In a time of great uncertainty on so many levels, there is one thing that remains certain; COVID is not going away. We are all working feverishly to ensure that our loved ones and ourselves remain safe and healthy, but have we given the same thought to our workplaces, our employees and our business colleagues? As more places of business begin to open and business looks to resume some sort of normal cadence, we must think about the measures needed for continued health and safety. Here are a few things to consider for both your workplace and your employees;
- Create a written safety plan
- Limit the amount of people in any given space (i.e. conference rooms) at one time
- Close common areas such as company kitchens, watercoolers and coffee bars
- Provide PPE to your staff
- Masks, personal hand sanitizer, “touchless” tools and sanitizing wipes
- Post proper and prominent notifications about;
- Social distancing
- Hand washing
- Mask requirements
- COVID symptoms
- Limit or suspend outside visitors from coming to the office
- Limit or suspend in-person meetings with people external to your organization
- Establish protocols for incoming deliveries (food, supplies, mail, etc…) to your office
- Retrofit/adjust your existing space or seating when social distancing cannot be achieved under current configurations
- Ensure your cleaning company is using proper virucides and cleaning agents
Most importantly, keep the communication open! Your employees and colleagues want to know what you are doing to stay safe and healthy. Don’t keep it a secret.
Finally, there are a vast amount of resources available from government entities, including the CDC and OSHA, that may provide additional guidance that might be useful.
CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/office-buildings.html
OSHA
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf
As always, if you have any questions about policies and procedures that you are putting in place at your workplace or with your employees, always obtain guidance from your trusted HR and legal professionals. The NEMR team is always available for you.