How To Prepare To Reopen Your Office After Weeks Of Remote Working

Following the rapid spread of the Coronavirus, most businesses have been forced to close their offices and help staff to work remotely.

While some employees may welcome the flexibility that comes from working in the comfort of their homes, the practice has many downsides.

As such, many organisations will be keen to get their offices reopened once the virus has been contained and the social distancing rules are relaxed.

Reopening your offices after such a long period away can be a hard task that many business leaders have never had to contend with before. To help, we’ve put together some handy tips to make moving back into your office a smooth and efficient process.

Deep Clean Your Office

Your office will have been out of action for several weeks, and during that time, it may have become dirty and dusty. Additionally, given the severity of the pandemic and the fact that the virus can survive on surfaces for a long time, it’s essential that you deep clean your office before you reopen it. It can take a lot of time and effort to clean an office thoroughly, so consider working with a professional cleaning company. Ideal Cleaning can work with you to deep clean your office and have it completely ready for your team quickly and efficiently.

Stagger The Return Of Team Members

If you have a large workforce, then you need to make sure that you stagger their return so that your office isn’t inundated with employees. Letting everyone return on the same day will lead to a scramble to get set up, and may create a chaotic, unproductive working environment. Ask small, business-critical teams to return to the office first, then bring in larger teams one at a time, so that your office is never too crowded with staff trying to catch up and reset their desks after many weeks working from home.

Remember To Communicate With Office Suppliers

During the shutdown, you won’t have been buying vending machine stock, toilet paper and general office supplies. Now that your office is open again, you’ll need to contact your suppliers and make sure that they’re able to support your business again. If you struggle to get in touch with them and you don’t have a contract, then consider looking elsewhere to find a supplier that will be able to meet your needs immediately.

Review Your Health And Safety Procedures

With everyone rushing to get back into the swing of things, it’s easy to overlook health and safety, but this can be detrimental to the safety of your team. As such, you must regularly check for hazards during the process of reopening your office. Be proactive about any issues you notice to make sure that they do not cause more serious problems that your business simply doesn’t need in the current, already challenging situation.

Reopening your office and seeing your team after months apart is an exciting experience. Still, it’s essential that you do it right for the benefit of your staff, business and, most importantly of all, the clients who rely on your organisation.

Photo credits: eOffice