In 2020, nearly half of the workforce was forced to continue their careers from home due to COVID-19 restrictions and quarantines. This dramatic shift has permanently affected how business worldwide is done. Companies have discovered that having a remote team can save them money while continuing to be productive and connected.
A large sector of workers claims that if possible, they would prefer to continue working from home instead of returning full-time to the office. Many companies are now faced with making decisions about how to accommodate the needs of their staff and who will come back, and who will stay home.
Employers have always been responsible for the safety of their staff. In normal times, instructional courses like SIMDUT or WHMIS are standard parts of company safety training. Since the start of the pandemic, companies have had to reconsider other factors to protect their employees on the job. Let’s look at a few post-pandemic tips to help employees return to work.
Cleaning
Before you begin to schedule your employees to return to the office, it is critical that your entire facility undergoes a thorough cleaning and sanitizing. You will need to bleach and sanitize all surfaces and equipment in an office environment, including desks, shelves, computer monitors, keyboards, and copy machines. You should make all safety equipment, including sanitizer and PPE, available for your employees.
Your carpets should be scheduled for deep cleaning to eliminate any risk of your employees picking up the virus. Call in the experts to give your ventilation system a deep cleaning to help with safe air quality.
Flexibility
More than 70% of workers are nervous about returning to work after the pandemic. As a business owner, you need to take these concerns seriously and work with empathy and flexibility. Talk to each of your employees about their new situation to look like. You may want to offer a flexible schedule that includes a hybrid work schedule between the office and home.
Staggered Returns
It may take some time for your company to adjust to the “new normal.” Bringing back your entire staff at once may turn out to be a logistics nightmare. Take things slowly and create a staggered return schedule that will allow you to make changes as you move forward. For example, you may want to bring back those that have an office with a door that can be closed first as they will be able to stay separated effectively from other staff. Then you can work towards bringing back other staff members on a rotating schedule to limit the number of people in the office at one time.
Strict Guidelines
It’s essential that you follow the recommended CDC guidelines when bringing your staff back to the office. Inform your team individually and as a group about your internal safety guidelines so that everyone is on the same page. Management needs to clearly outline the rules for mask-wearing, maximum onsite employees, common area restrictions, limited meeting sizes, and vaccination requirements.
Everything about how the world operated has been permanently changed because of the pandemic. As the reopening process slowly begins, it’s critical that business owners make the health and safety of their employees a priority. Follow these post-pandemic tips to help your employees that are returning to work feel more comfortable and ready to get on the job.
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