Over the past year, many aspects of our daily lives have changed dramatically. For many of us, work has been one of the most dramatic changes. COVID-19 has forced companies to be flexible, creative, and deliberate in the way that they communicate internally and with the world around them. As states continue to loosen restrictions and open back up, many companies are transitioning remote workers back into the office. Just as we all adjusted to our new often shared or multipurpose home office spaces, adjusting back to working on-site will bring its own set of challenges.
At the forefront of everyone’s mind is safety, removing uncertainty, and keeping employees, customers, and clients feeling safe. But what precautions are necessary in order to facilitate these goals?
Based on the current CDC guidelines and various local and state ordinances, we have put together a guide on how to prepare your business for a safe reopening. Around 50% of the population is fully vaccinated so even though restrictions such as mask-wearing and social distancing are much looser for those individuals it’s recommended operating under the assumption and precautions that people working in or visiting your place of business are not vaccinated. We always recommend checking your local guidelines and restrictions for accurate, up-to-the-minute information. This guide is broken down into rooms that you may have in your business locations and what interior and exterior signage and products you should consider investing in to make this transition as smooth as possible.
Entrance/Lobby/Reception Area
It’s likely no surprise that the entrance to your office is a prime location to convey any necessary messaging on your new or updated protocols. As it’s the first location, your employees and guests will see upon entering. It’s a great spot to lay down the rules regarding PPE requirements such as mask requirements, social distancing regulations, maximum occupancy, and directional signage (especially if you’ve had to restructure the office to facilitate a safe return for your employees). The high visibility of signage in entranceways also relieves some of the responsibility off of your employees in having to explain office expectations to visitors as they will immediately be greeted with a snapshot of any protocols your office may be implementing. Of course, all lobby signage doesn’t all have to be safety-oriented either. After nearly a year of working remotely, banners or wall decals welcoming your employees back to work can help them feel appreciated and excited to return to a more typical work environment.
Employees, Vendor & Contractors Decal - Recommended 1 per back entrance
6’ Apart Floor Decals - Every 6’
Maximum Occupancy Wall or Window Decals - Recommended 1 per entrance
How To Stay Healthy Signs - Recommended 1 per small room or every 10’-12’ in larger areas
One Way Arrow Floor Decals - Recommendations vary by floor plan
Curved Arrow Floor Decals - Recommendations vary by floor plan
Social Distance Wall Decals - Recommended 1 per small room or every 10’-12’ in larger areas
Welcome Back Banners - Recommended 1 per entrance
Hand Sanitizer Station - Recommended 1 per entrance
Bathroom
According to the CDC, the best way to curb the spread of infectious diseases starts with germ-free hands. Unfortunately, a recent study showed that 95% of people actually don’t wash their hands thoroughly enough to kill germs. Detailed step-by-step instructions on how to properly wash hands, or even just verbiage acting as a gentle reminder on new social distancing practices for the office, make for great mirror clings. The fact that most people are less preoccupied when in the restroom means that signage in this area is usually read more thoroughly and understood and retained more.
Wash Your Hands Mirror Decal (small) - Recommended 1 per sink
Wash Your Hands Mirror Decal (large) - Recommended every 2’-3’ on the mirror
Social Distance Wall Decal - Recommended 1 decal on the entrance and 1 inside the bathroom
Click to view the Bathroom Area list here
Hallways
Acting as the roadways of the office world, hallways are typically high-traffic areas in any office. If your office, like many others, has had to make organizational changes to better accommodate your employees or budget, successfully navigating these roadways may be a little different than how your staff remembers. Whether certain avenues are now one-way, conference rooms have changed locations, or you’ve temporarily closed off certain areas, directional signage on the floor or walls of your hallways can help guide even the most wayward traveler to their destination safely and efficiently. Like signage outlining office rules in the lobby, directional signage also takes some of the impetus off your staff in regards to guiding guests around your new layout and helps maintain good social distancing practices as well.
One Way Hallway Floor Decals - Recommendations vary by floor plan
One Way Arrow Floor Decals - Recommendations vary by floor plan
Curved Arrow Floor Decals - Recommendations vary by floor plan
Social Distance Wall Decals - Recommended 1 per small room or every 10’-12’ in larger areas
Click to view the Hallways Area list here
Kitchen/Breakroom
Believe it or not, the kitchen or breakroom in your office is usually considered the most problematic area regarding spreading infectious diseases. The most common transfer of germs into the body is when they’re transferred from our hands to our eyes, nose, and mouth when we touch our faces, so in areas where shared surfaces are abundant, there are many opportunities for shared surface germs. Traditional social distancing and sanitizing reminders work well in this area, but signage that offers people the materials they need to sanitize works significantly better. Banners or signs that dispense hand sanitizer or alcohol wipes are great choices to help minimize the spread of germs in these common areas and will increase your employees' peace of mind as they settle back into the shared spaces of the office.
Please Maintain Safe Social Distance Wall Decal - Recommended 1 per small room or every 10’-12’ in larger areas
Social Distance Double-Sided Countertop Table Tent - Recommended 1 per table
How To Stay Healthy Wall Decal - Recommended 1 per small room or every 10’-12’ in larger areas
Please Wipe Down Equipment After Each Use Wall Decal - Recommended 1 per piece of equipment (toaster, coffee maker, etc.)
