Covid procedures not being complied with

[MrSparkle]

I work in retail and when we went back after the lockdown there were very strict procedures in place to control the virus such as washing hands every hour and hourly cleaning around the till areas. This lasted all of a couple of weeks while the store was quiet, now we are busy again its done if you have the time to do it because all the extra work related to covid was put on the existing shopfloor staff. The employer says its our responsibility to make sure its done, even though they know there are no staff to cover while you are supposed to be doing this, and the managers wont cover because theyre managers. If you make a customer wait while you do these extra procedures you are then in trouble because the store gets marked down if customers wait and the manager doesnt get his bonus if we are marked down too much.

Another issue which is set to happen from fri onwards is the wearing of facemasks by customers. All the managers were on a call with head office and the unofficial policy is that the company will not be enforcing the wearing of masks by customers because they dont want any confrontation from customers who wont wear a mask or havent got one. All stores will have the signs and posters up saying its a legal requirement to wear one etc etc, but they not going to make you wear one and weve been told not to refuse entry to anyone wiithout a mask. The thing is, because this is unofficial company policy, any backlash is going to be placed on the shopfloor staff for letting people in without masks, theres nothing in writing to say we were told to let them in and the company will just point to all the signs and posters and say the staff failed to comply with them.

Those are the issues. My question is what can be done about it?

[ULA]

Your employers has a 'duty of care' for staff, which means they must do all they reasonably can to support their health, safety and wellbeing. There are the government guideline and also those produced by the Health and Safety Executive which your employer should be following.

If you are unhappy about the way in which the guidelines that have been put in place to safeguard your health in relations to COVID, then typically you need to raise this with management. You may feel that this is difficult to do given your view that managers are not being supportive however that needs to be the starting point. Alternatively if you are in a union, then speak with your union representative.

As an employee you also have a responsibility for your own and that of your colleagues' health and safety so just practically on a couple of issues you have raised regarding the washing of hands and cleaning round the till areas. If you are unable to physically leave the shop floor to wash your hands then as an alternative could you have some hand sanitiser with you and use that instead. Also I am sure that a customer would be happy to wait all of a few seconds it would take to wipe down a till area, its for their benefit as well as they would be putting items down for scanning and bagging, so a quick sorry to keep you waiting I was sanitising the till area, for most of us would be reasonable.

[MrSparkle]

Thanks. I will put my concerns in writing to the managers then at least it is on record.

[MrSparkle]

If a person is exempt from wearing a face mask does that mean they are exempt from the 'no face mask, no entry' rule and negate the employer's duty of care to their staff on the shopfloor?

[ULA]

My understanding of the rules are that face-coverings will not be compulsory for shopkeepers, staff, and assistants. However, it is compulsory for customers to wear a face covering unless they fall into the exempt category. Therefore customers who are exempt will be able to enter a retail shop without having to wear a face covering.

I think the bigger problem potentially is not the customers who have the exemption but those customers who are not exempt but who refuse to wear a face covering and retailers enforcing the policy that they can consequently refuse entry.