As many companies move into the next stage of a phased reopening plan, it’s an exciting time to get the team back together and return to business as usual. In the wake of COVID-19 and the new normal, use our office guide to social distancing to adapt, excel, and succeed together.
AE Technology Group is here to support our business clients in a successful reopening with these key tips on creating social distancing in any office space.
Lean, Mean, and Sparkling Clean
Although our offices may be running at half capacity until we slowly transition into a full workplace, there’s never been a greater need for cleanliness. Think beyond the recycling bin and develop a rotating schedule for disinfecting common areas. Frequently disinfect surfaces such as conference room tables, kitchen spaces, and front desks.
Remember that COVID-19 can survive for 24 hours to three days on hard surfaces! Daily cleaning proactively eliminates viral germs before they have time to spread. Divide tasks between in house staff members, bearing in mind flexible schedules as teams continue to increase hours.
Consider temporarily removing shared coffee stations, microwaves, and community cupboards. As an alternative, treat your staff to a weekly local business luncheon and offer a coffee perk card instead of the traditional water cooler. Not only is this a great way to show your team how valuable they are, but it’s a responsible strategy for minimizing the spread of COVID-19.
Last but not least, please emphasize that everyone — yes, everyone — must wash their hands.
Personal Space and the No Contact Bubble
Social distancing in the workplace is a simple matter of making the most of any space available. This may entail rearranging desks and cubicles to allow for the appropriate distancing of 6-feet apart. Considering establishing a sign-up sheet for conference rooms and limiting capacity to under ten individuals. Providing masks is a great idea to protect vulnerable workers, as well as utilizing plexiglass and other barriers to avoid direct peer-to-peer or client contact.
Small businesses may need to think outside the cubicle box and “create space” by employing back-to-back or side-to-side stations rather than front-facing ones whenever possible. Another tactic for reducing the number of people each person has contact with is to divide your staff into teams or partners so that each individual only works with 3-5 other individuals.
Provide hand sanitizer at all workstations and minimize shared devices such as phones by encouraging the use of headsets instead. Consider staggering shifts to avoid a crowd during the opening and closing hours. With a little teamwork, your company can enjoy a seamless reopening while doing your part to protect our staff and our clients.
Viruses: Not Just for People
Once you’ve implemented a germ proof social distancing plan, it’s time to take a look at technology considerations while returning to a new normal. Many staff members will likely still be working remotely for some portion of their workweek. Support your team by ensuring your network is encrypted with a strong firewall and confidential client information is well protected. Discourage the use of personal devices such as laptops, tablets, and phones for work purposes as these are often easily compromised and prone to viruses of the digital kind. Instead, assign laptops to each key member along with a list of available IT resources for training, troubleshooting, and more.
Stay connected with seamless all-in-one communication and project management software. Microsoft Teams is the number one choice for collaboration from conference calls to client meetings. Securely access and share files through SharePoint and OneDrive for added efficiency from home or anywhere in the office.
Technology Etiquette
Lastly, remember to be polite and mindful of your co-workers. With many employees working remotely for some time now, a lot of these behaviors may have slipped.
Need a little extra help migrating to a socially distant workspace?
Our experts are here to help with practical strategies for meeting your business’ technology needs and keeping everyone healthy, happy, and ready to crush that 9 to 5 grind.
