Working in the Office in a Pandemic: 4 Easy Ways to Promote Social Distancing Rules And Clean Practices in the Workplace During COVID-19
Aug 31, 2020, 4:10 PM | Updated: Apr 18, 2022, 10:33 am
Photo: Adobe Stock
This article about social distancing rules in the workplace is sponsored by Les Olson Company. Your Office Technology Partner.
As an employer, it is important to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 to your employees by encouraging social distancing in the workplace. Social distancing means staying away from others as much as possible, whether you are showing symptoms or not. And this helps slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community too.
Of course, you should check the coronavirus guidelines and tips for businesses outlined by the State. But here are four steps to get you started to promote social distancing rules in the office.
1. Rethink your Workspace Layout
Photo: Adobe Stock
First up, rearranging furniture is one of the first steps you should take to promote social distancing. You can use a tape measure to ensure at least six feet of distance between desks. You can also try rearranging your waiting rooms and break rooms so the chairs are each six feet apart.
In places where people typically stand in lines, place markers spaced six feet apart for people to stand. You can also adjust operations so you are not accepting appointments or conducting meetings with more than 10 people in a room.
It’s also a good idea to place hand sanitizer in commonly frequented spots. Hand washing is one of the most effective ways to slow the spread of this virus.
2. Share the Cleaning Workload
Photo: Adobe Stock
Create a chore chart or other management system to ensure that cleaning becomes a shared responsibility. Clean surfaces that are touched often like doorknobs, light switches, toilet handles, sink handles, countertops, or time clocks, using EPA-recommended products. For surfaces used often like keyboards, desks, or remote controls, employees can use disposable wipes to clean surfaces before each use. If disposable wipes are used, it is important to remind your staff to throw them away right after they use them.
Make sure to supply enough soap, paper towels, disposable wipes, tissues, and hand sanitizer so that they are available for employees, clients, and customers alike.
3. Provide Technology Bundles for Spreading out Work or Teleworking
Photo: Adobe Stock
Ensure your employees can spread out, collaborate, and work efficiently without sharing devices. Offering laptops to employees so they can not only have their own machine with single touchpoints but also can give them some flexibility on where they can work. That means if they are feeling overcrowded in the office, they can work remotely. Tools like Microsoft Office 365 can help remote work too since it has video conference capabilities. And that software also allows you to share documents remotely so you can access them from anywhere.
In the office obviously sanitation is key. Sanitize everything, but to make it easier, try to reduce touchpoints as much as possible. For example, you can also look at adding more smaller printers or multifunction printers in the office instead of relying on one large machine which reduces similar points of contact. Additionally, you could also provide additional phones and other pieces of hardware so no one is sharing anything.
4. Work with a Locally-Owned and Operated Company
Photo: Adobe Stock
Les Olson Company is the one place for all your remote office technology needs. They serve the entire state of Utah, Clark County Nevada, and Southwestern Wyoming. They are owned, operated, and stock their parts and supplies locally. Choosing the right vendor to help your business keep working through this difficult time is important. Les Olson also has factory-trained technicians, certified IT professionals, and an internal network operations center. With hundreds of 5-star Google reviews to back up their claims, you should get in touch with Les Olson Company to make sure your office is socially distanced!
Related Articles:
