How to Keep Your Coworking Space Safe During COVID-19
Michaela Ivanova
Content Marketing Manager at OfficeRnD
Mar 11, 2020|3 mins read 1
We’re currently experiencing one of the most challenging times for the entire real estate industry. Keeping extreme hygiene and implementing new safety procedures has become crucial to keep your coworking space safe during COVID-19. Running a coworking and flexible workspace today is harder than ever! As a member of a flexible workspace, as well as a vendor, working with more than a thousand operators like you, we feel your pain every day.
The entire team at OfficeRnD is on your service and is here to help with everything we can! The health and safety of your clients, members and employees are truly important for us. We compiled a list of 13 tips that can help you in these turbulent times.
You can also check out some additional COVID-19 tips and resources (webinars, posts, templates) that we gathered.
1. Acknowledge the situation.
There is nothing worse than silence in times of crisis. Your members and staff expect you to acknowledge the situation and address it somehow. Even if it’s just to let them know you are taking it seriously.
2. Assure your clients, members, and employees that their health is your #1 priority.
Whatever you decide to do, you need to let the people know there is nothing more important than their health and all measures are taken to ensure their wellbeing. Don’t think it’s assumed.
3. Take additional precautionary measures.
Ensure that all shared spaces like kitchens, bathrooms, and meeting rooms are cleaned and disinfected properly and on a regular basis. Include places that are not usually cleaned – doorknobs and elevator keys – in the cleaning rotation. Communicate that to your members.
4. Supply additional disinfectants at key places.
Make sure you provide disinfectants in meeting rooms, at reception, in the dining areas or next to the elevators – anywhere people tend to interact with each other or with food.
5. Follow all hygiene best practices and those recommended by the official authorities.
Relay hygiene best practices to everyone on site. You can put up posters in the bathrooms for example. If you want to make it more engaging – you can use a more creative approach. The City of Round Rock, Texas uses a cool one – “Wash your hands like you just got done slicing jalapeños for a batch of nachos and you need to take your contacts out.”
6. Ask people to work from home when needed.
Ask those who’ve been traveling lately or have flu symptoms to work from home to limit their contacts with colleagues and other members. Here are some useful tips on how to keep teams collaborating when working remotely.
7. Keep yourself and others well informed.
Follow the official guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) on their website.
8. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
Use all possible channels to communicate with your members about the measures you’re taking in order to keep them healthy.
9. Go digital with events.
Make sure to follow the guidance from your local authorities and reschedule or cancel physical events held at your space when needed. If you are the organizer, you can always go digital and broadcast through Zoom, Facebook Live, YouTube Live, etc.
10. Don’t panic.
Whatever you do, don’t panic and don’t let your members panic. Ensure them you are doing everything that is in your power to keep everyone healthy. As the famous saying goes, “that too shall pass”.
11. Support your members.
Consider ways to offer a reduced price for members who are working from home for a longer period of time. Show your appreciation and support for their own business and that it’s important that they are successful and can survive the crisis.
12. Invest in your core product.
Smart investors and entrepreneurs see the opportunities in a downturn. Invest even more in your core product and make it even better! The best companies are forged in bad times. When good times come, the investments you’re making now will pay off by huge multiples.
The entire team at OfficeRnD is on your service and is here to help with everything we can! Please, get in touch with us at support@officernd.com if you have any questions.
Be safe!
The OfficeRnD Team
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