Wash Your Hands Wall Decal - Recommended 1 per sink
Hand Sanitizer Station - Recommended 1 per entrance
Click to view the Kitchen/Breakroom Area list here
Elevator
While the CDC recommends social distancing practices of 6’ apart, sometimes this minimum distance is a little harder to maintain in an office setting - namely when it comes to small spaces like elevators. If you only have a few stories in your building, consider limiting elevator use to people who explicitly need it for accessibility purposes. This will minimize the number of people using the elevators, minimize the touching of shared surfaces and increase the likelihood of people’s social distancing. If you are planning on using your elevator in full capacity, signage that designates safe standing areas (while waiting for and in the elevator), minimum distance guideline reminders, and even sanitizer dispensers after handling the shared surface of the floor buttons can help make using the elevator in your office a little safer.
6’ Apart Floor Decals - Recommended 3-5 per elevator (1 outside and 2-4 inside depending on the size of the elevator
Social Distance Wall Decal - Recommended 2 per elevator (1 outside and 1 inside on the doors)
Hand Sanitizer Station - Recommended 1 per elevator bank
Click to view the Elevator list here
Conference Room
Much like the kitchen and breakroom, conference rooms are areas that typically have several shared surfaces. While you may opt to temporarily close some conference rooms (in which case signage indicating the room is off-limits would be suitable), should you find yourself using your conference rooms regularly upon returning to the office, decals that highlight designated sitting areas or individual seats as to maintain proper social distancing, sanitizing stations to disinfect shared surfaces (tables, whiteboards, projectors, etc.) after use, and segmented barriers for the conference all help keep your conference rooms an area where you can easily share ideas and strategies instead of germs.
Please Sit Here Table Decal - Recommended 1 per usable seat (generally every other seat)
Please Maintain Safe Social Distance Table Decal - Recommended 1 between each usable seat
How To Stay Healthy Wall or Window Decal - Recommended 1 per small room or every 10’-12’ in larger areas
Social Distance Double-Sided Countertop Table Tent - 1 per table
Click to view the Conference Area list here
Cafeteria
If your office is host to a larger cafeteria area, you likely already thought through some solutions to the issues this unique area presents. A cafeteria is essentially many rooms in one: a break room (where you can enjoy your afternoon lunch), a conference area (where you and co-workers can chart out your plans for wrapping up your current project), and of course, a carryout restaurant. If your office shares a building with other companies, this is often the one room that is shared amongst the building's tenants. As such, signage and barriers that limit direct exposure to others are ideal for this type of environment. Wall decals that denote sitting areas for your particular company, line stanchions, and floor decals to safely organize those waiting in line for lunch, sanitizer stations to disinfect hands before eating or after handling reusable trays, and just general safe practice reminders all have a place in the cafeteria. Thorough use of signage, sanitizing stations, and barrier options can help minimize the risks associated with this unique area without limiting the benefits the cafeteria space provides.
One Way Hallway Floor Decals - Recommendations vary by floor plan
One Way Arrow Floor Decals - Recommendations vary by floor plan
Curved Arrow Floor Decals - Recommendations vary by floor plan
Please Sit Here Table Decal - Recommended 1 per usable seat (generally every other seat)
Please Maintain Safe Social Distance Table Decal - Recommended 1 between each usable seat
Hand Sanitizer Station - Recommended 1 per entrance
Dividers - Recommended 1 per checkout
Line Stanchions - Recommended 1 per checkout
Click to view the Cafeteria Area list here
Additional Recommendations
Clear signage indicating your protocols can go a long way in keeping your employees and visitors safe as your office begins its reopening. However, we recommend you consider pairing your signage with these additional tools to remove uncertainty further and keep your employees, customers, and clients feeling safe. Individually sealed masks available in the lobby give the immediate impression that you take both your employees’ and guests’ well-being seriously and are providing them with the means to protect themselves and seamlessly integrate into your new PPE requirements. Back to the office gifts like touchless door openers, UV charging stations or UV sterilizer wands all help your staff feel more at ease as they return to work. Being able to charge and sanitize their phones as they work from their desks or disinfect shared surfaces gives them the peace of mind that their employer is doing their part to help them feel both safe and appreciated.
Looking for some additional ways to tell your employees “You Mean A -Latte To Us” or “We’re Nuts About You”? Check out our Back to the Office Gifts that we can customize with your logo, favorite pun, or even recommend some of our favorites!
Reusable or Disposable Masks - Recommended minimum 1 per employee
Touchless Tool/Door Opener - Recommended 1 per employee
UV Phone Sterilizer - Recommended 1 per employee
UV Steri-Wand
There is no denying that COVID-19 has changed the way we approach a number of things, with the idea of working in an office setting being one of them. It may seem as though there is a lot to consider when reopening your business, but the good news is you don’t have to navigate this alone! Our Customer Relations team is here to make it easy.
Contact Us - We would love to help start the selection process with you!
Looking for more inspiration or ideas? Check out our lookbook or view sign designs.
