Returning Back to The Office. What to Expect.
After over two months of working from home because of COVID-19, companies are taking steps for staff to start returning back to the office. There are many precautions & procedures that need to be made for a safe return. In addition, the workplace will see some growing pains as companies rethink and change the office, but there will also be some advantages.
Fundamental change’s that companies may implement include:
- One-way hallways
- Sneeze guards at front desks
- Properly spaced desks to ensure social distancing
- Staggered schedules to lessen occupancy in buildings
- Limiting people into elevators
- Temperature checks for all employees at the door
- The disappearance of shared keyboards and other equipment
- Introducing clean desk policies for nonessential items stored in drawers
For many, it will be stressful going back to the office. Working remotely has been the “new norm,” and employees have gotten used to this routine. But, there are some advantages to going back to the office.
According to I-sigma, there are some advantages to going back to the office.
Productivity
It is tough to stay focused and productive when working from home. Further, there are a lot of distractions such as a doorbell ringing, kids disrupting, doing household chores. Working in an office provides a more structured work environment, and without the other distractions you experience at home.
Face-to-Face Camaraderie and Collaboration
Zoom has been the new way of communicating, but virtual meetings do not provide the same face-to-face interaction and community. Besides, working from home can make one feel isolated. Collaboration is complicated, with limited face-to-face communication. A recent study from PwC showed that half of the businesses expect a dip in productivity during the pandemic because of a lack of remote-work capabilities.
Office Equipment, Supplies, and Services
An office has all of the office equipment just steps away, such as high production printers or scanners. A person is out of luck while working at home. Also, it is helpful to have office supplies at your fingertips, such as folders, paper clips, binders, and copy paper.
Security Risks
There are many security risks when working remotely. Documents that are received electronically or hard copies by home-based equipment; can put data at risk. If Employees download files to their household computers, security risks also increase. Another security risk is when employees do not take proper precautions to discard and destroy media and confidential documents, such as using a professional shredding service.
There will be definite adjustments as offices start to open and employees return back to work. But with the proper procedures in place, it can be a smooth transition
Shark Shredding offers a variety of shredding and document management services to secure your data. Whether you are in the office or working from home, we have all the solutions to help protect your personal documents. Contact us to learn more about how we can protect your documents.
