Working in good health.
Anyone who provides a service that cannot easily be transferred to others – as a self-employed person, in management, as a lawyer – depends on staying fit to work. An absence due to illness is costly: appointments fall through, deadlines are put at risk, assignments are lost, substitutes have to be organised and paid for. The foundation of that capacity is health. Protecting it is a duty towards oneself and towards those who rely on one’s work.
So far, only a few people protect themselves against infections through the air, by droplets and aerosols. Yet these routes of transmission are well researched, and effective protective techniques exist. Where protection is possible and reasonable, it becomes a question of diligence.
The Swiss cheese model
No single measure protects completely. Like a slice of Swiss cheese, each has holes. Only several measures layered on top of each other provide largely tight protection. Depending on the situation, these include:
- a well-fitting respirator mask (FFP2 or equivalent),
- ventilation and air filtration, for example with HEPA filters,
- distance, especially from people with symptoms,
- moving meetings to the phone or a video call,
- tests when symptoms occur or before appointments involving close contact,
- up-to-date vaccination as medically recommended.
The economic calculation
Good protection has a cost: masks, filter units, organisational changes, occasionally a puzzled look from the other person. Against this stands a risk that can be quantified. Every absence avoided – a few days, a few weeks, more in protracted cases – preserves revenue, appointments and the trust of clients. As a rule, the effort pays for itself after a few “saved” assignments. And those who look after their own capacity to work also ensure that the commitments and deadlines they are responsible for are met.
How I arrange appointments
For these reasons, the following applies in my practice:
- I hold meetings primarily by phone or video call. For most matters this is equivalent, and it saves you the journey.
- In-person appointments take place in well-ventilated rooms. I usually wear a mask and ask you to do the same; I keep masks available.
- If you have cold symptoms, please let me know in good time. We will then hold the appointment by video call or postpone it.
- We preferably exchange documents electronically.
This is not excessive caution. I want to remain available for your matter, especially when it counts.
In court
In court hearings, too, I wear a mask where it makes sense. Where the procedural rules allow it, a video hearing, i.e. participation by audio-visual transmission, is also an option; I apply for it when it does not harm the case.
The same applies to clients who attend a hearing themselves. We discuss this beforehand.
In the workplace
For companies, protection against infection is also a legal obligation: employers must assess workplace hazards and take appropriate protective measures. These can include ventilation, air filters, working from home or masks, and they include data protection questions when employees’ health data is involved. I advise on this in employment law.
For context: infections are transmitted in various ways – through food and water, by smear and contact infection, through sexual contact and through the air, by droplets and aerosols. Protection against most of these routes has long been taken for granted in society. When it comes to protection against airborne infections, however, we are only at the beginning.