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By Kelly Fisher, Irvine Partners
Most businesses have officially opened for 2022, and many businesses are asking their team members to come into the physical office this year, at least some of the time, to accommodate the hybrid work model that has taken off during COVID-19 pandemic.
But not all offices are ready to welcome employees back. After months of not having anyone in the building, many require some much-needed TLC. Here are five things to do in order to get your office ready for the year ahead.
Ensure that COVID-19 protocols are in place
Let’s get this one out of the way at the start. We’re still living during a pandemic and there are a number of regulations that need to be adhered to. Ensure that you have gone through the regulations and that your office is fully set up to be compliant with these.
Give the office a deep clean
It’s probably been a while since the last deep clean. Now is a great time to do it. Home services such as SweepSouth would be able to help in this regard. Not only will they be able to assist you in booking a cleaning service for a deep clean, but you can opt to make use of them on a regular basis too thanks to SweepSouth Business. You can also use SweepSouth Connect to book a handyman to do any repairs that are needed around the office.
Refresh your plant collection
We’ve all read the stories about the many, many plants that have either died over this period or completely taken over certain spaces of the office because they’ve been left to their own devices. It’s time to refresh the office plant collection. Throw out and replace any dead plants and prune the plants that are a bit overgrown. Some might even need repotting, so check on that, too! Plus, plants are an excellent way to add greenery to a space. On top of this, researchers have found that having plants in an office environment is good for mental health and can lower stress levels, too.
Check the appliances
Big appliances don’t like not being used. Check that the office fridge is working properly and while you’re at it, you might want to check for any leftover food that might have grown its own limbs over the last few months… If the fridge is in a bad state in terms of old food, you can clean it out. If it’s not working correctly, you can either get it fixed or replace it with a new one. We’re sure the team will be happy to have a fresh, clean and/or new fridge to store their lunch.
Top up on the essentials
By this we mean, coffee, tea, milk, water and even snacks. It’s been a while since your team has been in the office. Make them feel welcomed by supplying some essentials to get through the day. Not only will it help boost morale, but if you have this in your office already, they won’t have to step out as often to get it. So, you win on the productivity front, too.
The transition back into an office environment is not going to be smooth sailing from the start. But by doing these things listed here, you can make it easier for everyone and get the team excited to be back at work again.
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