Are you a small business owner? If so, you likely have a lot of concerns about reopening your business while the pandemic continues to ravage the country.  Chances are that many of your employees feel the same way you do. After all, the COVID-19 crisis is unlike anything our generation has ever faced. Everyone needs a paycheck, of course, but everyone is also concerned about getting sick and bringing the virus home to their families. Like most business owners, you’ll likely need to make adjustments to the way you run your company. How can you successfully keep your business running while protecting your workers and customers? In this post, we’ll offer three important workplace safety tips for keeping your business (and everyone who enters it) protected and healthy. Keep reading to learn more!

1. Focus on Physical Distancing

If your business operates outdoors or in a large, well-ventilated area, you may not need to make many adjustments to your daily activities. But assuming you run your company in an indoor office setting, your first step is to reconfigure the rooms to accommodate physical distancing. All desks and chairs should be placed at least six feet apart, as recommended by CDC guidelines. In communal areas such as waiting rooms or the employee break room, you’ll need to spread out seating or block access to seating that’s too close together. You’ll also want to consider placing transparent barriers between desks or between the waiting room and reception desk. To make it easier for staff and customers, add visual markers to the floors or walls to indicate six feet of distancing. Post new guidelines in a visible place or create a short video to inform everyone of new company procedures and policies.

2. Frequently Clean & Sanitize

Although scientists now know that coronavirus spreads mainly through airborne particles, it can also be transmitted via contaminated surfaces. This makes it vital to sanitize your workplace frequently with products that are EPA-approved to kill coronavirus. Be proactive by enacting a rigorous schedule of cleaning and sanitizing communal surfaces with Lysol disinfectant — several times daily, at least. Pay special attention to doorknobs, phones, light switches, and faucets. Get your staff involved in a cleaning rotation or hire a professional cleaner, if that makes more sense for your business.  What if your business involves close contact with customers? In that case, the use of PPE (personal protective equipment) is not optional. Make it easy for everyone to comply by providing face masks, antiseptic wipes, and hand sanitizer for your employees. Place these supplies at convenient locations around the office so everyone has easy access. If you want to go one step further, you could also start daily temperature checks and regular health screenings for your employees. It’s not 100% foolproof, but the extra precautions will increase the odds of keeping your employees and customers safe.

3. Offer Telecommuting & Remote Work Options

Of course, some businesses have no choice but to have their employees physically present in the workplace. If that’s true of your company, be sure to follow the guidelines listed above to protect everyone from the virus. However, what if it’s possible for some of your staff to continue working from home, even part-time? If they successfully made the transition during the early stages of the pandemic, could you offer them the option of continuing to work from home? This shift could allow you to stagger working hours, limiting the number of employees in the office at any given time. If some of your employees rely on public transportation, this could also help them avoid the busiest hours on the train or bus. Telecommuting could also offer another unexpected benefit to your company. Studies have found that employees who work remotely are often more productive than they are in the office!

Use These Workplace Safety Tips Today

It’s going to take a while for the business world to get back to normal after the pandemic. It could be that this “new normal” is here to stay, even after the first vaccines are rolled out. Regardless of what happens in the future, you can use these workplace safety tips today to protect your employees and customers. Maintain physical distancing while keeping up a rigorous schedule of sanitizing and cleaning. Monitor your employees’ health and take decisive action if anyone displays symptoms of COVID-19. Finally, consider the possibility of remote work options if it’s possible for your business. Did you know that you don’t have to rely on harsh, toxic cleaners to combat coronavirus? Click here to view our full line of environmentally friendly Vital Oxide products.

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