After months of forced closure, many offices and workspaces are now opening back up. Whether your employees have been working from home or furloughed, returning them to the workplace will naturally seem like a difficult task. And while there are still restrictions in place and the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, it is important that you’re well prepared and take all the right steps in advance to get your work environment up to scratch.

Preparing your workplace for COVID-19 working

Although every workplace is different with its own unique set of challenges, we have compiled a list of helpful tips for you to follow. These apply to all workplaces in general and should help you get to grips with the new normal and make your workplace suitable for staff to return to.

1. Make sure you’re following the latest UK Government advice

This may sound obvious, but it’s important. The UK Government has laid out fairly comprehensive guidance on how to keep the UK safe while helping businesses to re-open. On the official Gov.uk website, you’ll find information, advice, and guidance on how you can safely reopen your workplace, with specific per-sector guidance given where relevant. Be sure to keep checking back for updates because, as you’ll likely know by now, official guidance is subject to change, sometimes suddenly and without warning.

2. Review the working environment

Another great way to start getting your workplace “COVID compliant” is by reviewing it and how your business functions within the space itself. Ask yourself questions like: Which areas are the most communal? Which areas have the most touchpoints?

Also consider how you’re going to manage interactions like meetings and interviews, and whether you can stagger working hours so that fewer people are working at the same time while still keeping your business running.

3. Keep everything clean and hygienic

The best way you can ensure that everyone is kept safe is to keep the work environment clean, tidy, and sanitary. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, this has become more important than ever before, and it’s something that will likely stick around for the future, so you may as well get used to it now.

Cleaning the workspace frequently and thoroughly is a good start, but focus especially on the areas that staff members will have physical contact with most, especially high-volume communal areas like kitchen areas, restrooms, and meeting spaces.  

4. Provide hand sanitiser dispensers

Hand sanitiser is one of the most effective ways to protect your employees in an easy and cost-effective way. And when you use automatic hand sanitiser dispensers and place them strategically around the workplace, you encourage staff members to regularly keep their hands clean. Wall-mounted and freestanding sanitiser dispensers are especially effective in places where staff members frequently visit, and any entrances or exits to the premises and main rooms.

You can buy hand sanitiser and hand sanitiser dispensers right here at HandStations.

5. Educate your staff members

Staying safe and upholding hygiene standards isn’t just a job for you, it’s a job for everyone using the workplace. So, educating your employees on how to stay clean and safe will make all your efforts worthwhile.

Make your employees aware of the steps that they should be taking to keep both themselves and their colleagues safe while also reassuring them that you, as a manager or business owner, are putting in all the necessary work and steps to make the workplace a safe place to be. Consider using posters and signs with advice on handwashing, hand sanitiser, and other information that acts as a gentle reminder of how they can contribute. Plenty of these can be downloaded and used for free.

Buy Hand Sanitiser Online

At HandStations, we stock a wide range of alcohol-based and alcohol-free hand sanitisers, as well as hand sanitiser dispensers.

The HandStation Elite and HandStation Eco range of hand sanitiser machines are touch-free, automatic solutions that are covered by a 2-year guarantee. These can be used with any type of alcohol or alcohol-free hand sanitiser, however, we recommend our own alclhol-based HandStations.co.uk hand sanitiser for best results. For those who require alcohol-free hand sanitiser, we work with Nilaqua, an award-winning brand.