As the Covid restrictions begin to ease you will need to start thinking about your staff’s return to the office. The pandemic has drastically changed employers attitudes toward working from home, and it has affected employees’ feelings about being in an office. You may find the office feels like a bit of a ghost town with the WFH gang choosing to work from the comfort of their living rooms. But regardless of how many staff you have returning, there are a few things you should do to get the office ready.
Getting Your Office Ready for the Return to Work
Even though the rules on social distancing are easing, some members of staff will be more unsure than others. You should make sure staff are comfortable with their proximity to other team members. You may also want to have overflow space in case some team members are not comfortable, and want a larger space to themselves.
You may have continued your office cleaning contract throughout lockdown, to prevent a build up of dust, but you will still want to organise a thorough, deep clean before staff return. Regular office cleaning is one of the best ways to offer your staff peace of mind that you are taking their hygiene and safety seriously.
In order to avoid everyone returning to work on the same day, at the same time, you may want to plan phased returns. Staggering the staff’s return date and start time can prevent an influx of team members at the entry point, which could make social distancing hard.
As well as arranging regular office cleaning you may want to provide staff with extra cleaning materials. Make sure each floor has access to enough hand sanitiser, screen wipes and antibacterial spray and roll so that they are able to clean their desks and equipment as often as they want to.