Beside rushing to reconfigure business models and revenue channels amidst this period, corporates are also figuring out how to best protect staff from getting sick while at work.
Many offices are mitigating this by splitting their teams and encouraging employees to work from home and take meetings online. However, the level of confidence in controlling the virus spread in offices, particularly in customer-facing industries, remains low.
According to surveys conducted in America, more than 50% of office workers believe their work environment will be the hotbed for such virus spread.
So, what are some further measures companies can take during to reassure their staff? Here are some recommended guidelines to help prevent workplace transmission and promote overall hygiene.
Clean work-stations daily
Doctors have said that the regular washing of hands is the easiest preventive measure people can take to protect themselves from Coronavirus and other viruses. This is particularly so for enclosed, shared environments such as offices. They have also cautioned that a common line of transmission is from touching surfaces that someone has coughed or sneezed on before touching one’s face.
In addition to increasing cleaning routines, offices should also advise their staff to sanitize items that they touch regularly, namely their keyboard, mouse, monitor buttons, desk phone, and the desk surface. They should repeat this wipe-down at the beginning of each work day, as well as after returning from their lunch breaks.
Limit contact between hand and surfaces
Another effective way to protect staff from unnecessary exposure is by limiting hand-to-surface contact when they are moving about in the office, unlocking various meeting rooms. Common-use fingerprint readers and touch pads used to enter the office premise or unlock facilities could inadvertently spread viruses between staff.
Software-based check-ins, such as GTRIIP’s Aegis solution, not only promises safer authentication but also allow staff to use their own mobile devices to gain access to various meeting rooms, minimizing the risk of contagion.
Screen visitors even before they arrive
The current protocol is for visitors to declare that they have not visited any high-risk countries or not been in contact with known COVID-19 cases at reception. However, this opens up new danger spots for contamination, as visitors will be in contact with other individuals and shared check-in stations during this process, before attending meetings with staff.
So, a safer option would be to provide them with a digital forms to complete their declaration via their mobile devices before they arrive. Offices can then capture and process this information at their back-end dashboards and turn away specific individuals before they even come down to the office. The team can then follow up to request for a video conference or voice meeting instead.
Social distancing has worked in blocking off the spread of Coronavirus. Hence, in addition to the above smart solutions, employers need to not only be more receptive to flexible work arrangements, including off-peak working hours or working-from-home arrangements, but also actively encourage it. This reassures staff that the management prioritizes staff health and wellbeing.
To explore how digital check-ins can improve your staff wellbeing and logistical efficiency, reach out to us via the link below to learn more about our solutions: https://www.gtriip.com/consult-with-us/
