The Ultimate Returning To Work Resource
So with the announcement from the government that hair salons and barbers can reopen from Saturday 4th July – and the hope that the rest of the industry will follow shortly afterwards – everyone’s attention has switched to making sure that you’re ready to reopen.
Reopen into the new normal.
Reopen in a way that’s safe for your staff, safe for your clients and in line with the law.
There’s much confusion over what is needed, what is unnecessary and what is open to interpretation.
We felt it would be useful to try and cut through some of the noise and put together a central resource so that you can access all the different pieces of the jigsaw, as you need them.
Let’s get to it.
What The Government Say
Boris and his merry men of followers may have attracted lots of criticism for their handling of the current situation, especially in the eyes of many in the beauty side of our industry.
Regardless of where we each sit on that debate we must still follow their direction and must operate within the realms of the law.
The government finally released the first edition of their guidelines on 23rd June to give guidance for reopening, called “Keeping workers and clients safe during COVID- 19 in close contact services.”
Additionally, it’s always worth getting your information for all things COVID from the government website directly.
Please don’t trust everything you read from the tabloid newspapers or 24 hour news channels who serve their shareholders, not the public.
There is a wealth of information on the government website – including detail on funding and grants available – which you can find here.
What The Associations Say
Many of the official industry associations have also produced guidelines for their own areas within the industry, designed to be used in conjunction with the advice from the government.
- UK Spa Association have produced their reopening guidelines which can be found here.
- NHBF have also provided their own guidelines, however you do have to at least be a free member to access them. You can do that here, should you wish. Their most up to date FAQ section is here.
- BABTAC have provided a summary page for their members to get the information they need. That can be found here.
PPE
There has been much made of what PPE is – and isn’t – required for the return to work.
You’ll find more information within the government guidelines above.
If you’re looking to invest in PPE for your business then you might find this resource useful, it’s a list of approved suppliers from the Hairdressing and Beauty Suppliers Association.
It’s a comprehensive list, and can be read in full here.
Risk Assessments
Whilst risk assessments are nothing new, they have been thrown into the spotlight again recently as business owners scramble to assess the new risks posed to clients.
Thankfully the HSE provide a wealth of information – and free downloadable templates – on their website.
Other Useful Resources and Articles You Might Like
There is plenty of good information from reliable sources available right now. Here are some which have been shared in our communities.
- Beauty Guild have put together a COVID-19 safe working guide – you can read that here.
- Phorest Salon Software have compiled a ‘Back in Business Playbook’ to get you moving again. You can grab a free copy of that one here.
- Salon Services have put together some useful information on training post-lockdown. You can read all of that here.
- Professional Beauty have put their own ultimate resource together which has all manner of useful articles, interviews and videos spanning a wide range of topics. You can find all of those here.
- iSalon have also put their own reopening guide together, which is a good one. You can find it here.
For up to date guidance, you can request to join our Salon Owner Lockdown Challenge Facebook group here.
It’s refreshingly supportive and positive so if dragging others down is your thing then best not request to join.
Photo by Aw Creative on Unsplash