Changes to Consider Once Your Business Reopens
It’s unfortunate that several business establishments have to close as a result of the pandemic. Due to the lack of vaccine and a a proven treatment, the only way to keep people safe is by social distancing. It meant that non-essential businesses have to stop. Several industries have become adversely affected due to this guideline.
The good thing is that the cases are beginning to drop in some areas. Governments have also allowed the easing of restrictions. Just because your business is one of those allowed to reopen soon doesn’t mean you have to get back to your regular operations in the past. You need to implement changes to avoid potential infections.
Follow safety guidelines
There might be varied guidelines depending on your location. You have to follow whatever health experts say. Even if some of them are only recommendations, and not mandatory, you still need to follow. Being overly cautious is better than causing a potential outbreak at the workplace.
Rearrange the office space
Given that air couldn’t circulate well in a confined space, it’s easier for employees to infect each other. Therefore, you need to rearrange the office in a way that prevents transmission of the virus. A 6-feet gap among office desks should be observed. Even when having meetings, social distancing should be observed. You might have to consider renting out another office space if the current place is too small and could lead to overcrowding of employees.
Consider work schedule changes
For the last few months, most establishments have decided to work from home. It’s not the most efficient manner of working, but it can be done. Employees can still be productive. In an age where everything is digitized, the need to be in the same area all the time is eliminated. You can readjust your work schedule so that not all employees go to work at the same time.
Offer paid sick leave
The reason why virus transmission is quick in an office environment is that some employees keep working even if they already show symptoms. They don’t care about their health as long as they get paid. For breadwinners, they would rather sacrifice their health than lose a potential income. By giving a paid leave, these employees didn’t have to choose between health and income anymore. They can stay at home before getting back to work. They will wait until they recover without the fear of losing their job.
The idea of a new normal might seem inconvenient, but it’s also beneficial in many ways. Everyone becomes more vigilant of their actions. Hygiene and safety become priorities. We can look at the pandemic as a problem that left a terrible scar in everyone’s lives. However, we can also look at it in a way that changes us to be better people. It takes time to adjust, but we will get there.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image from https://unsplash.com/photos/hCb3lIB8L8E
2nd image from https://www.squarefoot.com/leasopedia/office-space-layout-planning-tips/
