As we flatten the curve and keep stride while working from home, it's time to start looking forward to a successful return to work. To help you through this important transition, NBF has prepared a wealth of resources for your entire office.

Our two-part introduction to returning to work includes these guidelines for Policies and Procedures as well as a guide to Facility Management, which you can explore here. See more resources at our Return to Work Essentials page.

Bringing the entire workforce home created a vacuum and an urgent need to set expectations for employees. Perhaps its most challenging element was the immediacy and the lack of pre-planning that was possible. In stark contrast, making a return to work can be a thought-out initiative, taking advantage of shutdowns or stalled business to make adequate preparations.

Making this return isn't a one-size-fits-all process. Your company's industry, size, layout, location, and culture will influence the unique needs of your organization. What works for one business might not work for another, yet sharing information and resources can help us all explore considerations we may not have arrived at on our own.

Modeled after some of our own internal planning, as well as the thought leadership of industry leaders, NBF has created content that can help you get a running start to getting back to business. Alongside physical changes and rearrangement, the policies and procedures you put in place will determine the success of your return to work. Holding the following three tenets to be true, we're here to cheer you on and help you stay safe as we all navigate the new normal.

Employee Safety

The health and happiness of employees comes first. It's better to be overly cautious instead of under-prepared.

Easy-to-Follow Policies

No matter how comprehensive, the only successful guidelines are those that can be followed by every employee at every time.

A Sense of Humanity

Policies and procedures should consider the human element, inspiring a sense of calm and security, avoiding a judgmental or demeaning tone.

CLEAR, CONCISE, AND EASY-TO-FOLLOW

Policies and practices are only as successful if they are followed at all times. Avoid overwhelming, confusing, or conflicting information at every juncture, opting for simple steps and easily accessible resources. Use a combination of written communication, visual cues, and in-person instruction to make each new policy change as clear as possible. From overarching memorandums to posted signage, expectations should be designed to become second nature without much effort.

SET THE RIGHT TONE

Returning to work after a radical worldwide disruption might be a stressful or emotional experience for some employees. While using simple syntax and easy-to-follow instructions, ensure that the overall voicing and tone speaks to the workforce on a person-to-person level. Stick with informative and compassionate language that encourages everybody to work together towards common goals. Alarmist, flippant, or judgmental sentiments will make new regulations seem off-putting or unnecessary.

INTERNAL CONTENT & COMMUNICATION

Keeping your organization well-informed and up-to-speed takes many forms. To keep the most recent rules and guidelines clear, the creation of internal content will need to be orderly, informative, and easy to access.

Immediate, Transparent Communication: After initial decisions are made, a large amount of information will need to be shared, but policies will ultimately undergo changes once they're put to the test. Send frequent communication to all employees and employ a combination of both written communication and video messages.
Create a Guidebook: Use this guide and other tools to determine the best practices for your company and create an initial guidebook. As policies change, so will this handbook, and notes on revision dates and additions should be included. Keep this in a shared digital location to ensure that it maintains its most up-to-date form.
Accept Feedback: Create a dedicated email for COVID-19, Return to Work, and policy-related questions, concerns, and suggestions. Consider using an additional anonymous source, available in multiple formats online and even integrated into existing collaborative software, to encourage those hard-to-ask questions.
Location-Based Signage: In each area, be sure to post highly-visible and well-designed signage that outlines space-based expectations.
Use Gentle Reminders: Don't be afraid to go overboard with wayfinding materials, such as floor decals or guide ropes, and use different mediums to make sure there isn't too much "noise" generated by text-heavy signage.
Share Outward-Facing Content: As you create client or customer-facing blogs and materials, these pieces are already inspired by your company's thought leadership and culture. These pieces are valuable to employees as well.
A Central Location: Use shared folders, cloud locations, HR management software, or another easily-accessible and easy-to-update location to store guidebooks, guidelines, and up-to-date materials.

VARIABLE POLICIES

What works for your company might be more or less strict than another's. Tailor each expectation to multiple factors, including the size of your organization, the date they're imposed, company culture, and more. Some of these will be dictated by your state and local government agencies; when necessary, default to these restrictions. For each scenario, consider a jumping-off point that can be relaxed as time goes on, such as the following examples:

RETURN DATES

Specify a single date when all employees should return to the office
Provide a tiered option, allowing employees to return in waves
Specify a date by which employees should transition to full-time office work

MASK USAGE

Enforce mandatory mask use by all employees at all times
Enforce mandatory mask use by all employees in hallways and common areas
Encourage optional mask usage by providing single-use PPE
Encourage employees to bring their own single-use or washable PPE

HEALTH CHECKS

Employees are required to self-monitor their personal health
Employees receive a brief evaluation upon arrival, including taking temperature
A thermal scanner is located at entrance points for contactless and automated temperature readings
A RN or NP can be hired on a temporary basis to conduct health checks for added privacy

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

All out-of-territory travel requires a minimum 14day self-quarantine
Only air travel requires a minimum 14-day self-quarantine

CLEANLINESS EXPECTATIONS

Personal hygiene guidelines must be clearly communicated and followed. These simple steps are valuable and, beyond COVID-19, are behaviors that everybody should continue to follow in public and private spaces. These include strict hand hygiene after using the restroom, before touching food, after using shared supplies, and periodically throughout the day. Soap and water is the best solution, however the compulsive use of sanitizer is an excellent stand-in that can be placed in any space.

