The New Norm: 4 Safety Considerations for Socially Distanced Offices

For many, the pandemic has forced people out of the comfort of their office-based routines, banishing them instead to months of back breaking garden chairs and dining-table-come-desks. Now, with many workers beginning to prepare to return to the office, it’s become increasingly obvious that there’s still a huge sense of uncertainty as the impact of COVID-19 continues.

For those businesses looking to regain some sense of normality by reopening their offices, we’ve put together a short guide on just 4 of the many safety hacks employers need to consider to create a safe and socially distanced workplace.

Plan layouts

First thing’s first when optimising your office space for mobility and safe distancing - pay attention to your layout. This means removing unnecessary furniture and equipment to ensure desks are well spaced out. Not only this, but you’ll need to make sure you consider how your employees will move around in a way that reduces the opportunity for them to bump into each other.

Smart software such as Teem will allow you to create strategic spacing plans and help with navigation around the office. Not only this, but it can help you create a more flexible working environment during the transition from working from home to the office by providing you with a system where employees can book in desk spaces. This way, you can both rest assured that your office is always abiding by the latest guidelines and advice.

Use visual markers and signage

It’s all well and good asking people to stick to a one way system, but without visual markers in place it can take a lot of getting used to. To eliminate this worry, use clear and durable hazard warning tape throughout your commercial space to provide employees with instructions on routes to follow and no-entry and exit points.

For example, you may want to use this type of signage to provide a clear queuing structure for the toilets, or to close off a particular door that leads into a busier environment.

Introduce strict daily cleaning

Whether you own your office premises or are renting out a room in a commercial building, hiring extra help to provide your office with a thorough deep clean once a day is crucial. While your employees should be actively encouraged to sanitise their space both before and after they arrive, it’s your duty to ensure the entire office remains hygienic.

Firstly, think about placing hands-free sanitiser at easy access points around the office, ensuring you have plenty of closed-lid bins around the room to keep waste away. Then, consider hiring a professional cleaner to come and give your space a deep clean at a time where you can assure them that no one else will be present - keeping both them and your employees safe and well-distanced.

Think about lunch breaks

In a busy office environment, it’s common for workers to take different lunch breaks and use communal seating areas. However, this can cause problems as it might force people to sit too closely together without adequate face coverings while eating and drinking.

Therefore, you need to think about managing communal spaces and structuring break times to allow you to keep control of how many people are sitting together at once. Not only this, but you should consider shared cutlery and crockery a thing of the past - encouraging those who want to use such items to bring in their own from home.

The way we work is changing, and with it, so is the office. With people now returning to work, ensuring their safety should be at the very top of your priority list. By implementing the above suggestions at least, you’ll be making the right steps towards adjusting to the new workplace norm.