With impending lifting of the COVID-19 lockdown, many offices are about to resume operations. While the return of employees to their usual work stations heralds great things, some challenges are likely to arise.
The COVID-19 pandemic is still raging and as such, it is imperative that your employees observe social distancing. Additionally, after such a huge absence from the office, it is likely that there are certain protocols that were observed at the workplace before the lockdown that may greatly affect the sanitation, productivity, and general safety of your employees. In this article, the discussion will feature our top three ideas on how you can create a conducive workspace for your employees if you are planning on opening up the office to your employees.
Deep Clean the Entire Office
Before reopening any office space that has not been used for some time, it is important that you get it thoroughly cleaned. Remember that there are several steps to carrying out a deep cleanse properly. First get the entire office cleaned normally. Next, the cleaning crew should start deep cleaning surfaces that are regularly touched by most employees. These surfaces may include light switches, work desks, hard chairs, and door levers. During the deep cleaning, all high-risk surfaces that may have traces of droplets or moisture that can lead to COVID-19 infections should be cleaned.
After high-risk surfaces have been cleaned, you should then get the entire office disinfected using a bleach/alcohol-based cleaning agent or dry superheated steam. The Government recommends that you disinfect your office space using dry superheated steam since research has shown that it can eliminate over 99% of bacteria.
Carry Out Office Maintenance
Before letting your employees back into the office, you should also ensure that your hire professionals who can inspect the entire office and carry out the requisite maintenance. This means checking that all electrical connections, your HVAC system, fire extinguishers, door locks and coat hooks are in perfect working condition.
Additionally, you should also ensure that the general state of the office is appealing. This may mean ensuring that surfaces such as your wall, ceiling and floors are all in great condition.
Reorganize the Entire Office
Even after the lockdown is lifted, the country will still be following social distancing protocols to curb the spread of COVID-19. As such, you should take the necessary measures to ensure that your office layout conforms to the laid down social distancing regulations. In the period before the start of the pandemic, many offices had started following the open office layout plan but as matters stand, it may be necessary to re-introduce physical barriers in the office – albeit for a while.
To protect your employees, you will need to carry out maintenance within the office to limit human contact and touch. This may require you to reintroduce more secluded working spaces such as cubicles, plexiglass dividers and even private office if you have the space.
Additionally, you may also need to install automated doors or elevators while getting rid of things such as fingerprint scanners which can increase the risk of COVID-19 infections spreading. You should also consider reorganizing common rest areas for your employees such as the office cafeteria so that it becomes possible and easy to observe social distancing.
If you need help with prepping the office for the return of your employees, we are here to help. Simply get in touch with Evergreen Cleaning Services by calling +1 (416) 803-4880 today. We offer commercial cleaning services in Toronto, ON, and, we have a team of seasoned team of experts who will make your office space ready for the return of your employees in no time.
