‘Back to work selfie’ is trending this week, are your staff back to the office yet?
As workers around the country head back to their desks, we have developed a handy check list to ensure your building is ready to receive them.
1. Ease your staff in.
Lots of companies are phasing their return to the office, it ensures staff can get used to it without the transition being overwhelming. This also helps to avoid too many people working closely together at one time. Working two days in, three days at home is a good place to start, then slowly adding a day back in the office until you have a balance which works for your staff.
2. Space out.
If you have room, space your desks or chairs out so people can sit 2 meters apart. This is tricky in smaller offices so you may need to get creative with your desk layout.
3. Introduce a one-way system.
To avoid people passing each other too closely, introduce a one-way system that incorporates the bathrooms and kitchen. It might make it slightly longer to grab a cup of tea, but everyone will be used to it after a while and it encourages people to space out.
4. Encourage meetings outside.
If your office is lucky enough to have outside space, or a scenic walk nearby encourage your staff to walk and talk. In meeting rooms people tend to sit closer together than they otherwise would. Not only are walking meetings good for everyone’s health and gets staff out of the office, but it also encourages people to think more creatively. Some of the most successful people in the world use walking meetings. From Steve Jobs, to Aristotle, to Sigmund Freud.
5. Install air treatment technology.
One of the best ways to keep your workforce safe from virus and bacteria in the office is installing air treatment technology in your heating and ventilation system.
Gibbons Engineering Limited works with Plasma Air to provide business around the country with bipolar ionisation and UV-C light treatment. Our Engineers can install them within a day, and the devices get to work immediately.
Our sales team will be able to advise you on what system will work best for your office. The most common one is a PA604, these are little cassettes that attach to your ceiling fans. When the fans are turned on, they start to work; sending positive and negative ions into the space to neutralise virus and bacteria. They are completely safe, and a similar process to how sunlight works.
The Gibbons team can work out of hours, so there will be no disruption at work. You will even receive certification, so you can show your staff that you take their health seriously.
Go slowly
Staff returning to their desks may feel nervous about coming back to the office after over a year working from home. It will take some time to get used to commutes and to relax into the office environment. Be sensitive to this, and consider the next few months as settling in time before we edge towards normality. If you want more information check out the CIPD website for more tips.
Get in touch with our friendly Sales Team on 01621 868 138 or email colin@gibbonsgroup.co.uk to learn more about how we can help get your business back to normal.
Photo by Marc Mueller from Pexels
