Over the course of 2020, every workplace manager had to reevaluate the health and cleanliness of the environment that his or her workforce was spending their days in. People suddenly became hypervigilant about staying protected against germs, and they wanted to see that their employers took their health and wellness very seriously. When you take steps to show your workforce that their health is a priority, they will feel reassured that you care about keeping them safe and you understand the gravity of the responsibility. When people feel safe at work, it creates positive employee sentiment and contributes to a strong and resilient company culture. Moreover, employees are better able to focus on their work when they don’t have to continually worry about whether they’re safe. Here are some things that you can do to keep your workforce safe during the challenging year ahead and beyond.
Make Sanitizer and Cleaning Supplies Readily Available
Stock up on hand sanitizer for businesses so that everyone in your office can have ready access to something that will keep their hands protected against germs. It’s also a good idea to stock cleaning supplies such as sanitizing wipes or spray cleaners with paper towels so that people can disinfect frequently touched surfaces. When people are able to clean a surface themselves, they won’t have to worry about the last time that it was cleaned; they can take comfort in knowing that they can clean anything that they want to at any time.
Reorganize Workstations
Many offices have tended to prefer keeping workers in close proximity to one another so that they’re better able to communicate or simply for the purpose of making the most efficient use possible of office space. However, working in very close quarters creates an unnecessary healthy risk. You should evaluate your available space and total number of workstations to try to arrive at an arrangement that facilitates the greatest possible distance between each workstation. Get creative and make use of any room that isn’t currently being used as a workspace such as a supply area. If necessary, install new outlets and data ports so that you can put desks wherever you would like.
Increase the Frequency and Thoroughness of Cleanings
You should have your office professionally cleaned on a regular basis. It may be advisable to decrease the intervals between cleanings and give your cleaning company new directives about what has to be cleaned and how.