Over the past two months, there has been a change in every aspect of our life — from work to family life and travel, or the lack of it. Social distancing, sanitising, and washing hands have become our biggest and only weapons against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
The subsequent lockdown to contain the spread further altered things for the foreseeable future. Work from home, which was once considered a perk, has now become the new normal.
With the workforce gradually going back to an office setting in a phased manner, it is imperative now, more than ever, that tech parks and commercial real estate players undertake stringent safety measures like social distancing and thorough sanitisation of workplace.
It is a known fact that the office space will change significantly, with no room for water cooler discussions or coffee huddles for the next few months. Employees will need to adapt to this shift in culture.
In order to ensure employee safety, the first line of defence will be systematic sanitising and disinfecting of offices.
Lobby sanitisation
The lobby or reception area is frequented by employees and visitors alike, while companies will have a cap on the number of visitors, the lobby is the first area
that needs regular disinfection. Organisations will also have to look at other alternatives to visitor/ employee logs and entirely do away with biometric systems to curb potential infections. Another vital step is to undertake temperature checks, make face masks and hand sanitising compulsory in common areas, before entering the office bay.
Disinfecting office equipment
Shared equipment like printers, desktops, common phones, and stationery that pass many hands will need to be sanitised with a disinfectant after every use.
Using liquid, alcohol sanitisers that evaporate in a jiffy prove to be effective
and hassle-free as compared to gel-based counterparts. Even with regular sanitising, employees are advised to limit the usage of shared resources as much as possible.
Tackling high-touch surfaces
One cannot stress enough on the importance of disinfecting high-touch, porous surfaces like doorknobs, staircase railings, switchboards, water cooler handles, AC remotes to wipe all traces of possible infectious agents.
To ensure frequent usage of hand sanitisers, employees should be advised to carry their own pocket sanitisers in addition to the ones made available by the workplace.
Disinfecting washrooms
High-touch surfaces like taps, faucets, and doorknobs in the lavatory need to be thoroughly sanitised after every use.
Although this is a mammoth task,
stringent measures need to be undertaken to avoid the spread of other deadly infections in addition to COVID-19.
Disinfecting after every shift
Most large companies will now have to work in shifts, with a gap of one hour between each shift.
Mandatory sanitisation of the entire office needs to be undertaken after employees leave the premises.
It is imperative to sanitise keyboards, desks, chairs that were used by other employees in the previous shift.As we learn to adapt to the new normal in our work life, it is important to take precautions that ensure the safety of ourselves as well as our co-workers.
Things will look up and we will be back to shared lunches, coffee breaks, and interactive team bonding sessions.
For now, let social distancing and stringent hygiene measures lead the way in making our workplace safe and healthy.
(The author is senior manager, corporate communications, Bioplus Healthcare)
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