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We all know that everyone isn’t as hygienic at work as they should be. So at Real Strategy Advisors, we thought we’d share some health and safety ideas as the world discusses heading back to work. Priorities have been focused on ensuring physical distancing and employee health and safety while also trying to maintain engagement and productivity through virtual tools while people are forced to work from home. Moving forward though, senior leaders will be looking towards re-occupying their workplaces in a post-pandemic transition.

Real Strategy Advisors believes an opportunity exists to re-think what such an office is and can be. In our “COVID-19 How to Avoid an Outbreak Returning to Work” series, Real Strategy Advisors will be exploring the importance of standardized safety and hygiene regimens at the office, as well as providing important suggestions surrounding functional and operational conditions that must be met.

Phased Approach

We are recommending a phased approach to re-occupancy which generally entails the following:

  1. Limiting the initial capacity of employees allowed in the office, on each floor, etc.
  2. Having assigned in-office shifts (e.g. for relevant teams) and alternate work hours
  3. Adjusting office practices as social distancing regulation and measures ease

The importance here is controlling and minimizing physical contact points where viral transmissions may occur. An example might be to allocate employees more personal assigned space when physically in-office, thus reducing overall population density. There will also be a requirement for cleaning during or between shift changes. We will explore this concept further in future posts on health and safety.

Remote Work

As leaders, whether we embraced it or not, remote work has been forced on us like never before. Once a return to the workplace begins, we expect people will still be working from home in larger numbers than ever, and leaders need to prepare. Real Strategy Advisors expects to be re-evaluating benchmarks and metrics used with clients to calculate how much office space their organization requires and the tools their employees leverage on a daily basis to complete their tasks.

Operating in a work-from-home manner can result in more efficiency but also comes with IT challenges surrounding sustaining a larger digital infrastructure. Workflows and communication also need to be optimized so that employees can still engage and connect. Proper home-office setups for all employees are a must!

Clear Communication

Communication and leadership will be key to instilling the needed practices to achieve a safe workplace. If your team doesn’t know that steps are being taken to protect them, then they might have second thoughts about returning to the office. Transparency and honesty are also integral. Building the essential trust needed amongst employees should be a key concern from an office culture perspective.

Avoid impulsive and reactionary decisions by discussing them with all relevant parties and stakeholders. Keep a cool head during this transition period and practice sound decision making to ensure a safe shift. Please call Real Strategy Advisors for in-depth advice on best practices surrounding a safe return to the workplace — we’re here to help!

Please click here to read Part 2: https://realstrategy.com/workplace-hygiene-safety-routines-setups/

The information that Real Strategy Advisors provides does not replace that provided by your local health authority. The information is for your general use, so be sure to talk to a qualified professional before making medical decisions or if you have questions about health and safety.