Social distancing measures in the office
For companies who require on-premise employees, social distancing in the office is required from the start, not just once offices begin to fully reopen. Getting in the habit early will give time to test what method works best for your team before everyone transitions back. Methods to consider for physical distancing:
- Limit who comes into the office and when with flexible hours and staggered shifts: Use A/B shifts to accommodate for cleaning schedules and limited workstations.
- Use a social distancing desk tool to make it map out what a socially distanced floor plan looks like using only desks 6ft or more apart. Assign or allow people to book their own desks based on what’s available. Determine capacity based on physical distancing and plan A/B shifts accordingly.
- Either prohibit or keep visitors to a minimum unless absolutely necessary. Prohibit personal packages delivered to the office. For snacks and coffee, and locker use, limit some, if not all, within the office to decrease the amount of shared surfaces.
- Update office design with partitions between desks and social spaces, revised seating arrangements, and directional signage like floor markers for one-way hallways and staircases.
- Maintain virtual meetings in the office: Repurpose every conference room into a personal office and/or storage area in the early stages of COVID-6.
Touchless entry: Using an access control system like OpenPath, every in-office employee can badge into the building using their phones.
Back in the office? Steps you can take to keep your office safe
If you’ve spent time working from home as a preventative measure, it’s the best time to institute optimal hygiene practices and solutions that can reduce the spread of viruses and colds (which is always welcomed, whether COVID-19 is a concern or not). Some ideas include:
- Increase the availability of disinfecting wipes and virus-killing hand sanitizers, and be sure everyone knows how to use them effectively . As an added touch, quality unscented lotion around the office will keep everyone from drying out while keeping their hands clean. Encourage everyone in the office to commit to regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces.
- Continue to improve professional cleaning and disinfecting procedures within the office to reduce the occurrence of germs and bacteria in the workplace.
- Where possible, rely on touch-reducing amenities, such as double-swinging push doors, motion sensor lights, and other hands-free amenities that reduce germs in high-traffic areas.
- If flexible seating is an option in your office and people share desks, require everyone to clean equipment, workstations, and surfaces as soon as they leave or move to a different spot.