If you’re running an office and are returning to work after months of remote working, you are not alone. Many office managers and business owners are in the same position, looking to reopen their common workspaces but equally concerned about employees’ safety. Offices, if not adapted and designed accordingly, can be super-spreader areas for coronavirus.
Making plans to reopen the office can be a lengthy process during this pandemic. In this guide, you will find three crucial tips for keeping your office clean and free of coronavirus.
1. Increase Cleaning Staff
Of course, the bottom line of coronavirus safety is cleaning. Virus particles can live on surfaces for a number of hours, meaning that any person who comes into contact with that surface is at risk of contracting coronavirus. You should hire your cleaning crew to be present throughout the day to routinely clean surfaces including:
- Kitchen surfaces,
- Desks,
- Devices such as computer keyboards,
- Bathrooms,
- Meeting room tables, and
- Other areas of the office.
This can help kill any potential virus particles that are spread around the office from a person who isn’t aware that he’s carrying COVID-19. To make sure you have the right people for the job, hire reputable commercial office cleaning services.
2. Rearranging For Social Distancing and Compliance
Another vital aspect of your office reopening process is rearranging the space to encourage social distancing. This might mean that if your office is open-plan, with desks clumped together for productivity and discussion, you will need to revert to a single-desk layout to give employees their own space.
This might involve investing in acrylic separation screens, extra signage to indicate where people should sit and remind them of the 2-meter distance rule, and personal cleaning products for desk cleaning.
These rearrangements will only be effective if employees play ball when they return. Having extra health and safety training, which can be done online, will make colleagues aware of the new rules and the importance of sticking to them. This not only makes the office safer, but also means that you can later prove compliance if there is an outbreak in the office.
3. Minimize Numbers Through Hybrid Working
Many business leaders are predicting a new hybrid mode of working in the next few years. When it is no longer necessary to work entirely remotely, many workers will prefer to work some days in the office, while remaining remote for the other portion of the week. From an employee perspective, this gives them a chance to be at work and interact with others, while still enjoying the comforts of home working.
As an office manager, you might think that this is not a bad idea at all. Hybrid working means you will never have the office at full capacity, further reducing the risk of coronavirus spreading. You can cut your in-office numbers in half at all times, making the entire workplace safer and more accessible for all.
Final Thoughts
If you are reopening your office soon, make sure to follow this advice in order to ensure compliance and safety at all times!
From my point of view, offices and other commercial buildings must hire a janitorial service that will keep the space clean and tidy. Well, you are also right that it would be a great idea to its kitchen surfaces, desks and computer keyboards must be cleaned routinely. Thank you for suggesting here the importance of incorporating extra signage where people can sit.
Great points Rachel. It all boils down to keeping the area clean and safe at all times to spread the spread of the virus.
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