At the start of the pandemic, many businesses made the decision to have their employees work remotely from home to reduce risk. However, more and more companies are starting to return to what will likely be known as the new normal. This means having at least a few workers come into the office for work. Having to adjust to working form home was certainly a struggle, and adjusting to being back in the office – especially with all the new safety regulations – will be no different. Your offices have likely been empty and unattended to for quite some time, so you’ll need to get them back in order before allowing your employees back in there. Then, of course, you’re going to have to prepare your employees for what waits ahead, and any company changes that may be occurring. Keep reading to find out what you can do to make this adjustment easier.
Get your offices cleaned
As mentioned, your offices likely haven’t been cleaned very thoroughly these past few months, since no one was actually there. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll automatically be clean. There will be dust and other things that affect the cleanliness of the building. You’ll want to welcome your employees back into a neat, clean office. You likely won’t be able to achieve this feat on your own, so why not get someone like Woodard commercial cleaning to do it for you? Professionals will be able to get your office back to the level of cleanliness it was at before everyone started working remotely.
Disinfect and sanitize
In case you were wondering, this is not the same as getting it cleaned. While getting your offices cleaned will do a great deal in terms of keeping it at a decent hygiene level, normal precautions simply aren’t enough anymore. You’ll have to get a professional service in to make sure that your entire office is sanitized before you welcome employees back. On top of that, you’ll need to stock up on things such as masks, gloves and sanitizer so that you can keep this level of hygiene and safety, even after your employees have returned from work. You’ll likely also need to invest in thermostats and print out a few questionnaires so that people can be screened before entering the office. Basically, you’ll need to do everything you can to keep your workplace a safe environment. If all of this seems a bit intimidating to you, a workplace safety protection checklist may come in handy.
Prepare your workers
You’ll likely only have a few workers coming back into the office, and have the rest still work from home. Or, you may even have them come in on alternating days. In this case, it’s important that you have a clear schedule so that the office is never overcrowded. You’ll need to discuss safety precautions that are to be followed while they are at work. It’s a good idea to have a virtual conference with any employees that need to informed, so that everyone can come together in a safe way to discuss how they feel about the changes being made.
