Getting your business reopened post-COVID is one of the most important things on your to-do list in 2021, right? For it to go smoothly, you need to make sure that your office is as safe as possible from the clutches of COVID. The news and social media have been covered in the symptoms of COVID and everyone has been aware of what to look out for during the pandemic. Now that the world is doing its best to get back to some sense of normality, you need your office to be as clean, as clear, and as organized as possible before the big return.
You may already know that COVID-19 transmits directly between two or more people. Respiratory droplets can cause another person to catch the virus and that's the reason for all of the social distancing and handwashing measures in the past year. Even those who don't show any symptoms can carry the virus and transmit it to other people. Transmission can be airborne just like the common cold virus, and that can happen in enclosed spaces. Planning your office to be COVID-safe is going to take a little longer than just a five-minute hand sanitizer order. You need to make sure that your space is safe for people to be there so that they're not taking more time off work than is necessary. So, with this in mind, here are five ways that you can keep your office safe from COVID and the spread of the virus even further.
Personal Protective Equipment
Even if you are just working in a regular office, you need your staff to look and feel safe. One way to do that is with the supply of personal protective equipment such as face masks. If your staff are up on their feet and moving around, requiring them to wear masks is a good idea. You don't have to get everyone wearing masks for 10 hours per day, but you should ensure that there is enough space between desks and seats to enable staff to remove the mask while they actually work. You should have a sign on the door outside the office requesting guests and clients wear masks upon entry, and you can supply these at the front desk if they haven't brought them along.
Hand Sanitizing Stations
At the front of the office, the kitchen, and along with the desks in the office should sit hand sanitizing bottles. Accompany these with boxes of paper towels and tissues for anyone that needs to sneeze/cough. Closed bins should be available in prominent areas, too, as then they can be safely disposed of. The bathrooms should have antibacterial soap in them with paper towels - not soft towels - for hand drying. Regularly cleaning hands is smart and is a good way to prevent the virus from spreading. You can improve the general office hygiene this way, too.
Call The Cleaners
There are a range of office cleaning company experts out there who are upgrading their cleaning fluids and their methods off the back of COVID, and your workplace should be kept as clean and tidy as possible. Your phones, desks, and any shared surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly to prevent the spread of the virus. This is the case in pantries and lavatories, too. Disinfectants and bleaches need to be high grade so check with your cleaning company so that you know that they are using the best materials.
Go Deeper
While you have an office cleaning company on hand to daily clean your office, make sure that you budget for an added deep clean every week, too. It can give you a little more peace of mind to get the place deep-cleaned properly. It may seem expensive, but it's something you're going to want to do if you know that you can minimize the spread of a virus during a pandemic. You need to be able to keep your business open for as long as possible and the cleaner you keep it, the less chance of being shut down due to COVID-19.
Keep People Working Remotely
While everyone may be sick of working remotely from home, and it's not for everyone, it's important that you know that several tasks can be done remotely. This is ideal as it will limit how many people are in the office. You could keep half your workforce at home with half in the office to allow for proper social distancing. It will also help you to reduce the risk of transmission, and that's the goal here!
Everyone wants the world to get back to normal, but we all have to do our part to make it happen. Keep your absence and paid sickness policies fluid while you can: people need to isolate if they test positive or display symptoms!