Around this time, you’re probably looking to head back to work. However, the office might not be how you remember it. For 2020, let us take a very close look at three ways to create a healthy work environment.
1. Separate workspaces
To start things off, separate workspaces between employees. If you can reduce the amount of contact that people have with one another, the cleaner the office will be. Many modern buildings are moving toward communal workspaces that encourage collaboration and a strong work ethic. However, with a healthy environment in mind, it might be best to go back to older styles of cubicles. At the very least, give workers some distance.
If you have extra floors or rooms in your building, you might as well use them. Space people out and give them a choice of where to work from. This sheer degree of freedom will make the office a much more inviting, cleaner space.
It all comes down to the degree of healthiness that you are pursuing. Working from home would be the absolute safest option, but clearly this isn’t feasible in the long term. Returning to a normal working environment would be the exact opposite. The best solution is a happy balance between the above two.
Ask your employees what they expect and would like to see from the environment. It’s possible that their standards are different from what you have in mind, and it’s important to consider everyone’s opinion. Maybe they have good ideas such as alternating desks or aligning them back to back. Depending on the layout of your office, a healthy arrangement could be easy to achieve.
2. Cleaning systems
Cleaning systems are also great additions to your workplace. No matter how well you wipe things down or clean up after yourself, you can’t get rid of all the particles. We’re talking about microscopic particles that are bound to be left behind in some shape or form. For these tougher jobs, look toward deep cleaning systems such as Protexus Sprayers to do the work for you. These sprayers are fantastic ways to eliminate germs and bacteria from your seats and desks. Keep in mind that you get much more than just a simple spray bottle.
You’re provided with an assortment of nozzles, materials, and solutions to keep your office in its best shape. The best part is, much of it is hand-free cleaning. Simply direct the cleaning supplies to the areas that need it most and let the spraying tech take action. At the end of each month, you’ll want to thoroughly clean the office from top to bottom. A weekend is a great time to put the cleaning system on full power and go to town. On a daily basis, use the system to wipe up noticeably dirty spaces. You can even use a mix of your own cleansers and these sophisticated machines.
3. Remote meetings
Last but not least, just because everyone is physically in the office, it doesn’t mean you have to abandon virtual meetings. Online meetings are perfectly clean because everything is done online. For your largest gatherings, consider having everyone connect from their desk instead of congregating downstairs. These meetings often only have a speaker or two, so you’re not really losing anything by letting them speak in front of a webcam.
This naturally leads to a healthy environment where people aren’t packed into a tight space. Everyone can maintain their distance and follow up after the meeting if they choose to do so. There are so many amazing tools out there that let you conduct a virtual meeting efficiently. You can take attendance and give everyone a chance to speak just as usual. Screen sharing is another way to replicate the normal environment of the show and tell. Remote meetings often get a bad reputation, but they really do have a time and place.
This year, when all is said and done, these are some amazing ways to create a healthy work environment.