As more and more areas around the world start reopening after a long period of lockdown, businesses are starting to gradually get back to normal. Even though restrictions are starting to ease up as the pandemic starts phasing out, it is important to realize that the danger is not entirely gone yet. That is why when it comes to bringing back employees to your office, certain precautions need to be taken. If you run a business or manage an office, here are some things you would need to consider before reopening your doors to employees once again.
1. Enforcing Social Distancing
No matter how spacious your office space is, it is still considered to be one big confined area. When you are only just phasing back employees and reopening your doors bit by bit, you should make sure you enforce social distancing rules within the office to the best of your abilities. This could mean redesigning the space a little to move desks away from each other or installing partitions to limit physical interactions. This would lower the chances of any infection within the workplace and allow your employees to be more productive without having to worry about their safety or wellbeing.
2. Cleaning Up Effectively
A clean office is a must nowadays. As you start bringing back your employees to the workplace, you might need to consider getting some commercial cleaning done in the office to ensure every little inch of the place is vigorously cleaned out and is safe for use. You would also need to invest in more advanced sterilization products around the office and encourage your employees to use them for personal hygiene as much as they can. If your office would be frequented by different staff during different shifts, then you would need to ensure there is a cleaning shift in between those two shifts so that no risk of infection makes its way into your workplace.
3. Training Employees
The key to keeping everyone safe as you start reopening your office space again is by training your employees to know what is okay and what could be risky. You should train them to communicate more effectively without having to make any physical interactions or how to clean up their personal space properly. You can also train your staff to engage with each other and carry on their usual tasks safely without putting themselves or others in harm’s way. Make sure you also offer them guidance and mental health support during these times as the new norm might be a little challenging at first.
Reopening your business and making way for your staff to go back to work can be a challenging process. Everyone would need to adjust to the new rules and manage to stay productive, and that can take some time and effort. It is the employer’s role to make sure their employees have enough guidance and support, as well as an effectively-prepared environment to work in. Make sure you keep the office space clean and sterilized to the best of your abilities and train your employees on the new safety rules.
