As England barrels toward the end of its second lockdown, and with a vaccine on the horizon, many businesses are probably wondering, when do we return to the office? For some, this will not be for a while. For others, a gradual transition from home working to office life will be on the cards sooner rather than later. As an employer, you want to be ready to tackle the journey ahead of you, and ultimately, keep your employees safe. For those looking for helpful guidance on how to get your workforce in the office safely, read on!

Commuting to the Office

The days of being on a rush-hour Tube are long behind us. While some employees will be reluctant to commute, there will be others who feel comfortable with getting back into the office environment, even if that means braving the Underground. To ensure that employees are safe, consider staggering start and finishing times, and offer employees flexible working hours. Employees can start and finish work earlier, or work from home for part of the week. Not only will this limit the number of people in the office at any one time but will ensure that employees are not travelling on the tube or buses at peak rush hour in London.

And the Dirt Is Gone

A vital thing to consider when heading back to the office, is ensuring that the environment is as clean and sterile as it can be. Providing your employees with a clean environment is bound to reduce any anxiety that they are experiencing about returning to the office. Rather than rushing about with a bottle of disinfectant spray and dishcloth, consider hiring a professional company. There are many out there who provide quick yet effective services, including Ideal Cleaning, which specialise in commercial cleaning, meaning you can be back in the office within several hours. Outsourcing this job means less stress on your shoulders, leaving you to focus on the other important aspects of your plans to return to the office. So Google your local area for phrases like ‘Commercial Cleaning Kingston Service’ to find professionals near your office to start up a cleaning contract.

Keeping Clean

Providing the means to sanitise workstations and employees themselves, is a key component to returning to the office. Whether this is bottles of hand sanitiser at each desk, or a designated sanitising station within the office. This is something which must be considered, and which has very much become the norm. Providing basic items such as hand sanitiser will encourage your employees to feel safe, and that they are working within a clean and sterile environment. Besides sanitizing the workstations, it would be beneficial to hire a commercial cleaning company like All Building Cleaning Corp (you can Click Here to learn more about the firm) for janitorial cleaning services. The janitorial cleaning services can ensure that a team of professionals come to clean your commercial building and handle big tasks such as window cleaning, carpet cleaning, floor polishing, and all the other mundane tasks. Disinfectant cleaning services can also be carried out periodically as COVID is likely to prolong.

Constant Vigilance

When combing the finer details of a return-to-work plan, you must remember the detailed logistics. Will you be implementing temperature checks for all employees? If so, will you need to purchase equipment to do so, or will you already be in possession? Will you be enforcing a one-way system around the office? While this could be a minor inconvenience, it helps to ensure that your employees are not encountering one another unnecessarily. As masks are compulsory in other indoor settings in the UK, will you be enforcing this rule in your workplace? As advised by the UK Government, where social distancing is not possible, an individual must wear a face mask. If this is the case in your workplace, it is strongly advised that your employees do so.