There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented businesses with innumerable challenges. However, one of the most important and pressing challenges that businesses have had to address during this time is how to keep their employees’ safe while at work.
At LACOSTA, we are proud to be an integral part of keeping employees safe during the workday, and we have worked hard to make sure that we are following all CDC guidelines, continually adapting and adjusting our methods as new information is made public, and being flexible and attentive to meet the needs of each and every one of our unique clients.
This article will discuss some of the key aspects of keeping employees safe at work during the pandemic, practices that will continue to be both helpful and useful once the pandemic is over.
Be Clear with Employees About Expectations and Guidelines
One of the most important aspects of keeping employees safe at work during this time is communication. This means being clear and informative about your expectations and guidelines for your employees in dealing with the pandemic. Maybe this means requiring employees to wipe down the copy machine with a sanitizing wipe after using the copier, or maybe this means requiring employees to sanitize keyboards after work each day. This could also mean requiring employees to eat their lunches at their desks as many workplaces are doing. Whatever your expectations and guidelines are, the key is to be clear and communicative about them so that all of your employees know and understand them. Additionally, you should be clear about the consequences employees will be subject to if they continually fail to follow these expectations and guidelines.
At LACOSTA, we have made sure that we are clear and communicative with our employees and the management at every one of the worksites we provide services to. That way, our employees and theirs are all on the same page, which helps ensure that we are keeping both our employees and their employees safe at the workplace.
Stay Up to Date with the Latest Information
Our understanding of the virus and how it spreads has changed dramatically since we first encountered it. As a result, staying up to date with the latest information is crucial. This means regularly following CDC updates and adjusting your expectations and guidelines to meet evolving standards and information. At LACOSTA, we have been working overtime to ensure that we are constantly up to date with the latest information from the CDC regarding the virus. We want to make sure that we are using the right procedures and operating with the most up to date knowledge at all times. This helps us keep both our employees and our clients’ employees safe at work – our first and foremost priority.
Focus on Cleaning High-Touch Surfaces
Throughout the pandemic, our number one focus has been on cleaning high-touch surfaces. This means frequently sanitizing door handles, desks and conference tables, copy machines, and more. Any object that is touched frequently throughout the day, we have been focusing on.
At the same time, it is a good idea to keep your employees focused on cleaning these surfaces as well. As previously noted, you may want to set in place requirements like having your employees sanitize the copying machine after each and every use. These little things, that take only a few seconds, can make a huge difference in keeping employees at your worksite safe and healthy during this time.
Coordinate Among Management to Keep Tasks Separated and Ensure Social Distancing
One of the best ways to keep employees safe right now is to ensure that they are maintaining proper social distancing. You can help facilitate this by having management in your company coordinate activities that use common facilities so as to minimize the number of times different groups with the company or business segments come in contact with each other.
For example, at LACOSTA, we have been working closely with management at each and every one of our clients sites to ensure that we are scheduling our shifts and cleaning during times that minimize our interruption of workplace activities and minimize the need for our employees and our clients’ employees to come in close contact with one another. This way, we are helping maintain proper social distancing. It is not a bad idea to use similar methods with internal company segments and groups.
Remain Flexible and Willing to Adapt to New Needs and Methods
At LACOSTA, we emphasize over and over again our flexibility and adaptability in meeting our clients’ needs. As part of this, during the pandemic, as previously noted, we have been extremely flexible and adaptable in adjusting our methods to meet evolving information about the virus.
Your business should maintain a flexible attitude and be willing to adapt guidelines and expectations for employees as well.
Allow Employees to Work from Home if Possible
If it is possible to allow certain employees to work from home, now is definitely a good time to consider doing so. This can help with social distancing requirements and keep fewer people from coming in contact with one another at work.
Conclusion
The first and foremost priority of every business should be the health and safety of its employees. These are just a few recommendations as to how you can keep your employees safe during the pandemic. Additionally, many, though not all, of these recommendations can be useful in the future after the pandemic ends and life returns to normal. For example, it is never a bad idea to set clear and informative guidelines and expectations for employees.
As always, if you have any questions about our services or how LACOSTA is rising up and meeting the challenge presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are always happy to discuss how our services and methods can help your business operate in an effective and efficient manner, especially during this challenging time.