The Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted life in major cities around the world. Even as businesses are starting to reopen and people return to the office, the workplace will see some major changes. Efforts to get back to business have been inconsistent and sometimes the guidelines are needed to be stricter than what the workers might expect.
In China, the peak contagion period was in January and February, and the businesses began slowly reopening the country in the latter half of March. China was the first to experience the devastation of COVID-19 and now is an example of how to reopen an economy while living through a global pandemic. There is much the world can learn from the new approaches that businesses there have taken to keep people safe.
Its been two months since Sunon's Hangzhou office opened after the lockdown in China. With safety being the topmost priority, Sunon issued guidelines for all employees in the month of March. Here are a few real-life examples that will be helpful for businesses opening their offices now.
Health monitoring of employees
While resuming work in March, Sunon maintained the following safety protocols for the safety of employees:
People who were not scheduled to resume work
Employees from severe epidemic-prone areas
Employees who were in contact with people from the severe epidemic-prone areas and had not met the 14-day isolation rule.
Employees who had been judged as confirmed or suspected cases (including recovered)
Employees with fever, cough, fatigue and other symptoms
Employees with weaker body resistance during pregnancy, childbirth, and basic diseases.
Guidelines for employees who visited the epidemic-prone areas or were in close contact with people from those areas
After returning to the place of work, they should report to the person in charge of prevention and control of the unit and the property, neighborhood committee or local health and epidemic prevention department.
They must take the initiative to quarantine for 14 days, and settle in their own house or rent a house near the workplace
It was strictly forbidden to go out during quarantine.
They must register body temperature regularly, and take the initiative to cooperate with the local health and epidemic prevention agency in the investigation and registration work, and the staff can only resume work after passing the medical examination in the hospital.
Sunon personnel checking his body temperature
Community management and transmission prevention
Recommendations for staff on what to do on the way to and from work
Employees should measure their body temperature at home before going to work every day, and do not come to work without exceeding 37.3 degrees Celsius without any physical discomfort
They had to wear masks at all times.
Carry disinfectant wipes and wipe public seats and other contact items
After getting off the bus, they could choose the nearest toilet and wash hands with running water, soap, or hand soap
They should try not to use public transportation on the way to work, it is recommended to walk, ride, or take a private car or shuttle to work. Try to avoid touching the items on the car with hands as far as possible
Before boarding the bus, employees must show the brand, wear a mask, and actively cooperate with the body temperature test.
What to do on arrival at the office or factory?
Employees to wear badges and masks before entering the factory/office area (recommended to use medical masks or N95 medical protective masks). After going to work, the General Affairs Center supplemented the distribution according to the actual situation
Temperature measurement points were set at the entrances and exits of the shuttle bus, factory area, and office area. Employees should consciously accept body temperature detection before entering.
If they do not enter the factory area/office area, they should wash their hands in the bathroom and wash their hands in the bathroom
It was recommended to take stairs during peak hours.
Sunon Personnel wearing a N95 face mask in Factory
Safety precautions at the workplace
Personal protection
Masks used for more than 4 hours or if they are wet or polluted, had to be replaced. Disposable masks and other disposable items (including gloves, protective clothing, goggles, etc.) are placed in designated trash cans.
Keep a distance, and the distance between people should be more than 1 meter.
Reduce large-scale face-to-face meetings. Recommended video conferencing and digital office communication.
Cover mouth and nose with tissues, cuffs or elbows when coughing or sneezing, and then wash hands in time.
Wash hands or use alcohol-based sanitizer before and after transferring paper documents.
Washing hands: find flowing water and soap, and wash hands with a seven-step hand-washing method. The hand-washing process should be maintained for 40-60 seconds.
Take the initiative to cooperate with the routine body temperature examination in the department. If fever, cough, fatigue, etc. occur during the work, staff must report it in time, pay attention to isolation, and immediately go to the hospital.
How to use the elevator?
Must wear a mask when taking the elevator;
Go upstairs and downstairs as far as possible to take the stairs and keep the distance.
After entering the elevator room, use the badge to swipe the card and press the elevator button with the badge or paper towel placed in the elevator hall. Do not press the elevator button directly by hand. After use, sterilize the badge in time and put the towel in the trash.
How to participate in meetings?
It is recommended to wear a mask and wash hands and disinfect before entering the meeting room.
The physical distance between meeting personnel should be more than 1 meter.
Reduce centralized meetings, control meeting time, it is recommended to give priority to use video conference and other methods.
After the meeting, the conference room supplies such as the venue and conference table must be disinfected.
Daily disinfection in the office areas
The building's property management office disinfected elevators, stairs, and other public parts daily. But everyone had to follow a few guidelines in the elevator:
Ventilation: Keep the environment clean and ventilated. Open the window several times a day for no less than 3 times, 20-30 minutes each time. The indoor temperature may be low during ventilation. Please keep warm, especially colleagues who rely on the window.
Disinfection of seats: The general affairs equipped the restroom with the prepared disinfection water. All personnel to wipe and disinfect the personal office space and office facilities/equipment at least twice a day, once in the morning and afternoon.
Disinfection of public areas: The General Affairs Center uniformly sprayed and disinfected all areas after work every day. During the disinfection period, all personnel must be evacuated from the site and not allowed to work (during epidemic prevention, overtime is not encouraged).
Sunon personnel preparing to disinfectant the office area
Precautions to be taken during lunch hour
Staff should not go out for lunch.
While taking the food in the cafeteria, the staff should not come back the second time and avoid crowding.
According to the company's batch dining requirements; consciously abide by the “three fixed” principles of “scheduled time, prescribed place, prescribed area”.
Cooperate with the staff of the cafeteria to measure body temperature before entering the cafeteria, and thoroughly wash and disinfect hands before meals.
The canteen adopts the “college entrance exam” style of dining, with one table and one person, eating quickly. The used tableware is put in a unified collection point to keep the tabletop tidy;
Encourage employees to bring their own meals.
Safety procedure during a service call
Strictly manage the door-to-door service staff every day, self-test body temperature before service;
Thoroughly disinfect the tools used before each service.
Before each service, the service personnel to disinfect themselves.
Wear masks throughout and keep a distance of more than 1 meter from customers.
Sunon Service Kit with disinfectant
Showroom visit protocol for customers
Make an appointment in advance.
Admission conditions: successful appointment, healthy green code, normal body temperature, full face mask.
Health in the hall: Disposable disinfectant, disposable gloves, thermometer, spare masks were installed at the reception desk.
Instructions for escort: The tour must be accompanied by the Sunon personnel throughout the journey, and the customer should not leave without informing the staff.
Sunon Digital Showroom
Sunon launched a VR interactive online showroom of Sunon's experience center so that customers can view all the products from the comfort of their home or office.
Click here to check it out.
The Key Takeaway
The provisions of the above epidemic prevention guidelines made by Sunon are for building and base office staff in China. Businesses need to integrate and practice in accordance with the local government's epidemic prevention requirements. These real-life lessons can be helpful for companies who are starting to open their offices after months of lockdown while maintaining safety protocols for their employees.
Companies that make use of or deploy adequate testing capacity, can proactively manage risk. Measures to decrease the transmissibility of the virus by wearing facemasks, adding barriers, and conducting frequent cleanings are tangible steps to curb transmission in the absence of total testing visibility. The endgame of this global pandemic is very much dependent on a worldwide collective effort.
Sunon is committed to creating safe and productive workplaces for all the clients. Check out our blog on Panel based workstations which can be helpful in creating barriers against the spread of any virus.
To know more about our solutions for the office of the future, click here.
