Our Coexistence with Coronavirus: How to Minimise the Risks of Spreading COVID-19 in Working Places?

In addition to an already quite full list of worries, the coronavirus pandemic has brought along an extra one for all managers – how to minimise the risks of spreading the virus in places they are responsible for?

Until we are waiting for the holy grail in the form of a COVID-19 vaccine, we still have long weeks and months ahead of us in the unwanted company of a virus that we can defend against only by using preventive measures. These measures apply not only to individuals but even more so to people responsible for running businesses – managers and owners of companies whose responsibility it is to minimise the risks of spreading the disease in the working place. How should they do it?

The first suggestion is simple – home office should be prefered in all possible cases. There is also a solution for situations when a completely remote work is not possible and at least a part of the working collective has to meet in person at the office. Such a situation demands a small amount of managerial skills and its point lies in a creation of small groups of employees who will take turns at the working place (either by rotation at the office every second day, week or every morning/afternoon). This step should ensure that in a situation of a positive coronavirus case of one employee, the whole company would not have to be put in quarantine. In this setting, an employee physically only meets with a limited number of colleagues and works from home during the remaining days, which significantly reduces the risk of spreading the virus in the company.

The next tip works on a similar premise – reducing the number of people in individual offices or at common desks by indicating the maximum number of people in the given room or at given desk. Although the employees are in physical contact, their reduction in a closed space significantly reduces the risk of spreading the disease in a company. A similarly useful solution is also a temporary ban on handshakes which can be replaced by a casual touch of elbows.

One of the more practical pieces of advice that most of us have heard in recent months includes the wearing of a face mask, regular hand washing and the use of disinfection. However, there is another aspect beyond the personal one that applies to all company managers who are responsible for making this prevention easier for all of their employees. They can do this by placing additional dispensers to the key places in the office, distributing small disinfection gels and disposable face masks, as well as by regular disinfection of common objects and surfaces like the desks, handles and phones. 

Slovak Hygienic Paper Group offers solutions for every manager in almost all of the areas mentioned before. Its offer contains dispensers and disinfection, napkins and toilet paper. In addition, Slovak Hygienic Paper Group also offers its products in convenient Jumbo packages that will positively influence the budget of every company. 

The coexistence with coronavirus is an exhaustive bore we would like to get rid of as soon as possible – mainly those of us that also carry the responsibility for others. However, until this happens, it is good to apply as many of the tips mentioned above as possible, minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19 in the office and by doing so, avoid the risk of much bigger damages to the company.