If you’re no longer capable of going to a work-from-home model, it’s your responsibility as an employer to do what you can to keep your in-office employees as safe as possible while they’re conducting their work, so they can continue to do their work. With the landing of Delta, a highly transmissible COVID-19 variant, much of the world seems to be interested in keeping things operational. We learned a lot about coronavirus over the last year and a half, so we are better equipped to handle things without massive shutdowns, but that doesn’t mean you should be lax in your approach to keeping your employees safe. Here are some top tips to help you keep up with the Delta surge and keep your employees safe and functional.
#1 Mask up
Did you happen to notice that in 2020 we had next to no flu season? That’s because masking and social distancing worked! There’s no better proof that masking and providing distance between employees/customers helps keep everyone safe. We know it’s difficult if most of your workforce (or all of it) are vaccinated, and you’ve just loosened masking restrictions, but given the resurgence of COVID-19 and this new variant, it’s best if you mask up while indoors.
#2 Start a surface cleaning regiment
Surface cleaning is important, given that’s where respiratory droplets will fall, and others touching those surfaces can then spread it around the office, or get sick themselves. At least daily, if not more than once a day (especially if shift changes occur), you should be cleaning all surfaces of your office, including common touch points like door handles, keypads, phones, and more. Doing this mid-day will be easy when you’re there, but consider hiring a company like Ecosource to take care of your common touch point surface cleaning protocols at night. Additionally, don’t rely on your employees to do this. Many employees will, but it only takes one to shirk their part of the responsibility and get others exposed.
#3 Disinfect your workplace fully after any exposure
If any of your employees or customers test positive for COVID-19, you should temporarily pause work to have a professional cleaner come in and disinfect your workplace using products that fit the EPA criteria for fighting COVID-19. There is no telling what that employee or customer may have touched or breathed respiratory droplets onto, especially if you don’t have people masking up at your workplace. Ecosource offers disinfection services, including electrostatic spraying services, that will disinfect all surfaces in your workplace in a reasonably short amount of time (about 1 hour).
#4 Make sure your employees are stocked
If your employees work with the public, or customers are allowed into your workspace, make sure that your employees are stocked with everything they need to keep themselves safe. That includes hand sanitizer for quick hand cleaning, hand soap being fully stocked in bathrooms and areas where hands can be washed, disinfecting wipes and sprays being available for them to use, and disposable masks if necessary. The CDC suggests considering how employees may come in contact with COVID-19 and preparing for that. Making sure your employees have everything they need to disinfect their workspace throughout the day and any other items that come in contact with others will help all around.
We hope you’re able to keep your employees and customers safe during this time.
