Opening Your Office for the Pandemic’s Interim Period

(Post 1st Wave but Pre-Vaccine)

Mark Dumaine, April 24, 2020

Background

           Across the nation, states are planning on restarting their economies and re-opening workplaces as early as May 1. Offices are faced with multiple challenges in their re-openings that this paper hopes to explore and provide some guidance.

           Each office is responsible for ensuring their office complies with CDC, EEOC, OSHA, State and local governmental guidelines as they re-open their office. These guidelines will change as more is learned about this virus and how to best deal with it.

Components examined

           An office has many different components to consider: Staffing, Facility/Environment, Technology, and Public Engagement; to name only few. Virtually every office has been staffed from home on a limited basis during the stay-at-home portion of this pandemic, with only a few people coming into the office.

Workforce in reserve

           No office can afford to return 100% of their workforce to their offices. There are two reasons for this limitation: (1) space and (2) resurgence. In the interim world order, offices will be required to arrange for 6 foot spacing for workers. Also, this pandemic is not over yet, re-infections will occur, and you will have to be on the lookout for the formation of new clusters in your office. In the event of an infected employee, everyone who has had contact with that employee will need to be sent home for 14 days of quarantine. So, you may want to keep an uninfected workforce in reserve.[1]

Redesign your workforce to have 50% of skills working from home and 50% working in the office. This will allow additional space and will provide the concept of a reserve workforce. You might want to consider swapping these groups every 30 days (it should not be less frequent due to the 14-day incubation period).[2]  

Assess your staff:

Those able to work in the office setting:

Those who are COVID recovered (may have 2-3 years immunity)[3];

Those who are healthy, with no significant underlying conditions

(obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, immunity deprived, 

heart conditions, kidney, lung, and liver issues, etc.)[4]; and

Those under age of 65.

Those not able:

Those currently recovering;

Those with contact with sick persons in the past 14 days;

Those in quarantine;

Those with significant underlying conditions; and

Those 65 and older.[5]

 Social Distancing

            Implement social distancing rules at the office:

 ? Staying 6 feet away from others as a normal practice;

? Eliminating contact with others, such as handshakes or embracing coworkers, visitors, or friends;

? Avoiding touching surfaces touched by others, to the extent feasible; and

? Avoiding anyone who appears to be sick, or who is coughing or sneezing[6]

Facility hygiene

           Facility hygiene must be made a priority.[7] There must be enough cleaning staff and cleaning supplies to clean office surfaces twice per day. There must be disinfectants and hand cleaners and tissues available through the office. At high touch points, e.g. copy machines, refrigerators, and coffee pots there must be cleaning wipes available for repeated use. Note: homemade cleaning wipes can be manufactured by combing a Clorox solution with a roll of paper towels in a container.[8]

           Soap, readily available is all that is required for hand cleaning.[9] A half cup of bleach when mixed with to 1 gallon of water makes a suitable disinfecting solution.[10] Alcohol products, in limited supply, make suitable disinfecting solutions for electronics if the alcohol content exceeds 60%.[11]

           Gloves will have to be available for anyone involved in cleaning.[12] Others can rely simply on handwashing.

Masks

           Offices will have to ensure face masks are worn by their staff and visitors and require compliance in their wearing. This may require a supply of masks onsite.[13] Non-N95 face mask, homemade or otherwise, protect others from the droplets expelled by the wearer.[14] N95 face masks, in short supply, protect the wearer from other’s droplets. The wearing of masks by all can assist in protecting all.

Mobility

           Mobility in and around the office must be reduced to minimize the risk of cross contamination. Workers should use the most direct path to and from their workstation and avoid crossing paths with others. Offices can mark out pathways in one direction to avoid close proximity passing of individuals.[15] Try to mark out six-foot distances on lobby floors and in elevators to reinforce social distance guidelines.[16]

Protocols

          Offices need to spell out new compliance requires and protocols for their employees. One new protocol that will need to be developed is an isolation protocol. Should an employee develop an illness or report a temperature in excess of 100.4F[17] What are the steps to be taken in the office to isolate the employee, send them home, and follow-up with all known persons that individual contacted. Do not let the isolation process itself result in more infection in the office. Delegate the approval to isolate to the lowest level supervisor so that isolation approval does not involved infecting others up the chain of command. What steps will be taken to deep clean the affected area or, alternatively, can the area be screened off for 72 hours to allow the virus to deactivate?[18]

Visitors

Public engagement may be the toughest challenge in the interim period. While the public has made great strides in adopting remote technology, some of your clients may still have little familiarity with remote technology. Offices will have to open to visitors, but visitors should not be let beyond the perimeter into the office environment but met outside the perimeter, perhaps in a frequently cleaned visitors’ reception. Visitors may need to be provided with masks and hand cleaners to meet with staff.

