Richard AgamaThe COVID-19 pandemic has greatly altered the face of the world in more ways than one. Many businesses have temporarily shut their doors in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading among their employees. However, many businesses have not been able to shutter indoors, as their services are deemed essential to daily life. Because they must stay open and continue to interact with the public, such businesses should still take ample precautions against the further spread of COVID-19. The following guide for how to protect employees during COVID-19 explores some tactics businesses can adopt to keep their essential employees as safe as possible.
Deep clean the office
One of the best ways to avoid the further spread of COVID-19 is to practice extreme cleanliness in all areas of life. Not only should employees practice good personal hygiene and wash their hands regularly throughout the day, but employers should also make communal workspaces as clean as possible. Encourage employees to clean and sanitize their personal space at the beginning and end of every workday. If an employee has contracted the virus, you may consider taking your cleaning efforts one step further. Enlist the help of a professional decontamination team to help deep clean your entire office space. These professionals will thoroughly clean and disinfect your entire area to further reduce the spread of the virus. Even if no one in your employment has tested positive for the virus, this process can be an extremely beneficial preventative measure.
Adjust workflow
Though it may take some time, adjusting your company’s current workflow is one of the best ways to protect your employees during COVID-19. The best method for this is to allow employees to work from home. This significantly decreases the likelihood of the virus spreading within your company and allows employees ample space to recuperate should they contract the virus. Be sure to provide your employees with the necessary tools and software to conduct business from their homes. However, we do recognize that working from home may not be a viable option for all companies. In such instances, be sure to adjust your office space and internal operations to allow as much social distancing within the office as possible. Ensure that employees maintain six feet of distance between one another and continue to conduct meetings via email or video chat. This may seem silly, given that you will all already be in the same office, but taking these small measures can help reduce the further spread of the virus. If you are continuing to conduct business from a shared office space, be sure to provide employees ample protective equipment, including hand soap, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes. You may also encourage employees to wear gloves and face coverings while working.
