Many essential workers, such as healthcare professionals, public transportation operators, and grocery store clerks, have continued to work on-site during the novel coronavirus pandemic. But millions of people are beginning to return to the workplace as some states roll back stay-at-home restrictions and begin to reopen their doors.
Although agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released guidelines on how employers can reduce employee exposure to COVID-19 and thereby make workplaces safer environments These are just suggestions. In other words, what you can expect once you return to work largely depends on your state, local jurisdiction, the details of your workplace, and the discretion of your employer.
While you may be eager to return to your pre-pandemic work routine, plan to incorporate new safety standards and hygiene habits when you do. Here are nine things you can do to protect yourself and others when you return to the physical workplace.
9 tricks to maintain social distancing with your colleagues
adhere to social distance
According to experts, your boss has a responsibility to establish policies and practices for social distancing in the workplace. This includes:
On-site employee reduction
Expect that not all of your coworkers are around every day, as bosses should strategize to have fewer people in the workplace. This could involve staggering changes to limit the number of employees in the workplace at one time, helping to prevent cross-contamination among 100 percent of workers.
Encourage work from home
You may also be taking advantage of video meeting options. Your company should encourage telecommuting for as many employees as possible, especially those who use public transportation. In-person meetings should be replaced with video or teleconference calls whenever possible.
If you are considered to be at higher risk of complications from COVID-19, this includes people over the age of 65 and people with serious medical conditions, you should discuss options with your boss and advocate for telecommuting to reduce your potential exposure to coronavirus.
Redesigning workspaces
Get ready for a new office layout that helps keep you and your co-workers (or clients, where applicable) at least 2 meters apart. For example, in certain cases, physical barriers may be installed, such as sneeze guards.
wear your mask
While wearing a face covering does not replace the need to practice social distancing, it is the most effective strategy for keeping yourself and your coworkers safe. In fact, putting on a face mask is the best tactic to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a June 2020 analysis in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
So should you wear a mask for your entire shift? Certainly not while you're alone in a private office or cubicle with no one else within 2 meters of you. However, social distancing rules should prevent the possibility of people simply intruding on your personal space.
Address airflow
It appears that the risk of potential airborne transmission of COVID-19 is increased in confined spaces. In fact, just chatting in a closed, stagnant air environment can increase your chances of infection, according to a May 2020 study in PNAS. The researchers concluded that normal speaking can emit thousands of disease-carrying oral fluid droplets per second that can stay in the air for more than 8 minutes.
That's why proper ventilation is vital to stopping the spread of coronavirus in the workplace. Your boss should increase circulation and make sure all ventilation systems are working properly, according to the CDC. This will help create a safe indoor air quality for the work space.
Stay out of shared spaces
Those places in the office where you and your coworkers usually congregate and interact (think break areas, kitchens, and conference rooms) should be eliminated or limited. To avoid overcrowding, your business should design a system that allows staggered use of these common spaces, which need to be cleaned and disinfected frequently.
If an in-person meeting is unavoidable, ideally:
- Put a limit on the number of attendees.
- Use larger rooms with more personal space per participant.
- Standing during the meeting, rather than sitting (this will help keep meetings short).
Avoid crowded elevators
This is the biggest problem: the elevators are really difficult. That's because elevators and the waiting areas around them are choke points. This means they can be overcrowded or blocked by employees, especially during peak times like early morning or late workday.
To avoid elevator congestion, managers must limit elevator capacity and enforce this rule. One way to do this is by staggering the entry and exit times. When riding the elevator, follow these tips:
- Wear a mask.
- Do not touch anything.
- Face the front walls or doors (i.e. don't face your teammates).
If you work on a lower floor, or want to get in some cardio, take the stairs whenever possible instead of the elevator.
Be careful when using the toilets
Shared bathrooms in the workplace present a unique opportunity for transmission of COVID-19 in large part because there are people walking by and talking to each other in confined spaces.
For that reason, individual baths are a better bet. Ideally, there will be a “red light, green light” indicator to indicate when a bathroom is being used, as well as 2-meter markers (signs, tape markings on the floor, or other visual cues) to designate where to stand for safety social distancing while waiting to use the facilities.
Once in service, always rub your hands with soap before going to the bathroom. This helps protect others from germs you may be carrying.
And be sure to close the toilet seat before flushing. Although not conclusive, preliminary research supports the possibility that COVID-19 may be found in feces, according to a May 2020 article in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. Therefore, there is a chance that disease-causing fecal particles could get into the air when it is discharged.
Lastly, once you're done cleaning your hands, use a paper towel to turn off the faucet and avoid touching the doorknob directly on your way out of the bathroom.
Eat alone
People shouldn't eat together if they don't live together. Although COVID-19 doesn't appear to be foodborne, the problem is that you can't wear a mask when you're eating.
The safest solution is to eat alone. It may seem lonely, but eating at your desk or on an outside bench is the best way to avoid picking up potential germs from others.
Take your food from home it's a better idea than dining out or ordering takeout, as it allows you to reduce your exposure to other potential carriers of COVID-19. It is best to bring ready-to-eat foods that do not need to be refrigerated. If that's not possible, try packing your lunch in a small cooler with reusable ice packs; that way, you can avoid the shared fridge.
Don't forget to bring your own drink. Although group coffee makers, water coolers, or beverage dispensers are convenient, you should steer clear of these dirty surfaces where disease-causing microbes can linger (just keep in mind the countless hands that have touched the knobs and buttons! ).
Practice hand hygiene
Practicing good hand hygiene is more than half the battle when it comes to protecting yourself and others from the spread of the coronavirus. First of all, never touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands, which can transmit germs and infect you.
You should lather up with soap before and after work shifts, breaks and trips to the bathroom, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing and putting on, touching or removing masks. Every time you meet other people or workspaces that are not yours.
Stay at home
Although this sounds like common sense, you may still feel the need to intervene, whether you're feeling pressure from your boss or need the money. But going sick puts others at risk.
Managers should actively encourage (through generous leave policies) employees with signs of fever or symptoms of respiratory illness to stay home. Additionally, experts recommend that managers consider conducting daily health assessments of employees when they enter the work facility.
If you become ill at work, you must be immediately isolated from other employees and sent home.
You will be required to self-quarantine and will not be able to return to the workplace until your respiratory symptoms have subsided and you are fever free (without the aid of medication) for at least 72 hours. Also, you won't have the green light to return to work until 10 days have passed since your signs of illness appeared.
If your symptoms are mild and you're not too sick to work, you may want to ask your boss if you can work from home during a period of time when you can't be in the office or have contact with other people.