Just how will your pro AV workplace look once coronavirus restrictions are eased and your staff comes into the office for the first time in months?
The true answer is that nobody truly knows. However, it will be an extremely gradual transition with heightened awareness of sanitation, social distancing, temperature checks and other measures to ensure the workplace doesn’t become a hotbed of COVID-19 cases, says Rich Tate, managing director of show services at LMG.
Tate, in an InfoComm 2020 Connected session on how the workplace will look post-coronavirus, said the company has offices across the country, so management has to stay up to date on the latest guidelines in each state and municipality.
Dallas, Orlando, Nashville and Las Vegas offices are open, while California and Washington are expected to open within the next few weeks.
“As the cities begin to reopen, we had to be prepared and slowly and safely bring our staff back while following the phased guidelines,” Tate says. “We knew that our full workforce would not suddenly all be back in the office”
Even with offices that are reopened, some are still working remotely to keep in-office headcounts at a minimum. For the ones that are fully open, each employee is subject to a temperature check as they enter the building.
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Tate detailed many other measures the company is taking, including:
- Mandatory mask wearing
- Restricting access to fewer entrances
- Using thermal scanners instead of thermometers to speed up the temperature-checking process
- Wristbands that show employees have been cleared of a fever
- Asking employees to stay home if they have a fever of over 100 degrees
- Requiring employees to let managers know if they don’t feel well
- Maximum occupancies in buildings, including warehouses.
- Desks and conference rooms rearranged for social distancing
If the company finds itself at odds with guidelines while on a job, LMG will adhere to the more stringent rule, Tate says.
“For example, if our phase two guidelines state that wearing a mask is optional, but the (convention) center states that masks are required, we will follow the stricter guidelines and wear masks,” Tate says. “It’s common sense but it must be taken into consideration and put into the official guidelines.”
Current remote workers may continue to work remotely for an extended period of time. Employees with lingering concerns about returning to work will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, Tate says.
“Slowly and safely, we will bring back more and more people to the office,” Tate says. “This has been a significant enough event to change the world and our business right down to every individual. The best we can do is be prepared, plan accordingly and make wise decisions based on reliable data and respected information.”
