Working in other people’s homes: How to make them feel safe
For the last few months there has been a lot of talk about the implications of working from home.Some companies have embraced it with open arms, to the extent that they are even closing offices to facilitate the move.
However, today’s article is going to divert towards a slightly different direction. In some industries, it is par from the course to work from someone else’s home. We don’t mean from a hot desking point of view, but more related to tradespeople who need to do work inside someone else’s house.
Naturally, the landscape for these individuals is changing and through today, we will take a look at some of the best practices they can adopt to ensure that the people they are visiting feel safe. This will be necessary for their continued survival, as these businesses simply can’t stay afloat without the ability to go into people’s homes to make repairs and improvements.
Show intentions from the start
There will undoubtedly be some customers who are not in the slightest concerned about someone coming into their home, but this is besides the point.There will be plenty of others who do have concerns and this is why it is crucial to show your safe intentions from the start.
Give a space amount of space, regarded as 2m in most countries, between yourself and the front threshold when you approach the home, and show off your equipment whenever possible (more on that next).
Arm yourself with the appropriate equipment
This is one of the few occasions in life where different tradespeople will be carrying very similar equipment.Wearing masks is obligatory and if you don’t, it’s almost like giving the upper hand towards competitors. Customers are expecting the bare minimum with masks and similar equipment, such as gloves, falling into this category.
Cash payments might be a thing of the past
Again, different tradespeople will deal with this next point in varying ways. Cash has been the top method of payment in some industries, although few would disagree that it does carry some risks. In some cultures, it is regarded as one of the primary ways in which diseases pass and based on the current situation, one would not be mad to think the same in this case. If it’s possible (and your bottom lines allow it due to the ever-rising transaction fees), try and operate by cards or bank transfers. It again eradicates a risk from the environment and means that there is less contact between you and the customer.
Don’t dismiss virtual work
In some trades, the thought of virtual work might have once been obscene. Now, it’s completely possible.While it might not be doable across all industries, if you are simply giving quotes for work it can sometimes be possible to do this over video conferencing software. Of course, you won’t be able to carry out the job itself virtually, but by limiting the number of times you are visiting a house you are reducing a risk and doing your bit for the world of the so-called new normal.
