Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent

About 200 representatives from Abu Dhabi government entities attended a virtual workshop for health and safety personnel conducted by the Department of Government Support - Abu Dhabi (DGS) to discuss the recommended preventive guidelines issued by the Human Resources Authority - Abu Dhabi (HRA) and the efforts to enhance the safety of employees, vendors, and customers as people gradually return to the workplace.

Ali Rashid Al Ketbi, Chairman of Department of Government Support - Abu Dhabi, appreciated the employees’ positive interactions during the remote working period, as well as their eagerness to ensure that their presence in their workplaces is in adherence with all health and safety guidelines.

Al Ketbi said, “With the decision that allows most workers to return to the workplace, decisive plans and protocols - that consider the health and safety of employees, vendors, customers and their families - have been developed to ensure an overall healthy and safe work environment.”

Mohamed Hamad Al Hameli, Acting Director General of the Human Resources Authority - Abu Dhabi, reaffirmed the authority’s keenness to provide a healthy work environment for all Abu Dhabi government entity employees.

He said, “The regulatory procedures mentioned in the guide are in line with the approved international best practices, and focus on setting clear, practical, and easy-to-apply rules for working at workplaces. Employees can perform all the tasks effectively while ensuring that their colleagues are safe and secure. During the coming period, the authority will continue to assess developments in controlling the pandemic.”

During the workshop, Hamad Saeed Al Shibli, Director of Policy and Institutional Development at the Human Resources Authority - Abu Dhabi (HRA), stated that the guidelines applies to all government entities’ employees regardless of their seniority in an organisation

Mohammed Al Asri Al Shamsi, Acting Policies and Research Department Manager at HRA, reviewed the procedural details of employees’ presence at the workplace. He stated that the government-specific guidelines include attendance capacity at 35% in order to ensure social distancing. A weekly review of the attendance capacity will apply.

Al Shamsi said it is up to the government entities to determine which employees will be required to work at their workplace, and that rotational programmes which change between working remotely and at the office can be implemented.