Health and safety are top priorities of companies planning to reopen their offices. In order to make these priorities a reality within your organization, you’ll need a plan. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Deep Clean and Create a Routine
Now, before everyone returns, is the perfect time to give your office a deep cleaning. Hiring a professional cleaning service can make this process easier. Your carpets can get a proper shampooing. Every inch of your workspace can be disinfected. Though you won’t need to deep clean your workspace everyday, it is important to clean and disinfect routinely, paying special attention to high-touch surfaces.
Since some of us thought we’d return to the office much sooner, you may want to clean-up any food that has expired in the breakroom or office kitchen. And encourage workers, when they return, to dispose of any food they may have left in their desks during lockdown.
Rearrange for Distance When You Plan to Return to Work
Change the layout of your office to provide each employee with more space. To adhere to CDC guidelines, furniture and workstations should be separated by at least six feet. This includes, but is not limited to, the furniture in the reception areas, break rooms, locker rooms, meeting spaces, and cafeterias. Instead of moving all of this furniture, you may want to use visual cues, such as tape marks, to discourage use of furniture that is lacking safe distance.
If there are necessary close-contact areas in your workplace, put up plexiglass barriers. Plexiglass barriers, also known as “sneeze guards,” help capture respiratory droplets and can stop the spread of coronavirus between individuals in close contact. In support of social distancing efforts, physical barriers can give workers the sense of security they need to be productive when returning to work.
But there are some downsides to these barriers. Though they can be easily cleaned and disinfected, plexiglass barriers do not provide a zero-risk solution. Workers should still maintain six feet of distance whenever possible. And it is important to be aware that barriers in the office can interfere with proper ventilation and fire protection systems.
Amend Policies and Procedures
If you haven’t done so already, you may need to update your sick leave policy to include information about COVID-19. The United States recently passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This act, for reasons related to the virus, requires some employers to allow for more sick and family leave.
You may also want to create policies that hold employees accountable for proper hygiene. These may include things like washing their hands, sanitizing their workspaces, wearing face masks, and not coming into the office when they are feeling ill.
To uphold social distancing standards, you can change the maximum amount of people allowed in meeting rooms, break rooms, and reception areas. You can improve employee adherence to these changes by posting reminder signs throughout the office.
