What is a Safe Office Environment During COVID-19?

A look at commonsense office safety measures and policies during the coronavirus pandemic

COVID-19 has drastically altered the workplace, and many companies now struggle to balance safety with productivity while returning to the office. 

Over the summer, 42 percent of the U.S. labor force worked from home, with some companies moving to a completely remote model. Many businesses gradually shifted back to some onsite work as the pandemic seemed to stabilize. But as of this writing, COVID-19 infections are peaking again as the first approvals of effective vaccines signal a possible end in sight to the pandemic.

Unfortunately, it could take six months to vaccinate enough Americans to control the virus. The health risks to people and the potential liability and operational risks to organizations will remain high for much of 2021. Robust safety measures must stay in place.

But what is a “safe” office?

Let’s look at some of the standard measures companies are using and some new options to re-open properly.

Today’s remote work environment

Roughly half of the U.S. workforce worked from home at some point during the pandemic, but this trend eased somewhat over the summer. Pre-pandemic, over 70% of Americans commuted to work daily. This number dropped to less than 40% in May, but gradually climbed to 49% by August.

Crucially, companies have seen little drop-off in productivity during the shift to remote work, with many seeing greater employee satisfaction as a side effect. Gallup research found the highest level of “actively engaged” employees at companies that provide an option to work between 1–4 days in the office, with the highest level of active engagement (41%) seen with only 1–2 days of onsite work.

This has caused companies—many of which resisted the trend—to fundamentally reevaluate remote work, even after the pandemic subsides. Gallup also reports that 80% of workers “would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers.” And Global Workplace Analytics estimates that “25-30% of the workforce will be working-from-home multiple days a week by the end of 2021.” In some form, a far more significant amount of offsite work is here to stay.

That said, there are downsides. The same Gallup survey reveals that individuals who are “always at home” reported the lowest active engagement (30%) and the second-highest active disengagement (16%). And a fifth of completely remote workers say they routinely struggle with loneliness.

So, while going to the office may be down, it is by no means out. Many individuals sorely want to return to in-person work, at least part-time.

Standard measures to keep the physical environment safe

Company personnel must provide an environment that is as safe as possible during COVID, and they will likely need to work with property owners (if they are tenants) to do it. The first step is evaluating the space and current measures, followed by designing a health and safety plan. 

This plan must be specific and clearly outline the roles and responsibilities of employees, management, and maintenance personnel. Standard measures include:

• A universal mask policy that is enforced. Providing employees with masks is a crucial step.

• Enhanced sanitation procedures. Cleaning schedules should be increased with a particular focus on common and high-traffic areas. Be sure to follow the explicit guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

• A clear policy on social distancing measures that is communicated through visible signage and memoranda. In addition to physically distancing individual workspaces, managers must pay particular attention to limiting occupancy in common areas, meeting rooms, and elevators that force many individuals into a finite space. Again, these policies must be enforced.

• Many settings are instituting access control procedures that rely on questions about symptoms and/or instant temperature checks—and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has approved the latter measure. While temperature checks have hit-or-miss effectiveness, they can screen for clearly sick individuals and may provide some liability protection.

• Procedures that respond to a known infection. Once an individual reports contracting COVID-19, the workspace must be sanitized, all employees must be notified, and the office may need to be shut down for a period. Note, however, that the CDC says that “Companies do not necessarily need to close operations, if they can close off affected areas.” Again, review and strictly follow all of the CDC’s protocols.

• Individuals may still feel hesitant to volunteer that they may have been exposed or show minor symptoms—and need to miss work (and pay). Creating incentives to report and avoid workplace infections, such as increased sick days, can help alleviate employees’ fears.

A focus on air quality

As researchers have learned more about the virus and its transmission, the focus has shifted to air quality. It’s believed that prolonged exposure to circulating indoor air when someone is infected poses the greatest threat.

Thus, many companies are maximizing the use of outdoor space for meetings and other activities, and property owners and/or tenants are considering or implementing HVAC upgrades to make buildings safer. 

Some of the potential improvements include improved filtration and retrofitting Ultraviolet (UV) lights into HVAC systems and ductwork. Far-UVC wavelengths of light kill “99.9% of seasonal coronaviruses present in airborne droplets,” and the use of this technology may be one of the most effective safety steps possible.

Problematically, these upgrades aren’t necessarily cheap. They do, however, have longer-term benefits. HVAC improvements contribute to future-proofing a structure against other novel viruses, improve the workers’ health, and can achieve healthy building certifications that make the office more appealing to employees and job candidates. 

Flexibility remains key

Companies must take the essential precautions above to create an office that is as safe as possible. But the virus will be here in force for much of 2021, and there is only so much in-person risk that can be mitigated. Thus, the ultimate safety measure—and one that best meets employees’ needs—is flexibility.

Allowing workers to do their jobs remotely, contingent on their role and comfort level, is a smart, effective policy. And it can be a necessary one for individuals who are particularly at risk for severe symptoms, hospitalization, or death if they contract COVID-19. Thus, companies should closely evaluate who really needs to be onsite and who can do their work elsewhere and maintain flexible work policies until the pandemic is under control.

Employers who remain hesitant about offsite arrangements should view this measure practically. Some degree of remote work is here to stay, it seems to have little impact on productivity for numerous positions, and many employees now view some flexibility as an essential benefit. Further, there are ways to combat the isolation and disengagement experienced by some remote workers.

Also, consider potential liability while evaluating remote policies and implementing office safety measures. Though some states have issued liability shields for businesses that re-open during the pandemic, there is no national safe harbor from lawsuits. As of this writing, a second COVID-19 stimulus was held up because lawmakers could not agree on “whether companies can be sued over virus outbreaks.”

Regardless of the legislative outcome, businesses must do everything reasonable and possible to keep their people safe—and protect their organization from the legal repercussions of flouting safety procedures.

We are entering 2021 with a great deal of hope after a very tough year. Several effective vaccines are on the way and some have started to be distributed, and it seems like the pandemic may become a grim memory by 2021’s end. But the next few months of infections will remain challenging—and diligence will be required to get through this next phase. 

Stay safe—and keep your people healthy!

At KARP HR Solutions, our creative approach has mastered the mix of finances and human resources. Call us at 954-684-3284 or complete our contact form to learn more.