After weeks and even months of COVID-19 related office-closures for animal health companies, many businesses have started the process of opening their office space back up to employees. As an Animal Health recruiter, Heather Meadows is able to learn how each company she connects with is approaching bringing employees back into the office. Each organization will have to consider their business and employee needs as they take steps to re-open office space meeting the guidelines of the new normal around us.
Here are a few things to consider when re-opening your office:
- Plan:
- Planning is key. Develop a plan that is specific for your business and be sure to implement the plan consistently.
- Educate:
- Educate your team on the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 as well as when to stay home. Educate your animal health team on how to avoid the spread while in office to take extra precautions. This includes no personal contact such as shaking hands or any other physical contact as well as trying not to share items.
- Promote good hygiene
- Have hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes readily available throughout the office. Promote proper hand washing.
- Continue to practice social distancing
- Space desks at least 6 feet apart and consider staggering shifts or rotating work from home days to reduce the number of people in the office. Limit meetings that require close-proximity, hand shaking or any other physical contact. Take into consideration if your breakroom has enough room to allow social distancing and regulate rules accordingly.
- Cleaning
- Before re-opening or in the event exposure is suspected, have the space professionally disinfected. Disinfect common and high touch areas multiple times a day. Provide cleaning supplies to communal areas and equipment with directions on how to properly clean.
Animal health companies are opening back up and each business needs to take the extra step to make sure they’re meeting new normal standards. We’ve come far from when the pandemic started so be careful and mindful but also be excited to bring people back into the company and move forward.
Written By: Heather Meadows, Animal Health Recruiter
Sources:
https://www.openpath.com/blog-post/covid-19-office-safety-guide
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/reopen-guidance.html
https://www.zenefits.com/workest/checklists-for-reopening-business-after-covid-19/