It’s been a little over a year since the pandemic took hold on an international scale. Many businesses shut their doors a couple of months into the COVID crisis, and many are remaining closed for a bit longer. Essential businesses remained opened but had to cut down on the number of employees they had and transition over into remote work where it was possible.

Nowadays it’s not uncommon to get a temperature check anywhere you shop, go to the gym, or even at work before you can walk in. This has been one of the many changes we’ve faced during this pandemic, and now that cases are dropping, businesses are beginning to open their doors again and bring their restless employees back to the office.

How are they doing it safely? They’re investing in temperature check stations, additional cleaning and disinfecting staff, limiting the amount of people that can be in the office at one time, and shutting down any room or rooms that are unnecessary for doing business at this time. Below we are going to discuss what you can do to help your employees feel safe returning to the office.

Take These Steps to Help Your Employees Feel Safer

1.Talk with your employees about how they are feeling about returning to the office. Have a discussion with your staff and ask them how safe they feel returning. Let them give you ideas about how to resume work safely. If your employees are currently remote, and if it’s possible, allow them to choose if they would rather remain remote or work out a hybrid schedule that allows them to work in the office and at home. This can be helpful and prevent you from having too many people in the building or office at one time, so that you’re complying with state and local restrictions.

2. Designate a thermometer person at the beginning of each shift to take temperatures of the staff that are coming in. This could be someone from management or a volunteer employee that can be trusted to inform management and send someone home if they have a fever.

3. Provide masks on arrival for employees who may be prone to forgetting them and verify that everyone is wearing their masks properly to prevent transmission of the virus.

4. Take additional time and either designate a staff member or hire an external cleaner to properly disinfect surfaces before and after each shift. Check on common areas such as break rooms and bathrooms throughout the day to disinfect and clean them.

5. Provide hand sanitizer stations throughout the office in obvious places, and encourage employees to regularly use them as needed.

6. Employ the use of security cameras in the common areas to check on people regularly to make sure they are following proper social distancing protocols. Let everyone know that this isn’t so you can play “Big Brother,” but so everyone can remain safe and feel comfortable. Choose friendly reminders over harsh criticism if someone does forget to wear a mask or practice social distancing.

7. Be grateful that you still have an office and a business to return to! Many small businesses have had to close their doors permanently. As another way to join together as a team, you might consider having your company brainstorm ways you can help other local Hendersonville businesses. Visit LoveHendo.com for ideas!

Let us help you find the right security system for your business! We can conduct a free, on-site assessment of your business to determine which type of security will best suit your needs. From keyless entry systems to onsite cameras, we can help keep your employees safe as they return to work.

For more information, give us a call!