Are you preparing to reopen your office after coronavirus? Are you wondering how to best help your employees and clients to feel safe?
Thanks to COVID-19, re-opening involves a bit more than turning on the lights and dusting off the furniture. You’ll want to create as sterile an environment with as little opportunity for germ spread as possible.
Here’s how you can be getting ready.
1. Deep Cleaning
Deep cleaning your office is essential before you re-open. It’s also a service you should be guaranteeing your staff should someone in your office test positive.
You’ll want to regularly wipe down surfaces with disinfectant spray. This is especially important with areas that are frequently touched, including tables, doorknobs, and light switches.
Bleach solutions can get used to disinfect regularly. You’ll also want to consider using a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Regular mopping will be required as well.
If the thought of complying with all CDC for cleanliness seems daunting, you may want to consider enlisting the help of professionals. Businesses such as this commercial cleaning service can give you the assurance you need to know that the job is being done right.
2. Personal Protective Equipment
The CDC currently recommends that folks wear a mask over their mouth and nose when in public. People may be infected without knowing it, and they could spread coronavirus to others when they sneeze, cough, or talk.
Your employees should wear masks when they’re in the presence of others. They’re especially important when it isn’t possible to socially distance, or to remain at least six feet away from those around you. It’s also important for individuals to keep their masks clean if they aren’t disposing of worn masks regularly.
Many workplaces also require face shields if people are going to be eating together to keep airborne germs from spreading. Desk screens may also be appropriate if your employees are working in close proximity to one another.
3. Hand Washing
It may also be wise to maintain hand-sanitizing stations at frequent intervals throughout your workspace. Employees should be reminded that touching their mouth, eyes, and noses with unwashed hands spreads germs. It’s also unsafe to blow your nose and then touch commonly used surfaces.
Employees should be reminded to wash their hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds after blowing their nose, using the toilet, or handling garbage. A staff with well-washed hands will be a healthy staff.
4. Spread Out if Possible
Social distancing is an important way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If possible, your employees should be staying at least six feet away from others. They can spread the disease even if they don’t have any symptoms.
Social distancing is even more critical if you or someone you live with is at a higher risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19. These include older adults as well as those with underlying health issues, which include pregnancy, severe obesity, or heart conditions. Folks in these situations will be more likely to require hospitalization if they contract the virus.
Your office should look into opportunities to reconfigure your workspace so employees have more distance between them when they work. This may mean using underutilized areas for working. In situations where social distancing isn’t possible, it’s important for employees to wear masks.
5. Have a Remote Plan
Your office needs to have a plan in place in case an employee tests positive for COVID-19. You may, for example, need to close your office for a day and deep clean. You should also contact all those deemed to have had direct contact with the individual in order to let them know they need to get tested.
You’ll also need to get prepared in case it becomes necessary to close down your office again. A rise in cases could lead to shutdowns, and you’ll want your employees to have what they need to work from home.
Your employees should all get trained in remote conferencing software. They should also have laptops and other equipment necessary for them to do their jobs remotely.
If your employees have any questions about doing their job from home, they should be sure to get the proper assistance they need before learning of a shutdown. Some offices also provide small stipends that staff can use to set up their home offices.
6. Ventilation
Proper ventilation can help prevent the spread of germs in a number of ways. If possible, keep your workspace ventilated with cracked windows, fans, and the use of air purifiers.
Windows should not be opened, however, if doing so poses other risks to employee health. Survey your office and review when and how you can provide safe ventilation for those who work there.
7. Encourage Self-Monitoring
Some workplaces request that employees fill out forms each morning that ensure they’re symptom-free. Other buildings require temperature checks before anyone enters the building.
Encourage your employees to stay home if they’re experiencing any symptoms at all, including coughing, sneezing, or a runny nose. While they should be tested, you’ll also want to thank them for being proactive about helping to keep everyone in your workplace self.
Work After COVID-19
Getting back to work after a pandemic as COVID-19 has changed our lives will require some ingenuity. However, with the right precautions, protective equipment, and cleaning measures, you can be certain you’re doing everything you can to keep your workplace safe. Your employees will feel confident that they can be productive in a clean, healthy environment.
Don’t stop getting smart about your business now. For more great advice, read our blog today.
