Back to the office: how to encourage physical distancing?

Even if we all go back to our place of work, at least a few days a week, physical distancing should not be skipped. Because at this very moment, only 20% of French people are vaccinated and the virus is still running. So, how do we encourage physical distancing when we randurn to the office? We explain everything to you in these lines! 

1. Rethink office layout to prioritize physical distancing

The layout of the offices is a essential lever for encourage physical distancing in the office. First, space out the seats and add abouttitions between the workspaces. Your employees will be protected from each other in the event of a sneeze!

In a second time, get a "covid mode" layout plan. At Slean, we support you in the restructuring of your workspaces! They are made modular, ergonomic, pleasant to live in and lean. In short, we act as if it were for us. 

Concerning the meeting rooms, conferences or of formation and the relaxation areas, redouble your inventiveness. De-densify these places and make them conducive to collective reflection, collaboration and presentations. And if there is no place for everyone in your HQ, prefer theopening of several small offices. In this way, each employee will be free to work closer to home. This solution is ideal for fight against loneliness linked to teleworking and the loss of time associated with daily journeys.  

2. Giving guidance to his employees about the new life at the office 

Vaccinated or not, your employees need to know what they can and cannot do. Because the office life is constantly evolving. So, with all these changes, they need a line of conduct, benchmarks, a procedure to follow if you prefer. 

This guide to encouraging physical distancing in the office can be sent by email. You can also display signs or posters within your offices. And to help you design these new rules, here are some of our ideas: 

• Deny visitors (not that they are not nice, but the visits are too risky for the moment);
• Greet without physical contact (and why not choose the most original way to greet?);
• Keep 1.80 m distance (roughly 2 meters) with his colleagues as soon as possible.

3. Going back to the office, yes, but not all at the same time...

If all your employees ask you "Can I come back to the office on Monday?", say yes. But not to everyone. 

You can choose tointroduce flexible time slots or bring the teams to the office team par team. The most important thing is that the comings and goings remain fluid. On the one hand, because you certainly won't be able to bring everyone in while respecting the physical distancing. On the other, because you would put their health in danger !

You can also set up staggered working hours. If some people are interested in working very early in the morning or very late at night, allow them to come to the office at these times. Finally, if they don't have customers to call between 9 am and 6 pm what.

To help you achieve this goal, some apps help you limit the number of people in the office. Officely, for example, allows directly from Slack to book a place in its offices. On the employer side, it is possible to put a maximum number of collaborators per day and to obtain statistics of the filling of the office!

4. Inventing new ways to collaborate

In 2021, we will have to to invent new ways to collaborate to encourage physical distancing in the office. And since the covid is very little present outside, why not hold meetings while walking? 

Le Walk and Talk is a innovative and productive concept which allows you to go straight to the point and gain in creativity. What's more, the meetings while walking are done at 2, 3 or 4 people maximum, which allows everyone to express their opinion without complex. 

Furthermore, the virtual meetings may remain relevant even though many people are back in the office. And this for 3 reasons: 

1. We are used to videoconferencing;
2. We are safer behind our screens;
3. This allows people working remotely or freelancers to join the meeting.

Finally, test these 7 Remote Communication Strategies !

5. Reassure its employees about the cleaning of the premises (and reinforce sanitary measures)

To start, reinforce the sanitary measures of your company :

• Increase the frequency of cleaning; 
• Set up a hydroalcoholic gel dispenser;
• Optimize ventilation...

Then, reassure your employees about these sanitary measures. By proving to them that they are safe, you motivate them to come work in community. 

The cleanliness being a priority for people randurning to the office, your role is quite naturally to strengthen measures, communicate and reassure your employees. The addition of cleaning schedules printed on desks and in the different spaces can build trust of your employees. 

5. Test its employees when they randurn to the office and… once a week (as if they were going to a foreign country)

When it comes to health, you can never be too careful! You do not think ? 

If you agree, maybe you should use antigen tests for test your employees regularly. In this way, you won't leave any doubts and your employees will be the first to be reassured. 

Indeed, we are well tested to go to another country. So why not apply this measure to the office? After all, the latest tests are much less unpleasant and much less expensive. In short, everyone would be a winner...

Encouraging Physical Distancing: Our Final Tip 

Finally, remember to add depolluting green plants all over the place bureaux and in the common areas. These will come improve air quality et reduce the risk of contamination. Finally, try to choose the right tools to put your employees in the best conditions. For example, you can provide them with stunning Slean sit-stand desks. They will love them, we assure you!