Business in a Time of COVID (Part 1): Creating Healthy Buildings for a Return to Work

Just as we saw after two world wars and September 11th, life and work will be profoundly changed as we adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this three-part series I explore elements businesses need to address as they consider reopening in the midst of a global pandemic: creating healthier buildings, creating supportive environments for employees at home, and redesigning how we do business.

Maya works at a dental equipment manufacturing facility that is preparing to reopen after the global shutdown. A frequently honored supervisor of an assembly line, she is worried about catching COVID-19 in her workplace because her husband is medically compromised. If her employer wants to retain this valuable employee, they need to make critical changes in the workplace.

Maya’s company, like so many others, shut down completely during the first wave of the pandemic. Employees of manufacturing firms, retail stores, gyms, and personal service providers do not have the luxury of being able to work from home. It is not easy for manufacturers to produce products or retail stores to serve customers while maintaining physical distance between workers. Yet across the United States, facilities are reopening while workers are nervous and uncertain of the risks to their health.

As a human resources consultant, I have been working with clients to create strategies for getting their companies back on track and ensuring a safe, productive, and healthy workplace for all. To protect employees like Maya and her coworkers, companies need to weigh all their risks and consider these steps to create safe, healthy buildings:

1. UNDERSTAND THE VIRAL LOAD OF COVID-19 

We know that wearing masks and keeping desks and people six or more feet apart are key to distancing germs, and that ample cleaning supplies need to be provided to regularly sanitize hands and office equipment. These practices will not change anytime soon. As leaders consider how best to protect their employees, they need to understand the viral load formula for reducing the risks and spread of COVID-19: 

Virus Exposure x Duration = Higher Chance of Infection

The more time people spend in enclosed space with an infected individual, the higher the risk of contracting COVID-19. For example, spending 10 minutes in the grocery store provides little time for exposure if you wear a mask and sanitize your hands afterward. However, because grocery store employees are exposed to customers in a confined space for several hours a day, they are at higher risk of contracting the virus than shoppers. Their viral load, or opportunity for exposure, is significantly higher. Dining inside a restaurant adds 60 to 90 minutes of exposure risk. Sitting in confined quarters on an airplane for one or more hours is even riskier.

Companies need to consider ways to space out employees in the workspace to reduce the potential viral load and prevent the spread if one employee becomes infected. 

2. IMPLEMENT AND ENFORCE A HEALTH & SAFETY PLAN

The first action all companies should complete when preparing to reopen facilities is to prepare a comprehensive health & safety plan, conforming with state occupational health recommendations and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Manufacturers with existing plans should update them for COVID-19 protections. At a minimum, the plan should include procedures for:Constantly sanitizing high-touch areasRequiring frequent hand washingConducting daily in-person or virtual health checksRequiring sick employees to notify their supervisor and stay homeImplementing procedures for when to allow sick employees to return to workAsking employees who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 to notify their supervisor and follow CDC-recommended precautionsProviding appropriate PPE to workers at no cost and train employees on its useEncouraging employees to wear cloth face coverings if they are determined not to need PPEKnowing what to do if an employee contracts COVID-19.

3. ENABLE HEALTHY AIR FLOW THROUGH YOUR BUILDING

Business owners, facilities managers, and landlords should follow the recommendations outlined in the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ Guidance for Building Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic, also endorsed by the CDC. Ideally, air should flow upward and through your HVAC filtration system before recirculating through the building. However, most office and manufacturing buildings have been designed to recirculate air flow from left to right or vice versa. As a result, employees or customers who sit in the direct downstream path of your building’s air flow are exposed to more daily contaminants and germs than those who are upstream. Consult with your landlord to investigate modifications or repairs that might significantly improve the airflow of your building or office. Whether a company owns the real estate or not, it is critical to understand if your building could be contributing to the spread of COVID-19. The CDC recommends that HVAC system filters be inspected, exhaust systems be fully operational, and outside air sources be maximized.Partner with your landlord to ensure a higher-quality HEPA filter is being used and regularly maintained and tested. According to the CDC, environmental germs from sneezes and coughs that enter the HVAC system can be contained in a HEPA filter and not recirculated through the building’s airflow.

4. CONSIDER INSTALLING HEPA AIR PURIFIERS 

Opening a window enables contaminated air to be exchanged for fresh air. Unfortunately, most office buildings and manufacturing plants do not have opening windows, so occupants breathe recirculated air. While there has been some dispute in the press recently about the efficacy of air purifiers, the CDC recommends them to help keep workplace air clean. Air purifiers with a clean air delivery rate of 240 or more have been shown to capture allergens and particles as small as 0.3 microns in diameter, including COVID-19 germs in the air from a cough or sneeze. A pandemic aside, wouldn’t you want to breathe cleaner air in an enclosed office environment, especially if you already have allergies and respiratory issues? Air purifiers are certainly a less expensive option than modifying a building’s HVAC system.

5. CONSIDER IMPLEMENTING ROTATIONAL WORK SCHEDULES 

One way to reduce your organization occupancy while returning employees to work is rotational workdays where one-quarter to one-third of employees rotate the days or hours in which they are in the office or plant.  A recent New York Times Op-ed suggested a “10-4” rotational schedule, “to exploit a key property of COVID-19: its latent period – the three-day delay on average between the time a person is infected and the time he or she can infect others.” This two-week cycle of rotating employees in the office for four days and working from home for ten days ensures that anyone who might be infected is isolated from other employees during the most crucial stages of COVID-19. Models conducted at the Weizmann Institute in Israel “predict that this two-week cycle can reduce the virus’s reproduction number – the average number of people infected by each infected person – below one. Therefore, a ‘10-4’ cycle might suppress the epidemic while allowing businesses to conduct economic activity.”Rotational schedules have the added benefit of providing continued work-from-home options many employees may need if they have children at home. It also allows manufacturing facilities to continue operating safely, albeit at a possibly slower pace. 

6. CREATE CARE AMBASSADORS

Manufacturing facilities tend to have a strong culture around safety, including identified safety representatives to champion concerns. However, most office environments do not. At a time when many states are reopening for business, employees may be asked to return to work under a cloud of apprehension, nervous about what life and work will look like going forward, and uncertain of the risks to themselves personally. These fears and concerns could hamper employee productivity and engagement if they are not addressed.To demonstrate genuine care for employees’ health, companies should create a team of care ambassadors who are responsible for ensuring a floor or department’s health concerns are being addressed; personal protective equipment is available and used properly; and safety protocols, like physical distancing, are enforced and open communication between employees and leadership is fostered. Employees should be able to bring any concerns to the care ambassadors without any fear of retaliation or retribution, and this protocol should be documented in writing. When workers know they have someone to go to if health & safety procedures are not being followed, they will feel more comfortable returning to work. Companies are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of all. Before even considering the possibility of reopening, businesses should fully evaluate their buildings’ current health and safety and assess what steps need to be taken to protect their employees and customers. After reopening, they should continue to evaluate their building’s health and safety and check in with their employees and leaders frequently to monitor their comfort levels. By following the steps I outlined above, companies can reassure valuable employees like Maya that their personal health and safety are protected and valued. In my next article, I will discuss ways companies can support employees who are able to continue working from home.

About the Author: Julie Jensen is President of Moxie HR Strategies, a consulting firm that provides smart solutions to growing business.  Julie has two decades of executing HR strategies and transforming organizations in the public and private sectors.