With the easing of restrictions and the opening of outdoor spaces, zoos, and some shops, we’re now entering the early stages of life after lockdown. The ‘new normal’ may have become a somewhat overused phrase in past few months, but with social distancing measures likely to be in place for some time to come, businesses like ours – which bring people together over a shared experience – will be operating in a very different environment to that which was in place pre-lockdown.
A planned re-opening from Sat 1 Aug
From updates on the intranet and messages that have been publicly communicated, you’ll have seen we’re planning on a phased opening of the Museum from Sat 1 Aug. A small team of colleagues from across the Museum is now working to make that date a reality, with a programme and visitor offer designed to work in a Covid-secure environment.
Planning for a phased return-to-work
The Government’s Job Retention Scheme continues to provide a lifeline and changes from 1 July mean that we will have greater scope to deploy staff flexibly, using financial support from the scheme, in order to prepare for re-opening. Given we won’t be generating visitor income until August, being financially responsible in the short term in order to do everything we can to secure the Museum’s survival in the long term is a key consideration underpinning the re-opening plan.
Therefore, the Museum is looking at plans for a phased return to work for colleagues across the organisation. Managers will be in touch with each of you over the coming weeks to discuss what returning to work could look like for you in terms of return date and how we’ll need your help to run the Museum during these unprecedented times.
Team survey and consultation
As part of consulting with everyone about returning to work, you will have been invited to complete a survey asking for your views on the subject. Please do take the time to complete the survey, as the more responses we have, the more insightful the findings will be. You can complete the survey anonymously, or share your name if you’d like to be identified alongside your responses as a way of helping managers to understand your individual needs. An invite to the survey has been sent via PlanDay, or the email address the People Team hold on your record. Please do have a look for it and fill it in. The deadline for responses is Wed 24 Jun.
And, finally…
We just wanted to share with you the outpouring of public affection we’ve seen for the Museum following news about our planned re-opening. On Facebook alone, almost 68,000 people have seen our re-opening message and more than 6,000 of those have taken the time to share their messages of support with us. That BCLM has such a strong bond with its audience is testament to everyone’s hard work and their pride in delivering a meaningful visitor experience. Therefore, planning for re-opening is concentrated on creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone where colleagues can do what they do best and immerse people in the remarkable story of the Black Country once again.
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