It can difficult to know where to start when it comes to returning to work amidst a global pandemic. There is still a lot of uncertainty and anxiety around returning to life as it was just a few months ago. But here are some general thoughts about safely returning to the workplace to get you started.
Prepare Your Workspace
So, it’s likely you haven’t noticed or cared until recently that a lot of your workstations do not have six feet of distance between them. Before COVID-19, in-person collaboration was encouraged with open office plans and communal workstations. But for workers to return to work safely, your workplace may have to undergo some changes, especially in meeting rooms, break rooms, and other spaces that have close-quarters seating arrangements.
The CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides information on their website on how to properly prepare your workplace and create a COVID-19 workplace health and safety plan. Alongside separating workstations to be at least six feet apart, the CDC encourages using signs and other visual cues to remind workers to maintain social distancing standards. They also recommend continuing to regularly clean and disinfect your workplace and to make improvements on the building’s ventilation.
While improving the buildings ventilation can be as easy as opening more windows or using fans, you can take further steps such as running the building’s ventilation system during unoccupied times to maximize ventilation. Overall, it is important to conduct a comprehensive hazard assessment and work to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in your workplace.
Communicate Expectations and Procedures
With social distancing rules still in place, it is unlikely that you’d have all your employees return at once. It is important to determine in what order your employees will return and document legitimate business reasons why you have chosen this order. This selection should be chosen based on the needs of the business and the returning employees’ ability to do their job safely upon return.
Inform your employees of when they will be able to return to the workplace. Though these dates may be tentative, because of the everchanging rules of the pandemic, they will give your employees time to mentally and physically prepare to return. Before their return, provide insight on social distancing procedures and health and safety regulations. You may choose to provide a manual electronically or mail a hardcopy. Or you may email employees a training video that outlines new procedures. Whichever way you choose to provide information, remember that open communication of procedures and expectations will help relieve workers’ stress and make for a smooth transition back into the workplace.
Have an Action Plan
What if an employee tests positive for COVID-19 after re-entering the workplace? Though you may have done everything in your power to keep employees safe from coronavirus, everyone is still at some risk of becoming infected. So, it is important to have a plan for what to do if someone in your workplace becomes COVID-19 positive or presumptive positive.
