As stay-at-home orders are lifted, more and more people are heading back to work. The COVID-19 pandemic raises several concerns for employers.
The largest concern for employers is to have a strategy in place that prevents employees from getting sick this summer.
Having a strategy in place is absolutely necessary even though the government guidelines are being eased. Mainly because there is no vaccination to prevent people from catching the virus and the virus is expected to have another outbreak, whether that’s this summer or in the fall.
As an employer, it is important to do all that you can to prevent employees from getting sick this summer. Of course because we always want employees to be healthy and safe, but also for your company’s sake.
The more employees that are ill, the less likely work is to get done. Because the COVID-19 virus is said to be highly contagious, it is important that you are prepared.
Here are some ways you can prevent your employees from getting sick this summer:
Properly Sanitize the Workspace
If you didn’t already sanitize the workspace each day prior to the pandemic; now is the time. The workspace should be sanitized at all hours of the day, but a deep cleaning should be done each morning and night when employees are not present.
To properly sanitize, wipe down surfaces with a disinfectant. It also would be a good idea to spray Lysol disinfectant spray to kill any viruses in the air.
Additionally, offer employees plenty of sanitation wipes or spray so they can sanitize their personal workspace at the start and end of each day.
Require Employees to Follow Social Distancing Guidelines
Many public spaces are following the social distancing guidelines, which your business can implement too. This means requiring employees to practice social distancing at work, staying at least 6 feet apart from others. Here are some things to help enforce social distancing:
Stagger Employee Hours
To avoid employees rushing into the office each day and rushing out at the end of the day, consider staggering work times in 30-minute increments, this will avoid any crowding in elevators or other entryways.
Space Out Workstations
If employee workspaces are a little too close, get creative about changing around the space. Move tables and chairs around so that employees are a good distance away from others. Consider allowing your employees to work in other parts of the office such as conference rooms or other common spaces.
Change Up The Schedule
Some companies are implementing rotating schedules. For instance, for two weeks half of the company comes into the office while the other half works from home and then the next two weeks the other team would come into the office while the others work from home. This limits the number of employees in the office and ensures there is enough space for social distancing.
Encourage Face Masks
Several public spaces require people to wear facemasks. Gyms, doctors’ offices, and some stores require face masks for entry.
Wearing a face mask for 8 hours a day can become exhausting; so, you should require all employees to wear a face mask when employees are in public spaces or interacting with one another. You can also encourage your team to wear face masks in their workspace if that makes them feel comfortable.
Stick To Virtual Gatherings
The more people you are around, the more likely you are to pass around germs. If you have to have a meeting, consider holding it virtually if it is greater than 10 people. If you do hold small meetings in person, don’t forget to maintain social distancing and wear face masks around one another.
Encourage Outdoor Activity
They say that vitamin D helps to keep the virus away and UV light kills the virus. If this is true, your employees should be getting outside as much as possible. Encourage your team to take time throughout the day to get outside and get a breath of fresh air. Not only is it good to keep the virus away, but it will help to keep them productive.
Screen Your Employees
Before employees come to work each day, it is a good idea to electronically screen them before they show up to the office.
At Work2Live, our FREE ENTRSAFE platform is an app that your team can download on their phone so they can complete their screening before showing up to work each day. This screening will include asking employees if they’ve had any exposure to the virus, if they have tested positive for the virus and asks if they have any symptoms that are related to the virus.
If an employee passes the screening process, they are approved to come to work. If an employee does not get approved, their screening gets flagged and has to wait for approval from an admin member.
By each employee participating in self-reporting and comprehensive administrator management, our platform helps companies to mitigate risk and provide a better “back to work” experience for their team.
Again, this is a FREE tool that companies can use to screen their employees to ensure everyone is healthy to prevent the spread of any illness.
Encourage Employees to Stay Home
At Work2Live, we are all about boosting productivity levels among your team. However, if an employee feels under the weather, encourage them to stay home rather than to come in and tough it out at the office. By allowing one employee to stay home if they feel ill, you will prevent your entire team from becoming sick.
We are all going through unchartered waters and it is important to be understanding and considerate of your employees during this tough time. At the same time, it is also important for your employees to be transparent and respectful of the guidelines you set in place.
The past few months have been hard on everyone, so it is more important now than ever to do everything you can to ensure your team is healthy and ready to be productive. Take these tips into consideration and make 2020 the best year yet for you and your team!
Download the ENTRSAFE app to get started!