Based on local, state and federal guidelines, you may be in a position to start welcoming back employees into your office space. It’s important that in creating a strategic plan for this return, your focus is primarily placed on the health, safety and concerns of the individuals this change will impact. Regardless of the timeline you’re working with, as a business owner, leader, and manager, you need to start preparing now to emerge successful in this “new normal.”
Hire a Professional Deep Cleaning Service
Sanitation and regular cleaning maintenance is the first step to protecting the health of those operating in a coworking space. Partnering with a cleaning service prepares your space for more than an employees’ first day back; it helps create a plan for repeated and regular disinfection to ensure peace of mind. Many organizations are able to tackle facilities beyond what may be considered a standard scope of janitorial work. In utilizing high-quality products designed to deal with biological contaminants, professional companies can significantly weaken the possibility for bacteria spread in high-touch areas.
Create a Remote Operations Strategy
With the emergence and accessibility of video conferencing now at the forefront of how we do business, we need to honestly evaluate at what level of our business can be effectively conducted remotely. Allowing staff, whether in partial or whole, to continue to work from their homes is one of the safest ways to prevent the spread of infection. Consider a “shift” system if individuals need to come into the office, creating time slots when individuals can come in to complete their work. By limiting the number of people in the building and scheduling their office hours, we can ensure that all employees are socially distanced but have the resources necessary to fulfill company goals and stay safe.
Implement Distancing Desks, Workstations and Conference Rooms
Restructuring the layout of your common work areas can be a great way to naturally encourage social distancing procedures. In recent years, many offices have switched to the open-concept planning structure for coworking space. While this approach can be great for collaboration and brainstorming, it may raise concerns for those who want to maintain a safe distance from others. Revising spacing between desks, setting conference room limits and providing wayfinding tools to create a seamless and distanced foot traffic flow can all help your employees effectively and safely navigate the office.
Distribute Employee Education and Resources
Proper COVID-19 education and clear communication from leadership is key to creating a smooth transition from home desks to office space. Beyond sharing your action plan with employees, creating a checklist of guidelines and recommendations can be a great way to help them understand what their return will be like. Providing information on wearing masks, hand washing and social distancing can help all employees feel informed and confident in your approach. Partnering with local professionals and utilizing resources from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) will help you best understand how to address and communicate these issues.
Organize a COVID-19 Response Committee
The best way to create a plan that works for your employees is to involve them in it. Creating a team of individuals from various departments of your organization is a great way to collect input on decisions and find solutions that directly address the needs of your employees. Creating a COVID response committee can also help you prepare for any future incident of infection or handle questions that may arise while adjusting to this new style of working.
Listen and Act with Empathy
Ultimately, your success will come as you lead with empathy. Opinions on COVID-19 from your employees will have a range: some will not be afraid and welcome the opportunity to return, while others will feel anxiety when it comes to working in a communal space. Listening to both ends of this spectrum, identifying solutions and following local guidelines will help you to navigate this shift successfully.
