2. Supporting vulnerable workers
People who have been shielding and people who live with those who have been shielding can be very anxious about the idea of returning to work.
You can help these workers by explaining how you’ll support them. This could include:
- allowing them to carry on working from home
- giving them tasks where they can social distance
Supporting workers in higher-risk groups
Some groups of people may be:
- at greater risk of infection
- more likely to get seriously ill if they catch coronavirus
These higher-risk groups include people who:
- are older males
- have a high body mass index (BMI)
- have health conditions such as diabetes
- are from some Black, Asian or minority ethnicity (BAME) backgrounds
Individual risk assessments are not required but it is important to support your workers and discuss any concerns.
You can support higher-risk groups by:
- making sure everyone keeps the workplace COVID-secure
- explaining how you’re managing the risks from coronavirus
- talking to them about any concerns they may have
Questions to help you support vulnerable workers
- How can we talk to those in higher-risk groups?
- How will we contact vulnerable workers?
- What about clinically extremely vulnerable people?
- What else can we do to help people coming back to work?
- What can you do?
- What can your manager do?
- What can the company or organisation do?
Find out more
To help answer these questions, read our guidance on protecting vulnerable workers during the pandemic.
This page is reviewed regularly and updated to reflect any changes in the guidance.
Page last reviewed: 31 March 2021
Next review due: 30 April 2021