This year, most of the world has been working from home. And while being able to work remotely certainly has a lot of perks, it’s no surprise that many people have been hoping to return to the office soon. Working from home can be distracting at times and there are not always the resources that you need available to get the job done. On top of that, spending so much time at home isn’t always good for you, and it’s great to be able to go to a workplace and spend time with your colleagues and friends. If you run an office environment and are slowly trying to get back to normal, here are some key factors to consider in ensuring that the workplace is safe for everybody.
Offer the Option to Work Remotely
The key to fostering a safe and comfortable office environment for everybody is to provide your employees with the option of whether they would like to come into the office to work or remain at home. Even though we are thankfully managing to get back more control over the coronavirus, many people are still rightfully concerned about the health risks, especially if they are vulnerable. Providing your employees with the option to choose to work from home or the office enables those who’d rather be as cautious as possible to feel safer while providing options to people who are struggling to work from home.
Protective Guards and Barriers
In some office environments, it can be difficult to effectively social distance, so it’s a good idea to invest in protective barriers like sneeze guards, which can be set up in between desks to offer additional safety to your employees. These guards are made from clear plexiglass, allowing employees to converse and collaborate as normal while reducing their risk of catching COVID19.
Symptom Checking
Running an office environment in a pandemic means that everybody will need to operate on a system of trust. You will need to trust your employees to let you know if they have been experiencing any potential COVID19 symptoms and take appropriate steps to protect them and the rest of your workforce. Temperature checking at the beginning of the working day can be a quick and effective way of determining if everybody is well, as many people might not notice their symptoms until they begin to affect their life in some way.
Cleaning
Keeping everything clean is key when running an office during a pandemic. As we all know by now, one of the easiest ways to catch COVID19 is by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face, so invest in professional regular cleaning services and provide cleaning products for everybody to use to wipe down desks after use. Encourage employees to bring their own hand sanitizer or provide it to them, and establish a hand-washing system for everybody throughout the working day.
While working from home has proven beneficial for many companies this year, some employees like being able to come into the office. If you’re trying to get your office back to normal during the pandemic, keeping everybody as safe as possible is key.