masks unearthed at a local manufacturer, distributor of hydroalcoholic gel at the entrance of the shop ... Nothing has been left to chance. Measures well accepted by its employees, he says. However, Philippe Guilbert must constantly keep an eye out. Recently, “ there has been a little relaxation. For example, one day, when I arrived in one of our two laboratories, I noticed that one of the managers was wearing his mask down to the chin, so I reminded him that he had to set an example. We have to be careful because the risk is still present, but we are trying to do gentle education, "explains this trader who also admitted some relaxation. In the morning, all the employees meet for coffee. A moment of complicity not conducive to wearing a mask. " We tell them not to agglutinate, " says Philippe Guilbert, before adding: " Of course we have to say it again, but everyone is respectful ."
Gestures that could last
Repeat over and over. Because even if the risk decreases it is still very present. Laurent Rigaud, who runs a butcher's shop in Wambrechies, in the North, spent eight " very complicated " weeks after being contaminated with coronavirus. Since then, he has made it a point of honor to apply the health protocol. " We are going to apply it until September, " he insists, uncompromising on the wearing of the mask. Even customers are ordered to cover their faces at the entrance to the butcher's shop: " If they don't want to put it on, they don't come in ," says the man, who does not rule out perpetuating some of these measures, such as hydroalcoholic gel dispensers. Like him, Philippe Guilbert recognizes that the assignment of a single person to the cash register to avoid travel could become established over time. Even the plexiglass panes may remain, explains the pastry chef who sees no reason to remove them at the moment. “Having these rules in place, which paid off, showed that it was doable. In the event of influenza, one could re-establish the habit of hydroalcoholic gel or the wearing of the mask ” , abounds Sylvie Blanchon. Philippe Guilbert hopes that the mask will not be required for too long. " Not seeing people's smiles is not very pleasant ".