Please cover up

We recently stated that the wearing of face coverings in enclosed workplaces was strongly and actively encouraged.

But as the Covid-19 infection rate continues to rise, we enter flu season and welcome temporary colleagues to support Christmas Peak, as of today, it is now mandatory for all colleagues to wear a face covering in all Royal Mail Group indoor workplaces.

Click here for a video update from Dr Shaun Davis, global director compliance & sustainability and Dave Joyce, CWU national health, safety & environment officer.

We also support and actively encourage the use of face coverings in all outdoor settings to keep our colleagues and customers safe. Face coverings do not replace other preventative measures, i.e. increased hand hygiene, social distancing, increased cleaning, etc, which must remain in place.

A move to mandatory face coverings in all indoor workplaces strengthens the existing preventative measures already in place to protect you and others from coronavirus. On-site visitors and contractors should also be asked to wear a face covering. Evidence of exemptions do not need to be requested.

We recognise that some colleagues are unable to wear face coverings for medical reasons, and that they are not practical to wear for some activities in certain job roles, e.g. in a call centre where full social-distancing measures are in place. 

Colleagues who are hard of hearing and who rely on lip reading can share any concerns they may have around face coverings with their line manager and discuss options to resolve any communication barriers. We do understand the communication barrier with opaque face coverings, and where colleagues would like to wear a clear face covering, these can be purchased locally and claimed back via travel and expenses. Any clear face coverings worn must meet basic safety requirements and be comfortable to wear.

Face coverings and visors (which must be worn with a face covering) are available for all colleagues from their manager. Colleagues may also choose to wear their own personal face coverings, but these must not have an exhalation valve.

For comfort and to protect the environment, we will be providing re-usable face coverings from early next year, once stocks of disposables are utilised. A quantity of disposable face coverings will continue to be available.

When wearing a face covering, colleagues should always adhere to hand washing and social-distancing guidance and other preventative measures.

We must all continue to do everything we can to protect ourselves, our families, colleagues, and customers. Wearing a face covering can help us stay safe by reducing the risk of infection. This is even more important in situations where social distancing is difficult, with the onset of the flu season and where we meet new people, e.g. when new temporary colleagues join us over the Christmas Peak.