Before your employees can return to work, you will need to prepare your workspace and take safety and health precautions such as deep cleaning and ensuring your facilities allow protective measures for physical distancing.

Here are some key considerations when setting up your facilities for workers to return to the office safely:

1. general guidelines.

  • Clearly communicate the procedures for workplace access to employees before they return so they know the procedures they will need to follow when entering work premises (i.e. restricted use of elevators, temperature checks upon entry, wearing of masks, etc.)
  • Post signs and notices about new procedures at entry points in a visible place.
  • If possible, place hand washing stations at entry points of the workplace.
  • Supply hand sanitiser dispensers in common areas and entrances.
  • Post signage and reminders about proper hand washing in washrooms and at hand washing stations.

2. workplace layouts.

  • Set up desks and workspaces at least two metres apart, to ensure physical distancing wherever possible.
  • If separating desks is not possible, have employees occupy every alternate desk.
  • Organise a reservation system for meeting rooms, printers, and other shared resources, if applicable.
  • Establish protocols to move in a clockwise direction in corridors, hallways and narrow spaces.
  • Put markers on the floor so employees can visualise how far they should stand apart.

3. clean offices and facilities.

  • Ensure COVID-19-level disinfection after and before every shift.
    If you haven’t already, engage a professional cleaning crew on retainer basis.
  • Common areas should be cleaned at least once per day.
  • High-touch surfaces (such as doorknobs) should be cleaned even more frequently.

part four: defining health and safety protocols.

learn more measures

important note.

Randstad prepared these resources to share best practices to get back to work safely. The information is intended as a guideline only. Please do additional research and consult with experts before making decisions for your business.