As time goes on and the coronavirus lockdown restrictions start to be eased, offices will begin to reopen once more – some already have. This means that workers will start to return, but many will be worried about doing this, and potentially for a good reason; COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, and we must all now think about the ‘new normal’ that is going to be present in our lives for some time to come, and perhaps forever.
What can business owners and employers do to ensure their employees are happy to come back to work, and that they (and the public they serve) remain safe? How can fears be allayed? Here are some ways you can do it and help everyone transition back to work more easily.
Keep It Clean
One of the things that office workers are most concerned about is cleanliness. We know that the coronavirus bacteria can live on surfaces for many hours, and it can be worrying about having to wonder whether a door handle or a chair back is safe to touch.
In order for this not to be a concern, you can put regular sanitizing for COVID-19 in place. This should be carried out by a professional cleaning company so that all rules and regulations are adhered to. Plus, using experts in the field of deep cleans, especially when it comes to something as potentially dangerous as COVID-19, means that you can give your employees peace of mind that their office space is a safe place to be in.
Keep Them Clean
Apart from the office itself, it is also important for your employees to keep clean and practice good cleanliness. To do this, you can supply them with hand sanitiser bulk so that they can quickly use it when moving between rooms, or when they arrive or leave the office.
If possible, you should also ensure there are signs up reminding everyone how important it is to wash their hands too. Although everyone should be doing this anyway, the additional signage giving reasons why it is so important right now will be helpful when it comes to cementing exactly what needs to be done and why.
Keep Them Apart
Right now, with the threat of coronavirus still a very real thing, it is important to adhere to social distancing guidelines which state people – unless they live in the same household – should stay at least six feet apart from one another. This can be hard to do in some places when there isn’t a lot of space, but it is one of the best ways to prevent the virus from spreading.
If possible, make sure that desks are all set at least six feet apart, and that no one has to get close to anyone else to leave the room, enter the breakroom or kitchen, or get to the bathroom. If necessary, this might mean staggering the return so that people work in the office two or three days a week, and the rest of the time at home, but do so on a rotating basis. It will depend on the business you run and how many employees you have, but this is something that will need to be determined before anyone comes back to work.