Tips to Make your Office Safer for Everyone During the Coronavirus Pandemic

This year will not be one that many businesses look back on with any great fondness. For most of the global business world, 2020 will always be infamous as being the year in which CoronaVirus decimated not only the health of so many people but the health of the global business world. Tens of millions of people globally have lost their jobs as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic and tens of thousands of businesses have had to shut their doors. 

Those businesses that have survived, have often done so on a combination of luck and strategic implementation of remote working and other reactive measures. No matter the industry, manufacturing, financing, or retail, the companies which have managed to stay at least partially open are those who have taken the right steps.

Now, with lockdowns in many countries ending, more and more companies are looking at the best ways to operate whilst still being able to protect their employees and their businesses. Paramount to this effort is creating an office space that promotes the health and safety of all employees and staff.

To help with this monumental task, this article is a guide to tips that can make your office safer for everyone during the CoronaVirus Pandemic.

Have Your Office Professionally Cleaned

This should be the absolute first step that any office looking to stay safe during the CoronaVirus Pandemic takes. We all know that the most effective way to mitigate the effects of a virus is to stop it from spreading and so having your office professionally cleaned regularly is the most effective way to make it safer for your employees. There are many options available depending on where your office is, but these professional cleaning services can ensure that your office is fully and effectively sanitized and disinfected to give your employees the safest possible workspace. Arrange a regular cleaning schedule with your professional cleaning company of choice and they can ensure that your office is always cleaned to the highest standards. Make sure to check out online reviews to get feedback from other customers who have used their services and you will be able to find the best option available in your area.

Take Social Distancing Seriously

Social distancing saves lives, and that has been clear from the very outset of this pandemic. To make your office as safe as can be for everyone involved, you need to take steps to implement social distancing into your office. The first thing that you can do is to reduce the number of people in the office at any one time. The businesses which have thrived during the last six months are those who have found effective ways for their staff to work from home. Whilst it may not be realistic for all of your employees to work remotely 100% of the time, look at ways that you can at least allow employees to work that way two or three times a week. With this step, you reduce the number of people in the office by 40% to 60% and this makes social distancing within the office so much easier. 

Having done this, pay careful attention to the layout of your office and see where improvements can be made to keep employees as far away from each other as possible. In most countries, the government advice has been to stay at least six feet away from other people, so keep this in mind during your office planning. There have been a lot of office furniture companies who have developed Covid-19 options over the last few months which have protective screens between desks so these may be worth your consideration.

Give Your Employees What They Need

At the end of the day, you are asking your employees to take a risk by coming back to work and so it is down to you to give them the safest possible working environment. Make sure that every single bathroom in your office is fully stocked with soap and hand sanitizer so that your employees can reduce the spread of the virus. There are many options online which allow you to buy hand sanitizer in bulk so give your employees what they need to feel safe and ultimately to be safe.

If businesses are going to reopen and the world is going to return to some semblance of normality then it is going to take far more than hopes and prayers. To make your office safer for everyone, it is up to you to take the correct steps. Follow this guide and you have the best chance of reopening your office safely and providing the best environment for your business to thrive once more.