How on earth do you make a comeback from a pandemic? There’s only one pandemic every 100 years, so in essence, we’re going to have to figure this out on our own.
For most of us returning to the office is still a way off, but here are some things to consider if you're an essential worker or business returning to the new normal.
Social distancing remains
You need to make sure that your employees are maintaining social distancing . That means either 1 or 2 meters apart, at all times.
Separate the desks in your office, so they are 2 meters away from each other. Or, make sure that the seating positions are 2 meters apart so you can fit more desks in the room you have. You should also encourage people to stand back and talk to each other, making sure that they’re passing things to each other safely.
Air quality
Having your windows open is a must. You need to keep the air flowing through your office space. Studies have shown that the virus is able to move through the air. It can live on surfaces for a few days, unlike the flu virus which usually dies within 24 hours. With proper air circulation in the office, the virus which enters your home won’t have time to set onto surfaces which makes your workplace safer.
Explain this to workers so they know not to close the windows if they’re feeling cold.
Need more space?
Now is the right time to invest in office space. Why? Well, it's cheaper than it has been for years and you can get all your workforce back into work and start pulling ahead of the competition. You can rent cheap serviced offices and allow all of your workforce to complete their tasks and projects just as they normally would. You have printers, desks, photocopiers and IT infrastructure in the offices, so you can set your team's challenges without being hindered.
Meeting with management
Managers will be feeling a little lost because they have been in the same boat as the rest of your employees. They now have to regain their confidence to lead their teams once again. Before you speak with everyone, have a brief catch up with your management members. Start with the projects that you had to put on hold and then go through the projects that you have been able to keep going. Give them the confidence to assert themselves. If they see an employee that is slouching and falling behind in their responsibilities, they need to be given a verbal admonishment to speed up.
