It’s scary to think that an employee of ours gets infected inside our business. This can mean temporary closure for 14 days while the rest of the employees go under quarantine. Unfortunately, 14 days without business operations can mean thousands of dollars lost by your business. A singular infection can cost your company thousands of dollars and even affect employee morale, and the new variant is making it harder to decrease infection rates.
The Delta variant is more transmissible than other COVID-19 variants in existence. It’s the main reason why there is a resurgence of infection in the U.S. People are scared, and you should be too. However, there is a good chance that your business has been close for too many weeks now, and at this point, you’re willing to risk an infection to pay the bills. Many other entrepreneurs out there agree with you, and this is why we’re going to help you decrease that chance of infection in the office. You can start by getting everyone vaccinated.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations have been proven effective in reducing infection rates, especially in the office. It has also been known to reduce the more dangerous symptoms of the virus, making infected vaccinated people much healthier than unvaccinated ones. There are many benefits to vaccination, and you should let your employees see that.
One of the main reasons why employees aren’t getting vaccinated it’s because they are scared. There’s too much false news out there saying that vaccines can be fatal, but there hasn’t been a single recorded time when a vaccine outright kills a person. You should run a campaign of awareness in your office to reduce this kind of mindset.
Furthermore, a simple rewards system can also work. Giving employees a simple reward like a day-off or a gift card when vaccinated can give them that push to get vaccinated. Sure, you’re spending more money to keep your employees safe, but at least you’re not risking an infection, which is more catastrophic if you think about it.
Booster shots will also be available in the future for those who have been fully vaccinated. This is because the Delta variant has been known to decrease vaccine efficacy, and booster shots should keep the efficacy of vaccines up, hence, decreasing further infection.
Disinfect
Next on the list is disinfection. Many business experts believe that disinfection should be the priority of many businesses that still require physical offices to function, and it can be one way you can stave off the virus on your doorstep.
You and your employees can do disinfection daily. A simple wipe-around with some tissue and alcohol should kill any virus that has stuck on surfaces. However, you’re still going to need commercial cleaning if you want to disinfect your office entirely. A dependable commercial cleaning service isn’t going to cost you that much, and doing it once a week, will certainly decrease the chance of infection in your office. It will also give you that peace of mind knowing that no virus is living inside your office for at least a week.
Promote Better Hygiene
Promoting better hygiene can be a good way to let your employees know that they, too, are responsible for decreasing the risk of infection in the workplace.
To promote better hygiene, you can post various signage regarding the best ways to wash one’s hands and disinfect one’s office space. If you want to take it a step further, you can run seminars from the CDC inside your company to further increase personal hygiene awareness. Remember that the fight for the virus starts with each employee, and by letting them know this, you are giving them the responsibility to save your company.
Transitioning to Digital Office
Lastly, we can’t ignore the fact that a digital office is far safer than a physical one right now, and you should invest your funds into the transition.
Transitioning to a digital office can be an expensive endeavor, but it is the safest option you have right now. You can start exploring the different ways other businesses have pulled this off with minimal expenses. Moreover, maybe you can explore options that are unique to your business. For example, you might opt for a skeleton crew in the office to do the essential work while the rest work at home.
There are many ways to transition into a digital office, and the benefits certainly outweigh the costs on this one. So explore your options, consult other businesses, and make that transition when you can.
Physical offices right now are a ticking time bomb, especially with the existence of the delta variant. However, by following these tips, you can reduce the infection rates in your office. Ultimately, your goal should be transitioning to a digital office at some point this year and work at home until the virus subsides in the future.
