Through all of the uncertainty brought on by the global pandemic, one thing is for sure… the future workplace needs to change!

With many businesses, including ourselves, having spent months working from home, it’s clear that a plan is needed to help employees transition back into the office. A YouGov poll found that 34% of office workers are concerned about getting used to the office again once they return, and it’s up to the employer to reassure those returning.

The question on many people’s minds is how to create a safe workplace for staff to return to, which is why we’ve created a turnkey solution to help businesses like yours to achieve just that! Here’s how to create a safe workplace:

1. Carry Out Effective Cleaning of Surfaces and Facilities

It’s extremely important for employers to offer their team a clean and safe workspace to thrive in, not only prior to their return to the workplace, but also frequently thereafter.

There are two particular methods and considerations that can help you on your important mission to create a safe workspace:

Disinfectant Misting

One extremely effective method of cleaning your workspace is through the process of disinfectant misting. A specialist piece of equipment known as the SteraMist sprays a fine, dry mist (Ionised Hydrogen Peroxide) that kills 99.9999% of viruses and bacteria. It’s safe, quick and doesn’t leave residue on any surfaces!

Air Duct Cleaning

Good ventilation is essential to help reduce the potential transmission of the virus. Blocked air duct systems reduce ventilation and increase the risk of virus transmission, so the checking and cleaning of air ducts is extremely valuable.

Bringing in a specialist team to clean your workspace top to bottom will ensure your space is fresh and ready for staff to return to, protecting their wellbeing whilst also giving them peace of mind.

To make the process as stress-free but efficient as possible, we can organise and carry out all of your specialist cleaning requirements for you. We’ve partnered with expert contractors who specialise in the different areas of cleaning, from misting to air duct cleaning.

2. Create a Revised Floorplan to Allow Social Distancing

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Prior to the Coronavirus, we would often optimise spaces for clients based on ergonomics and productivity. Now, we need to also shape environments around the safety of staff. YouGov highlighted that 59% of their survey respondents are concerned about their ability to maintain safe social distancing measures at work, so it’s an important concern for all businesses.

We’re now offering a service whereby we can revisit your current space plan to allow for social distancing, taking into account furniture, exits, a safe movement around the workplace, and access to shared facilities. Enabling social distancing will allow you to transition your people back into the workplace quicker, whilst also looking after their welfare in the long-term.

3. Provide Access to Sanitisation Products

The pandemic has made us realise just how important sanitisation is in all commercial and residential spaces, and it will need to continue into the future to prevent something like this from happening again. As a business, it’s important that you offer staff easy access to hand sanitiser and desk cleaning equipment, so they can keep themselves and their workspace clean.

Sanitisation stations are a great option for businesses looking to offer these types of products. There are multiple different stations to choose from, including contact-free options that go that bit further in ensuring staff and customer safety in the workplace.

4. Install Protective Screens

To create a safe workspace, we need to make sure employees are protected even within open plan spaces. To offer employees peace of mind through the use of visual cues, transparent protective screens can be added to existing desk setups. These screens create minimal disruption to your existing environment, but can help your employees to feel protected in the workplace.

5. Amend Hot Desking Rules

As hot desking involves workers desk-hopping on the daily, it’s best to avoid this when possible and instead give staff a fixed desk to work at.

If you don’t have enough desks for this, consider asking staff who are able to work from home, to work from home.

However, in the long-term, avoiding hot desking and keeping some staff permanently at home may not be your preferred option. Who knows how long we will need to take extra care for, after all! It could be forever.

With this in mind, there are still ways to make hot desking safer. One such way is to provide staff with their own locker or portable case for them to place all of their equipment in at the end of the day. The Anywhere Case from Herman Miller is a great option and allows employees to store their own equipment in their personal cases.

6. Stagger Start Times

In order to create a safe workspace, you need to minimise contact between employees. One of the busiest times of the day will be employees starting and finishing work, as many employees often share the same start and finish times. This might become an issue for large businesses with a lot of staff. In such cases, consider staggering start and finish times to avoid large numbers of employees entering and leaving the building at the same time.

It goes without saying that it will take a while for people to feel settled and comfortable in social settings again - the workplace included. By implementing safety measures such as those we have mentioned, and by showing your employees that you are making conscious decisions to protect their safety, you can help to provide your team with peace of mind! Read more about our Safe Return to Work plan for insights on how we can help you create a safe workplace, and do not hesitate to get in touch!