Areas of frequent visitor interaction (like receptionists) should be provided with plexiglass shields. Other areas of the office should be examined for proximity issues to see where plexiglass shields should be installed.[19]

Air handling

           The virus does display some ability to become airborne.[20] Offices should work with their facilities managers to see if air circulation systems can be set to exchange air more frequently than normal and whether air filters can be replaced more frequently.[21]

Temperature screening

           At this time, it is known that a significant amount of transmission is occurring through asymptomatic individuals. The earliest detectable indication of infection is temperature. Offices may have to acquire non-contact thermometers to screen and log employees (self-screening and logging is preferred) upon arrival and departure every day, and to screen and log visitors.[22] No one with a temperature above 100F should be allowed into the office facility.[23] Notices should be posted advising that entrance to the facility denotes consent to temperature logging. Temperature testing results in medical information that must be protected separate from employee files.[24]

Remote work

Remote work should continue to be encouraged. How is remote capability going to be provided to those without the resources? Does your office set aside remote viewing rooms? Can libraries to open remote viewing rooms? Are governmental offices prepared to stream their proceedings for public access?

Technology

           Offices will have to become comfortable with remote technology. While many offices have gravitated to the easy to use Zoom, other remote systems do offer better protection of privacy and computer security. Offices with Microsoft 365 subscriptions should consider adoption of Microsoft Teams, a free professional-level program easily accessible by most offices.[25] Any remote programs will require knowledge of the parties’ email addresses to operate. So, the collection of client emails will now become a priority for offices.

Public Engagement 

           Offices will have to make a concerted effort to remain engaged with the public during this period. They need to reinforce that they are open for business and communicate the new and safe ways they will be working. This may mean social media campaigns as well as traditional campaigns by tv and radio shows. The messages you have conveyed in the past remain relevant today: you have products and services the public needs. You just may need to explain how you plan to deliver them to the public in the interim period.

           They will also need to try to engage their own workforce, those working in the office and remotely through regular remote townhall meetings keeping the workforce engaged and informed. Creative offices are almost certain to find new ways to build camaraderie remotely with competitions, lotteries, and team building games.[26] Supervisors will have to reach out to their employees just to check on employee well-being regularly.

Testing

           Depending on whether public health authorities offer testing or not, offices may have to arrange for coronavirus infection and antibody testing to track emerging clusters in their workforce as well as monitor what portion of their workforce has developed immunity.[27] They may also have obligations under State law or OSHA for reporting infections acquired at the workplace.[28]

Photo credit: https://publish.illinois.edu/dinopetrov-rhet102-portfolioprojeect/methaphor/; downloaded 4/24/20.

[1] https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2020/04/23/coronavirus-broadcom-said-to-be-bringing-employees-back-to-work-on-april-27/; downloaded 4/24/20.

[2] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/faq.html; downloaded 4/24/20.

[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/03/15/can-you-get-infected-by-coronavirus-twice-how-does-covid-19-immunity-work/#6db7c6be5c0f; downloaded 4/24/20.

[4] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/underlying-conditions.html; 4/24/20.

[5] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/underlying-conditions.html; downloaded 4/24/20.

[6] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html; downloaded 4/24/20.

[7] Safe Work Playbook, Lear Corporation, https://playbook.lear.com/Safe%20Work%20Playbook.pdf;

Downloaded 4/22/20.

[8] https://www.budget101.com/do-it-yourself/5201-myo-instant-cleaning-wipes/; downloaded 4/24/00.

[9] https://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/providers/guideline.html; downloaded 4/24/20.

[10] https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/disinfection-methods/chemical.html; https://www.clorox.com/how-to/disinfecting-sanitizing/cold-flu-other-diseases/how-to-make-your-own-disinfecting-solution/; downloaded 4/22/20.

[11] https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/disinfection-methods/chemical.html; downloaded 4/22/20. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cleaning-disinfection.html; downloaded 4/24/20.

 [12] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cleaning-disinfection.html; 4/24/20.

[13] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html; downloaded 4/24/20.

[14] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html; downloaded 4/24/20.

[15] https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/walmart-implements-one-way-traffic-162326500.html; downloaded 4/24/20.

[16] https://miami.cbslocal.com/2020/03/27/coronavirus-miami-dade-requiring-businesses-social-distance-visible-marks/; downloaded 4/24/20.

[17] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/COVID-19_CAREKit_ENG.pdf; downloaded 4/22/20.

 [18] https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2004973; downloaded 4/24/20.

[19] https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/grocery-stores-install-plexiglass-shields-between-customers-cashiers-to-protect-against-virus/289-da65d451-d41f-4cba-a1a3-a06554fc6566; downloaded 4/24/20.

[20] https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2020/04/03/coronavirus-protection-how-masks-might-stop-spread-through-coughs/5086553002/; 4/23/20.

[21] https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/environmental/appendix/air.html; 4/24/20.

[22] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/eeoc-coronavirus-temperature.aspx; downloaded 4/24/20.

[23] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-risk-assesment-hcp.html; downloaded 4/24/20.

[24] https://www.mranet.org/article/inside-hr/eeoc-relaxes-position-taking-employees-temperatures; 4/24/20.

[25] https://www.cnet.com/news/zoom-vs-microsoft-teams-how-to-choose-the-best-video-chat-app-for-working-from-home/; downloaded 4/24/20.

[26] https://www.growthbusiness.co.uk/why-now-is-the-time-for-small-businesses-to-focus-on-team-building-2557497/; downloaded 4/24/20.

[27] https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/24/this-irvine-company-tested-most-of-its-workforce-for-coronavirus-antibodies-the-results-were-startling/; downloaded 4/24/20.

[28] https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/standards.html; downloaded 4/24/20.