Pandemic has changed the way we live and the way we work. It has become a new normal for a lot of individuals as they have learned how to behave during these trying times. The ability to adapt is quite rare and therefore, a lot of organizations who failed to adapt to this new normal are facing challenges to keep themselves running. But those who have managed to survive are allowing their employees to get back to work, however it is advised to not just go blindly into your workspace which has seen a lot of changes. You must keep in mind the following things to keep yourself safe in your office. Let us take a good look at what those things are!
- A unsafe travel – It is understandable that you will be asked to travel to your offices once the lockdown restrictions have been lifted. There are a lot of organizations who take care of the safety of their employees by providing them a vehicle which is meant solely for the organization’s operations. However, there are some organizations which for some reasons are unable to afford that kind of privilege for their employees. In that case, you should ensure that you follow all the safety protocols which are necessary to protect you against infection from the corona virus.
- Unhygienic Places – It does not matter how hard an organization tries to keep its workspace safe and sound for all its employees, some agents of filth find their way into it and create huge ruckus of dirtiness. Employees are exposed to such unhygienic places when they are at their offices. The best course of action here would be to avoid going to those places no matter how difficult it is to avoid them. A prime example of unhygienic place is the smoking zone which is present in many organizations, considering the nature of disease we are facing, smoking zones of organizations should be closed until the situation gets better.
- Outside food – The chances of you loving the food of your office canteens are as low as getting hit by a lightening bolt on a sunny day. But if you are a member of the cult which loves the office food from the office canteen, then you must kill the urge to go and eat from there. The reason being that despite your office claiming that it has taken every precaution against corona virus spread, the chances of getting infected due to coming in contact with the chef or waiter are still there for they also commute to the work daily and they might not have taken the same care as you did while travelling to work. The alternative to this is simple, you got to eat home made food which your family member packs for you.
- Avoid Over Interacting – The need to meet your favorite colleagues would overwhelm you at some times, but you have to fight that urge because of the same reason you are being asked to not eat food from outside. As great as your colleagues are, a small act of carelessness from their end will cause a chain of corona virus spread in the whole office. Therefore, interact with them but keep in mind the implications of being overly interactive.
- Avoid Touching Objects – There are a lot of things in an office which are touched by a lot of people throughout the day. From the coffee vending machine to the water cooler, none of these common objects are safe from the possibility of becoming a potential spreader of the corona virus. Therefore, keep yourself from touching these items or just have a sanitizer with you all the time so that you can sanitize both your hands and the surfaces you touched to do your bit towards the prevention of spread of corona virus.
- Avoid congested areas – Congested areas like small conference rooms and meeting halls should be avoided as much as you can. Try convincing your bosses to be smart enough to accommodate less people in a big room so that social distancing can be followed properly. This will ensure safety of you and your colleagues.
- Avoid poorly ventilated spaces – It has been proven that corona virus spread reduces by maintaining a proper ventilation wherever you are at. Avoid going to a poorly ventilated room as it will not only cause discomfort while breathing, it will also lead to a possible corona virus infection.
If you are unable to stick to these or your organization is unable to implement the necessary safety, then you should resort to a hybrid work schedule. It is recommended that you use these because otherwise going back to work after quarantine could be a dangerous an expensive affair.
