Some states or cities are starting to open back up after a period of prolonged work from home. There are many considerations to make when transitioning back to in-office work post-COVID-19 restrictions. Your office practices may have to change quite drastically for the time being. If your business is starting to plan for this transition, keep reading. The team at Ergo Works compiled the following tips to help you make this shift at smoothly as possible.

Social Distancing

• Essential Employees: It’s important to identify employees that need to be phased back into working from the office first. Once these employees are identified, you’ll be able to start planning how you’ll transition back to in-office work.
• Phases: Depending on the size of your office and the number of employees you have, consider allowing employees to start working in the office again in phases.
• Shift Work: Another solution to allow social distancing within your office is to allow employees to come back into the office in shifts to limit the number of people in your office at any given time.

Shared Spaces

• Assigned Workspaces: Assigning workspaces helps limit the spread of germs because it eliminates shared first come first serve spaces that often aren’t sanitized between uses.
• Seating Chart: Keep a seating chart on file. If an employee does get sick, you can track who they’ve been in contact with more easily.
• Protective Screens: Once seating is assigned, there are tools you can use to prevent contact between employees while at their workspaces. Consider implementing screens between cubicles or desk spaces.

Stay Healthy

• Clean & Disinfect: Before you start phasing employees back into working from the office, schedule a professional disinfection service. Maintain a clean office space by disinfecting high touch areas regularly with an EPA registered cleaning product as directed on the label.
• Screen for Symptoms: Another way that you can help keep your employees healthy is by mandating temperature checks and symptom questions at the door before employees enter the office. This ensures that employees who are feeling symptoms can be sent home and receive medical attention before entering the workplace.
• Wash Hands: Encourage employees to adopt hygiene practices like wiping down surfaces after use, maintaining 6 feet of distance between others and washing hands often throughout the day.
• Ergonomic Health: As offices are rearranged and employees come back to the office, don’t ignore your their ergonomic needs. If you need to change your workstation setups during this time, schedule a remote ergonomic evaluation.

Ergo Works, Inc. is your ergonomic expert and our team of experienced professionals are here to help you. If you find yourself making the transition from working from home to in-office work, contact us. We can help give you the recommendations you need to be comfortable and productive no matter what changes you may need to make. Learn more about our ergonomic services. Don’t forget that our online store has workstation accessories that may be able to help you make these changes more comfortable.

Photo by: istockphoto.com/Drazen Zigic