Rebooting Ireland

Rebooting Ireland: Ibec teams with Aon to devise work safety protocols

By Business & Finance
02 September 2020
Pictured: Danny McCoy, CEO, Ibec

Business and employers’ lobby group, Ibec, has teamed up with financial services intermediary, Aon, to draft workplace guidelines for businesses returning to the office

Ibec and Aon have formed a coalition of Dublin-based employers, such as AIB, Amazon and Irish Life, to develop a set of standards and practices for companies returning to work when the government’s work-from-home recommendation expires.

The coalition has been formed as research conducted for Aon states the majority of employers do not foresee a scenario in which all of their employees return to the office in the next year.

Each of the companies involved will communicate via a series of virtual meetings over coming months. The aim is to share information and ideas pertaining to workplace safety, including commuting, cyber-security, and how to use technology to mitigate the issues that come from bringing staff back during a pandemic.

This initiative is welcomed by an Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Leo Varadkar, who said that he wants the coalition’s findings to be shared widely by businesses and employees.

Participating companies are required to complete a survey of 160 questions that cover employee health screening, legal and compliance issues, and space planning in the office.

The coalition will also share common guidelines between the companies involved, which Ibec will also distribute to its members. A global report, based upon the collective findings of coalitions across the world, will also be published.

This initiative is welcomed by an Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Leo Varadkar, who said that he wants the coalition’s findings to be shared widely by businesses and employees. Ibec CEO Danny McCoy said that it is crucial for companies to engineer “a co-ordinated view” to bringing employees back to the workplace.