5 tips for returning to the office and keeping your employees safe
For the past few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to many Americans working from home for the first time. Collectively, we’ve transitioned to video meetings, more emails than ever and new tech to get our work done remotely.
It can be night and day from working in an actual office, dealing with distractions of everyday life while doing your best to remain focused on the job at hand. Not only that, but your home office might not be set up as efficiently as it could be. Tap or click here for essential work from home basics.
Now, businesses are reopening and many people will be heading back into the office soon, if not already. The question is how do we move forward safely while taking precautions to remain healthy?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution that applies to every work environment. Instead, it’s about establishing precautions and policies to stay safe. We’ve created this free employee agreement you can use as a guide to help get your office open again.
The new normal at work
As we get back to the office, it’s all about finding ways to balance productivity while managing health risks. It’s going to take some considerable operational changes to meet public health guidelines designed to keep employees healthy. But it’s doable.
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We’ve scoured resources from the CDC, World Health Organization, OSHA and Kaiser Permanente to bring you some key takeaways to make your workplace safe for employees to return.
1. Provide clear sanitation guidelines
Follow federal and state guidelines for a safe workplace. Use the following recommendations from the CDC concerning employee sanitation behaviors:
- Promote frequent hand washing.
- Provide hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol in multiple locations.
- Institute universal masking whenever possible.
- Place tissues and trash receptacles throughout the workplace.
- Encourage respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow.
- Provide space between workstations. If you can, separate shared workspaces and move employees further apart.
- Prohibit large gatherings. Consider holding meetings through video chat or over the phone, even once you’re back at the office.
- Identify and provide the type of personal protective equipment needed in your workplace.
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