How to Prepare Your Office for Returning Employees
As your employees begin or continue to return to the office, there are many mechanical measures you can take to make sure your building is as safe and clean as possible. Our president, Aaron Becker, shared his expertise on navigating the transition.
HVAC
Air quality is important for the health of your employees, and Haller offers a variety of products that make sure the air in your facility stays as clean as possible.
- The AtmosAir is an indoor air purifier that removes up to 95% of pollutants, including viruses, bacteria, mildew, mold, allergens and other contaminants.
- A HEPA filter is a high-efficiency air filter that can trap most particles flowing through your HVAC system.
- UV light ionization is another available product that can kill germs and even fight some viruses.
In addition to installing an air purification system, it’s wise to increase ventilation in your building as much as possible. Moving fresh air throughout the building decreases the amount of possible contaminants (since they live in recirculated air).
Plumbing
There are a few plumbing products to consider installing when trying to create a safer and healthier work environment. Haller’s plumbers can give you a free estimate on installing these products, and once installed, can help maintain them for years to come.
- Touchless faucets are a great way to minimize the spread of germs in communal bathrooms or kitchen areas.
- Touchless toilets are another safe alternative to manually flushing.
Electrical
When you think about the electrical systems in your facility, just as Haller can help with plumbing, we can work to make your electrical systems safer as employees return to the building. Here’s how:
- Install light sensors in your building. These help people avoid touching the light switch in rooms that aren’t often used.
- Set your lights to a timer. In areas of the facility where you know lights will be needed at certain times of the day, Haller’s electricians can install light timers for you and set a schedule so that nobody has to touch a switch.
How to Maintain Your Office While Employees Continue to Work From Home
If your office has not yet started to welcome back employees, there’s still work to be done. While the office is closed, it’s important to maintain your vacant building so that all your heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical systems are prepared to work properly when people return. Here’s a handy list of important tasks and procedures to cover.
Planning and Preparation
A great first step is to develop a plan for routine inspections. Here are some things to include in that plan:
- Complete walkthroughs weekly to check for anything out of the ordinary.
- Look out for buildup of harmful substances.
- Bacteria multiply in static water systems — flush your pipes weekly to prevent this from happening.
Think about what should stay on or shut off, too. Here are a few places to start:
- Set your thermostat to an ideal temperature to save energy (this is anywhere from 78 to 80 degrees in the summer months).
- Power off and unplug all office equipment.
- Turn off unnecessary lighting.
- Drain all non-essential utility services.
- Continue regular testing for fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and security systems to ensure your building is still prepared if an emergency happens.
Haller’s Commercial Service Experts are ready and able to answer any of your questions about how to maintain your office while your employees are working from home, or will work with you to create a plan to keep your employees safe and comfortable as they return to work. Contact us today!
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