Workflows drastically changed during the first several months of the COVID-19 epidemic. Employees who had spent their whole career in an office building now found themselves working remotely and navigating their normal responsibilities and meetings via video platforms like Zoom.
As more offices make the decision to reopen and welcome workers back into a shared work environment, it’s important to ensure that the office is safe for everyone as COVID-19 continues to be an issue.
Here are three ways you can make your office safer for everyone during a pandemic:
1. Make Cleaning a Priority.
In order for your office to be safe for your employees, make sure that you are properly cleaning and sanitizing all surfaces regularly. Before sanitizing, thoroughly clean your space. After you’ve done your due diligence to remove dust, sanitize every surface where contaminants might have found a home. Be sure to use an FDA-approved sanitizer to thoroughly disinfect the area. Don’t forget to inspect and clean your air filtration system as well. Cleaning your surfaces does little good if you allow stale or contaminated air to recirculate.
2. Practice Precautions.
Space out desks and make sure that it’s possible for all workers to socially distance themselves from others. Cramped work environments are perfect places for a pandemic to spread. Make masks mandatory and enforce your protocols to keep your staff safe. It’s a good practice to have PPE available for any staff member who shows up to work without it. Safety shouldn’t be optional and should be practiced by everyone to really be effective.
3. Comunicate your Priorities.
Keep open lines of communication with all your employees. Let them know that you are doing your part to keep them safe and that you are expecting them to follow suit. If you’re able, continue to allow your employees to work from home. It’s safer for everyone and will contribute to a greater sense of security for many of your staff members. Have clear policies in place regarding sick days. If someone is feeling ill, make it easy for them to make the call to stay home, and don’t penalize or punish your employees for making decisions to keep your office safer by calling in when they’re sick.
It’s important for us all to find a sense of normality–even during a pandemic. Nevertheless, keeping yourself and your employees safe is even more important.
Every office is different, and your needs might be unique to your situation. Contact us for a consultation about what precise steps you can take to keep your office safer for everyone.