COVID-19 has had a significant impact on all aspects of our lives, whether it’s work or our daily routines.
Due to the risk of getting infected, lifestyles have changed, and people have opted for effective cleaning measures, as there is no other cure. Inevitably, the business world has also been affected by the pandemic and caused to change how it functions.
However, it’s still quite challenging for businesses to function well in the pandemic, as it can easily spread the virus. Especially in the workplace, there’s an increased risk of spreading the virus as many employees work together in the same area.
It looks like working from home is the only option; however, it only leads to decreased productivity. In such a situation, working towards having a clean working environment for your employees is the best way to counter the virus’s spread. Here are a few tips to help you achieve a clean environment in your workplace.
Train Your Staff
Workers spend most of their time in work environments; hence it’s necessary to train them for proper cleaning. Without doing so, cleaning the area won’t be of any use, as employees will tend to make it dirty again.
So, it’s best to train them and make them aware of their responsibilities for protecting their health. Have a conference with your staff members and make them aware of the measures you will be taking to counter the spread of COVID-19. It’s known that COVID-19 can survive for at least 2-3 days on hard surfaces like metal and plastic, so make sure to clean the workplace daily. If you are short of time, hire a commercial cleaning and sanitation services provider for the best results.
As a result, there will be better coordination amongst your workers, and your efforts for a cleaner work environment will not go to waste. However, there are many things to consider when it comes to staff training and policymaking for COVID-19.
Without the proper knowledge, you might not achieve the required results, ending up with the spread of COVID-19 at your workplace. It’s a decent idea to use infographics to further learn about the things to consider for a cleaner work environment as they are relatively easy to understand.
So, make sure to read this infographic below to clean the work environment effectively.
Take Measures for Personal Hygiene
When you want to keep the workplace clean and disinfected from COVID-19, your employees’ hygiene matters much. If employees overlook their hygiene, cleaning measures will be worthless.
The novel coronavirus will spread rapidly through unclean body contact and the air. Hence, it would help if you made it mandatory for your employees to wash their hands frequently. Supplying them with a sanitizer can further make it easier for them to keep their hands clean.
Furthermore, it would be better if you also made it mandatory for the workers to wear face masks to stop the virus’s spread through the air. Even a simple cloth mask is 67% effective in protecting the wearer; however, if you want even better protection, N95 masks are best suitable.
Despite being quite useful, masks are still not enough to retain the air’s cleanliness in the workplace. So, alongside making masks mandatory, you’ll also need to encourage your employees to practice coughing and sneezing etiquettes. Consequently, there will be a low chance of getting infected through the air.
Clean and Disinfect Effectively
Cleaning and disinfecting may seem to be the same procedures; however, they are quite different. Cleaning refers to the removal of contaminants from surfaces while disinfecting a surface means to kill pathogens.
To maintain a COVID-19 free work environment, you’ll need to do both procedures. However, not all products work effectively against COVID-19. So, it’s best only to use disinfectants and cleaners that have been approved by health agencies or by your government for usage against the virus.
Clean commonly touched places, like doorknobs, table surfaces, and counters with water and soap, then disinfect the surfaces with an approved product. Alcohol-based products are best suitable to clean electronics, like TVs. It’s known that COVID-19 can survive for at least 2-3 days on hard surfaces like metal and plastic, so make sure to clean the workplace daily.
Maintain Ventilation
Transmission of the virus through the air is very likely to occur; even a single cough may infect almost everyone in a room. However, by maintaining a sufficient flow of fresh air into the workplace, you can reduce the concentration of the virus in the air.
Keeping the windows open for a considerable amount of time every day can help you dilute the COVID-19 concentration. However, having effective filters for HVAC systems in your workplace is also essential.
Ensure the filters are installed perfectly and are of the highest MERV rating, guaranteeing effective air filtering. However, besides filters, you can also purchase an air purifier for the workplace to further clean the air.
Maintain Social Distancing
Even with all protective measures in place, it’s impossible to stop the virus’s transmission entirely. So, it’s best to maintain a distance amongst all workers throughout their time at the workplace. Ensure that employees maintain a distance of at least 1-2m between themselves at all times.
Furthermore, you can limit the number of people inside one room at a time for effective social distancing. Different staff members should also use entrances and exits at different times. However, you can also change the schedules for your employees, allow only a few workers are at the workplace at a time.
Stop Sick Workers from Coming to Work
In the post-COVID-19 era, it wasn’t as dangerous as today to come to work while being sick. If infected employees start coming to work without realizing they have the disease, all your efforts to clean the workplace will be useless.
So, make sure to prevent any sick employees from coming to work. Make them aware of all the virus symptoms to effectively quarantine themselves at their homes if they have contracted the virus. However, you should also check employees’ body temperatures before they come to work using the appropriate gear.
Conclusion
Running a business in a pandemic is quite challenging without any doubt. However, by simply keeping the workplace clean, you can ensure productively working employees to keep your business running.
So, follow the tips mentioned above, and take the required protective measures, to have a clean working environment. Not only will you ensure your business’s growth, but you will also protect your employees while combating the spread of the virus.