The workplace will never be the same again.

COVID -19 pandemic has changed how we work, and employers need to prepare their workplace and workforce.

Work not only has to be safe, but it has to be productive and aligned with the business objective of the organization. What can you do now to prepare your workplace and workforce ready to thrive in the post-COVID-19 era?

Here is the list of guidelines, that you can use to ensure a safe workplace: 

Getting your Workspace Ready

Workstations, especially seats, need to be at least 6 feet apart. If you don’t have enough space to separate workstations, you’ll need to think of another way to protect employees from one another. One such way could be installing physical barriers.

Reduce their contact with “contact points” e.g. fingerprint scanners or even just door handles. Think about switching to key cards for entry into secure locations. If doors need to be shut, you might think about installing hand sanitizer dispensers beside each door for employees to sanitize their hands after touching the door handle.

Or simply leave a roll of blue paper, or paper towels beside each door so that employees don’t need to physically touch the door, they can use the paper as a barrier.

Make sure your workplaces are clean and hygienic. Surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) should be wiped with disinfectant regularly.

Encourage Healthy Habits and Hygienic Routines

Promote regular and thorough hand-washing routine among all employees. Put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace. Make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled.

Display posters that promote hand washing. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has guidelines on how clean hands stop the spread of COVID-19. Post these guidelines prominently in all restrooms and handwashing stations.

Follow these 5 steps for hand-washing every time:

1. Wet hands with water
2. Apply ample soap, rub for a minimum of 20 seconds (palms, back of hands, between fingers, back of fingers, thumbs, fingertips & wrists). Don’t miss any of the parts of your hands.
3. Rinse with water
4. Dry with a paper towel
5. Use the towel to close the tap

Encourage all employees to act responsibly, by sticking to the rules and following any signs you put up around the office. For example:

• Posters instructing employees to always walk around your office clockwise.
• To walk down corridors sticking to one (right- or left-hand) side.
• To enter and leave meeting rooms as indicated.
• To disinfect their desk down whenever employees leave it.

Promote good respiratory hygiene within the workplace. Display posters promoting respiratory hygiene. Ensure that there is enough supply of face masks or tissue papers, for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, alongside closed bins for hygienically removing the waste.

Extra Tips to Prepare your Workplace and Workforce

For business trips, follow the local authority’s travel guidelines.

• Before a meeting or event, develop and agree on a preparedness plan to prevent infection at your meeting or event.
• Pre-order sufficient supplies and materials, including tissues, masks, and hand sanitizers for all participants.
• Advise participants beforehand that if they have any symptoms or feeling unwell, they must not attend to participate.
• Make sure all organizers, participants, caterers, and visitors at the event provide their contact details e. phone number, emails, and residential address where they are staying.
• Clearly state that their details will be shared with local health authorities if any participant becomes ill with COVID-19.
• Instruct sick workers to stay home.
• Establish alternating workdays or extra shifts that reduce the density of employees at a facility at any given time, allowing them to maintain a minimum 6 feet distance from each other while maintaining a full onsite workweek presence.
• Provide workers with up-to-date education and training on COVID-19 risk factors and protective behaviors(e.g., cough etiquette and PPE).
• Train workers who need to use protecting clothing and equipment. They must know, how to put it on, use it, and take it off correctly, in the context of their current and potential future duties. Training material should be easy to understand and available in the appropriate languages and literacy level for all workers.
• Protect employees from work-related hazards by installing high-efficiency air filters and increasing ventilation rates at the workplace.

The pandemic has brought a myriad of questions and no definitive answers, but it’s possible to prepare, organize & prevent as you open for business again. Make your employees feel valued by showing a small gesture. A custom gift bag with a pack of disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer and post-COVID-19 instructions will be a great welcome gift for your employees.

These methods will help you prepare your workplace and workforce.

Companies that better understand the impact of future disruptions and invest in being robust and adaptive by adhering to the rules of social distancing, sanitation & effective communication won’t only survive, but thrive during a post-COVID-19 world.