If you’re ready to begin bringing back employees or opening your doors to customers, there are all kinds of things you should do to prepare. HR teams and business owners must take extra precautions to ensure that everyone—workers and customers alike—stay safe. Companies must find a way to exist within our new normal, which includes managing the business while not compromising on public health.
Use This Checklist to Help Reopen Your Business:
1. Make a plan for social distancing.
Forget handshaking and hugging for now. Consider what rules are important to your team and then instigate them. This could include keeping remote workers offsite or conducting more Zoom conferences over on-site meetings.
2. Set rules for item sharing.
People should not share computers or office supplies. There should be plans for how desks are cleaned each day as well as other common spaces.
3. Get rid of office hangout spots.
If there is a shared kitchen, set rules about its use, or, better yet, shut the space down completely. This includes adjusting breakroom and restroom guidelines for cleaning and cohabitating.
4. Restructure your floor plan.
Coworkers should have their own desk space located at least six feet away from everyone else. Or, for retail locations, workers should still wear masks and gloves, and keep customers at a safe distance.
5. Create hand sanitizing stations throughout the building.
This is a very important investment for businesses to make on behalf of the safety of their workers.
6. Post rules about cleaning and disinfection.
If you’re using the same copier, or other shared equipment, we recommend posting rules about cleaning disinfecting these items after each use—just like at the gym.
7. Also, post rules about wearing face masks.
For example, will your employees wear masks? If they don’t have their own, will you provide them? What about customers if you have a storefront? Figure out the rules, post them on your website, and the doors of your establishment. Talk to your employees about appropriate actions to take should someone not follow the rules.
8. Limit the number of people in a particular room.
This includes customers and workers. Make everyone aware of these rules and stick to them to keep people safer.
9. Do you need to change your hours?
Many grocery stores, for example, changed their evening hours to accommodate a deep cleaning and restocking during the evenings before reopening the next morning. What workflows will you need to change to keep everyone safe?
Reopening will be a bit nerve–wracking for many companies. But ask yourself the following questions to help set new rules to protect your workers:
- Consider what types of contact were normal in your business and determine workarounds to keep social distancing in place.
- What protective mechanisms will you put in place to keep everyone safe?
- How can you share these new rules with workers and customers to make sure everyone understands the new policies and why they’re so important?
Once you’ve made your new policies, document and share them. Create contingency plans for any crises, such as an outbreak in your business or a fractious customer that refuses to wear a mask. Stay safe and contact PrideStaff if you are in need of candidates as you reopen!
