With many office buildings coming back to life after the COVID-19 shutdown, it is no surprise that business leaders are looking for ways that they can employ proper sanitation practices in their place of work. Now more than ever, it is important to implement the proper protocols to keep everyone healthy and to inspire confidence in the safety of your place of employment. Here are five ways that you can practice and encourage proper hygiene at your place of business.
Provide Hand Sanitizer and Masks
In today’s COVID-19 age, it is your corporate responsibility to make sure that you have the necessary hygiene supplies on hand at your business. The cornerstone of all good hygiene starts with proper handwashing protocols. Installing hand sanitizing stations in various parts of your office will encourage your employees to use them frequently. You can also encourage the use of masks by providing them for your employees to use while at work. Having all of these supplies readily available will help to keep your business as clean and sanitary as possible. It will also send the message to your employees that you care about their health and safety.
Invest in Innovative Restroom Solutions
Keeping your restrooms clean is one of the best steps that you can take if encouraging hygiene is your goal. Investing in innovative handwashing solutions will ensure that your office is doing all that you can to keep everyone safe. As hand washing becomes more important, having options for hand drying is key. While paper towels are recommended in some citations, hand dyers are also a great option. There are many options, features and styles such as the excel hand dryer, that will meet sanitary standards and maintain your desired aesthetics.
This type of dryer is sanitary and cost-effective, eliminating the need for messy paper towels and other drying products. Unlike paper products, an air dryer negates mold, bacteria, and other germs that typically form in public restrooms. This quick-drying product is also energy-efficient. Another product to consider for your public restroom are no-touch soap dispensers. By eliminating the need for contact, you will immediately mitigate the spread of germs.
Deep Clean Communal Areas Regularly
In addition to bathrooms, it is imperative that you institute a thorough cleaning method for all communal areas of your workplace. One of the most germ-ridden areas of any office is the kitchen. Hiring a company that specializes in deep office cleaning will ensure that you do not miss any spots. Companies like Green Facilities https://www.greenfacilities.co.uk are especially useful in times like these, where cleaning and sanitizing facilities are of the utmost importance.
While individual office spaces and cubicles are not likely to harbor as many germs, it is vital that you thoroughly clean all of the high-traffic areas at the close of each business day.
Install Antibacterial Door Handles
One of the most common places for germs to be present is on the door handles all over your office. When you consider how often these handles are touched each day by a variety of people, it is no surprise to learn that they harbor a host of harmful bacteria and germs. Installing antibacterial and antimicrobial door handles is a sure-fire to cut down on the spread of illness throughout your office. For example, copper-based doorknobs provide a protective barrier between clean hands and dirty door handles. If you cannot afford to outfit the entire office with these special handles, choose the areas that see the most traffic. For example, the doors leading into the office kitchen or conference room likely see more hands each day than individual office doors.
Give Liberal Sick Days
All of the deep cleaning and sanitizing practices in the world do not mean a thing if your office is full of sick individuals. You can combat this problem by instituting a liberal sick day policy. Employees need to feel confident that they can stay home if they are not feeling well knowing that they will not be penalized for it. It is crucial that employees are encouraged to stay home if they are not feeling well. Because COVID-19 often does not present with serious symptoms, you need to guard the health of your colleagues by promoting plenty of sick leave without guilt to your workforce.
Investing in workplace hygiene will do more than just keep your employees healthy. Taking these four steps will also boost productivity because you will likely see fewer employees taking sick days. You owe it to your valuable workforce to take these precautions.
