How a COVID-19 Outbreak Could Affect Workplaces
Half of U.S. workers expect negative effects on workplaces as a result of COVID-19. Some of these negative effects may include:
- Absenteeism: Workers could be absent because they are sick, caregivers, afraid to come to work, or other reasons
- Shifting consumer demands
- Interruptions in the supply chain
- Change in company culture
As the way we work evolves, it is important that you take all the necessary steps you can to help mitigate risk and keep everyone safe like maintaining distance, disinfecting surfaces, creating physical barriers, adopting touchless workplace technology, and other practices in the office.
Acquire PPE and Prepare the Physical Location
- Define what the appropriate PPE is for your workspace ahead of time and keep employees informed if changes occur
- Setup and test any new technology before employees return to work
- Adhere to State and Local directives; OSHA Guidelines
Office Design Ideas
- Configure your office to allow for physical distancing — like moving desks apart and removing chairs
- Add barriers
- Enhance cleaning and safety measures
- Support those who are working from home — like adding more monitors for video calls, taking advantage of team collaboration tools, and keeping them informed of all new developments at the office
- Add voice control and other touchless technology to reduce the spread of germs
Establish changes to the workplace
- Establish cleaning/sanitization protocols
- Create proper distancing guidelines and configure your office accordingly
- Develop a screening protocol for employees, vendors, and visitors
- Maintain fluency about testing, tracking, and tracing protocols
Travel Concerns
Watch for updates on the CDC’s travel recommendations if you or a team member needs to travel for work.
Resource:
Prepare your workforce
- If you have the option, test-out new tools/protocols with a small group of employees before rolling out to the entire workforce
- Find/Create & distribute proper training for new protocols
- Communicate, communicate, communicate — make sure everyone (including those who may be continuing to work remotely) understands what changes are taking place and has a clear communication channel to voice their concerns
Resources:
Resources to monitor the coronavirus:
If you’re preparing your office for returns, we’d love to show you how Roby can help! We integrate directly with Alexa, Slack & Teams to create a safer & smarter workplace.
