COVID Safe Office Space

With restrictions lifting around Australia and the move towards the new “normal” keeping your staff safe should be the priority of every employer.

Some things to expect when moving back to office work is de-densified office spaces. Where possible this means employers should consider distancing their staff by rotating workstations, reconfiguring work areas and adding COVID safe screens.

Additional cleaning practices should also be employed to keep your employees safe. The Winya team has been trained in Infection Control practices by the Australian Government and has been conducting research on how best to keep employees safe.

Some things that Winya has done to keep our employees safe include: better air filtration systems, easy access to hand sanitiser, separating employees and making sure our offices are low-touch zones.

Keep up to date with our blogs on how to keep your office COVID safe and talk to us about how to redesign your office for COVID safety.

Winya’s Team is trained in COVID Safety

Top 5 Surfaces to Keep Clean

1. Door Handles: Door handles are one of the most forgotten surfaces when cleaning. With COVID-19 now a primary concern this is one of the most important surfaces that should be cleaned. Nearly all of your staff will come in contact with the door handles within your office throughout the day. These surfaces should be cleaned regularly.
2. Communal Spaces: Communal spaces will be the main issue in workspaces when employees return to work. To ensure safe working these spaces should be minimised in terms of contact. This means no more communal M&M bowls! All kitchen areas and meeting areas should be cleaned before and after use. At Winya we’ve put in place a staff routine for kitchen use which involves each staff member wiping down all kitchen surfaces before and after use to keep our staff safe.
3. Mobile Phones & Telephones: This is something your employees are constantly in contact with inside and outside the office. According to a study done by StateFoodSafety, your phone is covered in germs: 25,127 bacteria per square inch whereas door handles only have 8,643 per square inch! Make sure employees regularly disinfect their mobile phones and telephones.
4. Desks & Chairs: Your employees are in contact with their desks for the majority of the day and are seated on their chairs for the same period. Not only this but between moving from their desks and getting seated again office chairs are touched regularly and often overlooked in terms of cleaning. The desk is an easy fix, just wipe down the surface. At Winya, we’ve tested cleaning upholstered chairs and have devised a way for you to keep them clean and dry. Check out our cleaning tips below! Note: this method should not be used on mesh back chairs as it has not been tested in terms of damage to elasticity of the mesh over long periods of exposure
5. Keyboards & Laptops: Your employees are in contact with their keyboards and computers for their entire working day. This is often overlooked as a surface that needs cleaning. At Winya, we’re wiping down these surfaces before and after use; in the morning, before and after coffee and lunch breaks and when our employees complete their work for the day.

You should also be providing access to hand sanitiser at your office entries, spacing out employees and minimising crowded hall and walk ways.