The Philippines is seeing signs of gradual recovery – the spread of COVID-19 is generally slowing down, and each day more people are being vaccinated. Now, more than ever, is the time to be diligent in following safety protocols against COVID-19 transmission and infection. And that applies to home, public spaces, and workplaces alike.
Use this list to do a quick recap of the COVID-19 safety precautions your organization will need for a safe and healthy workplace in the New Normal. How closely have you been able to follow them so far?
Keep food and drink safe
There will always be a human need to eat and drink at the workplace – that’s why there are meal and snack breaks. But food and drink can become means of COVID-19 transmission when not prepared with care. Kitchen and pantry safety are vital practices for everyone to learn and apply in the workplace, so make sure no one is left out of the loop.
Make paperless and no-contact transactions
The digitalization of industries is in full swing, primarily for office productivity and business transactions. While it had been in progress before COVID-19, the pandemic only served to hasten the adoption of digital solutions for nearly every aspect of business. Maximize and master digitalization for no-risk transacting between workers and clients, minimizing face-to-face interactions and preventing possible infection incidents.
Mind the headcount
Is everyone reporting to work only when absolutely necessary? Make sure that’s the case because the fewer people on site, the lower the possible transmission within your organization. And the lower the risk at your workspace, the more you’re contributing to the eventual halting of the pandemic, and the sooner industries can allow workers to return to the workplace. It’s a long road, but a precautionary attitude makes gradual progress.
Let your workplace breathe
Unless your workplace is unusually spacious, there will always be times that people unintentionally clump together even with proper spacing between workstations. Sufficient ventilation helps reduce the risks COVID-19 infection in such situations. Try to minimize air conditioning usage, keep windows and doors open wherever possible, and keep building ventilation systems functioning well.
Maximize collaboration tools
Related to digitalization of business processes, teamwork among employees also benefits greatly from the renewed wave of technological innovation. In providing ways of collaborating online and overcoming the challenges of distance, these online productivity tools and conveniences eliminate most of the need to work together face to face, making it possible for majority of them to work remotely and minimizing close contact.
Place clear signages and information hubs
Whether it’s for workers or customers, useful reminders and guidance are always essential to create the ideal environment for pandemic safety. It’s very possible for anyone to accidentally let their guard down at any time, and this happens in the workplace too. Minimize the chances of that happening – place signages and accessible references at strategic points, especially at entryways and regularly-used areas.
Ensure amenities and fixtures
Every little bit helps in the fight against COVID-19 – and making personal disinfection amenities and ways to check overall readily accessible in every corner of your workplace is a low-investment-high-return move. Disinfectant dispensers (routinely filled, of course), infrared thermometers, and entryway mats are just some of the most affordable fixtures and amenities you can put in place.
Mind client and customer considerations
Every safety and health consideration for your workplace applies not only to workers, but to clients and customers as well. Strictly observe all pandemic precautions and ensure your facilities are equipped to safely receive clients or customers when their physical presence is required for official business, and you nurture their confidence in you. There’s just no better way to show them what your priorities are in the New Normal.
Get help from someone else
It’s great if your organization can already adequately ensure all of the above considerations through internal initiatives and projects. But if it can’t, there’s no harm – and everything to gain – in asking a partner to help out. A managed services provider that offers integrated facilities management is especially effective at sustaining a variety of workplace COVID-19 precautionary conditions. They can do it for any kind of business, too.
These are the fundamentals of COVID-19 safety and prevention for safe business operations. If there are other precautions particular to the nature of your business, those should be followed as well. And always remember that all of these measures contribute to the nation’s greater goal of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Are there other precautions unique to your business or that haven’t been mentioned above? Sound off in the comments or on our social media!