A Quick Guide to Master The Art Of Social Distancing In Office

Social distancing can be an art if you make it less bothersome to others and interesting for the whole team. While most teams are still working from home, for the benefit of those employees who have returned to their offices, here are a few tips that will help you excel in social distancing in office.

As it is a latest norm and a life style change that most people are yet to come in terms with, we all may need to be reminded at times to keep that 6 ft distance from the nearest living soul!

Let us delve deeper into this topic of office social distancing in office, breakrooms and conference rooms. As your team returns to office life, staying safe will depend on the extent of their compliance with the policies and norms. As it is a collective effort it can be strenuous too.

Keeping the 6ft distance

Social distancing is a sensible idea considering the fact that germs spread through droplets, which in turn cannot go beyond a distance of 6 ft.  If you spread your arms and spin, your fingers shouldn’t touch the co-worker next to you. It is an easy way to find whether you are in the permissible safe distance.

One of many things the pandemic taught us is to be creative and innovative while staying safe and keeping others safe.

Here are a few social distancing ideas and tips that will make it easy and fun for the team to employ the distancing policy in office.

Stagger the shifts

Stagger the shifts to reduce the number of employees in every shift and ensure maximum physical space between co-workers.  You can even set up a calendar to enable employees to schedule their days in office and coordinate accordingly so that the shifts are staggered without compromising on project completion or targets.

The employees can be given the option to choose from a mix of both weekday hours and a few weekend hours to allow more staggering of employees throughout the office. The focus of the team should be on the completion of tasks rather than being present for a specific number of hours in office.

Encourage a flexible schedule that includes both working from home and office to ensure maximum output without being pressured to show up in office just for attendance and head count.

Make sure to provide face masks and hand sanitizers in every work desk to reduce the risks of infection. This is as important as sticking to social distancing norms.

Keep potted plants and display boards between working areas to maintain a healthy distance and ensure a peaceful vibe.

Conference Room Social Distancing Tips

Remove alternate chairs in the room to limit the number of participants or apply caution tape on alternate chairs to  make it easy for employees to follow social distancing policies. A video app can be used to reach out to the team working from remote locations to keep the whole team on the same page and make them feel connected and updated about the happenings in office.

Set a time limit for meetings and make it short and concise to reduce the interaction of people. The items on the agenda should include only topics that need to be addressed in person, any other topics can be deferred. You can even encourage the employees too leave the rooms once they have completed their part.

Greet returning employees with functional handouts that will make them feel welcome and enable them to adjust to the office work mode faster. Think of facemasks, gloves, antibacterial pens and similar items as welcome back gifts.

True to the axiom that good fences make good neighbors, social distancing ideas at the office will definitely enhance the morale and collaboration among the team members, greater work place safety and lesser sick leaves.

How do you plan to employ social distancing norms in your office? Share your thoughts with us on our facebook page to join an interesting conversation.