Background
In late May, I was asked if I would be happy to go back to work in a commercial kitchen after I’d been working from home since March 9th. The plan was to try to re-open in mid-June, after we had worked out how we would work safely.
So, I returned to commercial kitchen work on Friday 12th June. I had mixed emotions; I was looking forward to seeing colleagues in person after weeks of Zoom, and I was also the first member of the family to work away from home since March. I felt like I was leaving the home-schooling and the rest of the family to fend for themselves.
I had received details of the return to work plan, with pre-reading which included a risk assessment of each area, and the what and why of the new processes. I was asked to confirm that I understood and was happy with the new way of working. This gave me confidence that the return plan had been thought through, that safety was a priority, and that everyone would be following the same rules across the building.
On The Day
When I arrived, I was greeted and welcomed back. The office, normally home to the hustle and bustle of 150 people, was quiet as we numbered less than ten. The first thing I noticed was the new hand sanitiser station in reception, and the next was the new process that saw only one person allowed in any lift at any time.
The new processes having been explained, I confirmed I was happy and off I went to start work in the new way, with lots of new signs to communicate information throughout the building.
The kitchen had been configured into five work zones, each with a different colour, to allow a maximum of five people to work safely. This kitchen would normally support twelve people working. I knew from my planning call the day before which was to be my section.
More new signs were evident throughout the kitchen detailing the new kitchen processes, and there was a PPE station set up for those wanting masks etc.
I knew the kitchen had been deep-cleaned for the return of the team, and new cleaning processes were in place. We had a problem with one of the fridges, and so a call was put into the engineering team.
We were a team of three on my first day in; having worked together for years before, it was like we had not been away.
We did have one problem that tripped us up. The kitchen having been closed for weeks, there was no milk. In all our planning, we had overlooked our own cup of tea! No problem; we had Marvel Milk Powder, and so we overcame the first challenge of the day.
I set up my station with the idea in mind to collect everything I would need for the day so that my movement around the kitchen could then be minimised, which in turn would minimise the impact on others. We relocated the waste bins, one to each station, to help reduce movement.
As we worked, we communicated more than we normally would, explaining to each other the moves we were about to make so that we could stand still or move out of the way if necessary. Accessing certain items, such as the VacPak machine, required some choreography of everyone who needed to move to support your safe transition. I described it as human chess, as we moved across the squares; a colleague – a passionate gamer in his youth – thought it more like human PacMan.
The doors in the kitchen and adjoining rooms are half glassed, and this helped greatly as we could see who was in the next room and move away from the door if necessary.
At the end of the day, we worked the new extra clean down procedures to make sure we left the kitchen in top condition for tomorrow’s team.
When I got home, I had a lovely email from the team asking about my day and checking in on how I felt about this new way of working. This crisis really is a great opportunity to communicate more and show you care. At a time like this, looking after your team and people can only make your business stronger.
Observations
- Safety came first. We went back when we could do it safely. It was optional for everybody, and only those who felt they were ready came back.
- Communication is everything. There had been Zoom meetings before the day and documentation available, so by the time I arrived I knew exactly what to expect. Even then, there were minor surprises (like the milk).
- The results of the risk assessment were shared so everyone could understand the challenges of the new way of working in this space. This led to all changes being clearly communicated and explained.
- Some tasks took longer than before, because of the space and movement restrictions, so rethink your task or allow more time.
- Setting up took about half an hour, during which there was a lot of movement. Staggered start times might allow people to move freely to set up without getting in each other’s way, after which they can confine themselves more to their work station.
- A staggered staff return allowed for safe distancing. This also provided the chance to learn and understand processes with fewer people in the kitchen.
- Cleaning and close down processes were amended to support extra cleaning and sanitizing.
Overall
I had a good experience of returning to work and will remember how the team got the kitchen back open safely after this crisis.
It was great to get back to work in a commercial kitchen. I know everyone feels differently about getting back to work or even starting a new job. If organisations get it right, I believe the kitchen can be a safe place to work in the new normal.