When using shared spaces, such as conference rooms, training areas, or breakrooms, cleaning behind oneself is a best practice that can be solved by keeping disinfecting wipes handy or, in lunchrooms or other food-involved environments, FDA-approved spray disinfectants for intermittent use. These measures won't replace daily deep-cleaning by trained janitorial staff, but will make casual use of shared items safer. Expect employees to personally wipe down phones, shared tech-enabled conference peripherals, breakroom appliances, door handles, and any other multi-touch surface after it is used.

For workstations, see our Complete Guide to Furniture Cleaning to best care for your pieces in the long-term.

EVALUATE COMMUNAL GOODS

Aside from one's workstation, the vast majority of in-office resources are shared between staff. Each area requires special attention beyond the aforementioned cleaning guidelines and regulations. Alongside the expectation of cleaning behind oneself, an added measure may include designating a series of point people to periodically monitor individual spaces. Consider these high-touch and constant-occupancy areas, creating and prominently displaying requirements of use:

Document Technology: Copiers, printers, scanners, and paper-based materials are shared resources, all of which involve paper, one of the most porous carriers of germs and viruses.
Breakroom Resources: Appliances are naturally high-touch and require use-by-use disinfecting. Don't forget any of the following-- refrigerators, microwaves, toasters, toaster ovens, stand-alone ice machines, dishwashers, and coffee pots.
Washable vs. Single-Use: When possible, store all reusable items and stock breakrooms with single-use alternatives. Cutlery, condiments, storage containers, cups, and dishes should be replaced with disposable alternatives.
Trash Receptacles: Add covers to all exposed trash receptacles and, when possible, use foot-operated lids to further reduce touchpoints.
Conference Peripherals: Especially in tech-enabled spaces, conference areas often include shared docks, conference phones, wireless computer peripherals, and screens. When selecting disinfectants, ensure that your choices are safe for use on screens or other sensitive materials.
Incoming Mail: The reception and distribution of mail should be handled by one designated party, following a surface disinfection that doesn't harm the integrity of contents. Evaluate your company's existing procedures and determine if it's preferable for mail to be distributed individually or if a centralized cubby system is preferable.

GATHERING EXPECTATIONS

There's numerous places and reasons why employees might gather, be it for a meeting, lunchtime, or any type of casual conversation. While some of these need to be completely eliminated, others can be remediated by following set social distancing guidelines.

After spending several months working from home, teams learned to use collaborative software to have productive meetings. Even while back in the office, start by maintaining online-only meetings, even if everybody is in the same building. For employees that don't already have them, offer headsets or microphone-equipped headphones to cut down on background noise.

In the beginning, imposing strict restrictions on breakrooms cuts back on employee interaction, but to keep up morale and maintain employee happiness, using a mixture of clear acrylic panels and strict guidelines can allow for the casual conversation that wasn't possible during quarantine. Ensure that tables are well-spaced and uncrowded by physically arranging furniture and placing laminated, cleanable signage at tables to signify occupancy.

INTERNAL WAYFINDING

Maintaining one-way flow cuts down on contamination and airborne spread. Use stick-on floor decals, gaff tape, or posted signage to denote one-way hallways, up or down staircases, dedicated entrances or exits, and directional aisles between cubicles. Any physical activity, including walking, increases air droplet spread, further increasing risk.

VISITOR MANAGEMENT

See our complete guide to visitor management here

Since employees won't be the only presence in your building, providing predetermined visitor guidelines keeps the entire organization informed on expectations. Alongside other variable policies, these are unique to your industry and should be accompanied by a tentative tiered relaxation schedule.

Start by determining essential visitors and staff. Repair people, cleaners, and mail carriers are essential to keep businesses running, however there can be restrictions imposed on visits from outside vendors, clients, and other parties that can be connected with an online meeting. Invest in a service that enables outside video conferencing in order to keep these business meetings running.

JANITORIAL STAFF

Whatever your existing cleaning schedule had been-- increase it. Daily deep-cleaning of the entire facility is a necessity and, for particularly large organizations, consider adding a midday service to wipe down high-touch areas with more powerful disinfectants. Ensure that your cleaning service uses supplies that are FDA-approved for defense against SARS-CoV-2 while remaining appropriate for furniture and fixture materials.

While the majority of cleaning companies have adapted their procedures, hazard-informed companies that specialize in total sterilization have been continually trained on thorough, surface-specific cleaning. As the office has been dormant for some time, these services will be most beneficial after the office has been occupied and should be considered for intermittent, supportive use. In particular, warehouses, plants, and other high-activity environments require more stringent cleaning, as any increase in physical activity increases viral spread.

PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE

Things will get better. As infection rates decline and state governments relax requirements, all of your policies and procedures should have tentative relaxation and discontinuation plans. Sharing these benchmarks can boost employee morale, however make it known that they're tentative and not guaranteed.

Things might get worse. Particularly in the fall, it's likely that there will be resurgences of COVID-19. This might truncate your return to work or halt any guideline relaxing. At worst, this might trigger a period of working from home. Put in place specific triggers that will tighten restrictions and possibly send employees back home.

Some improvements are for the better. Better hygiene doesn't hurt and for years to come these practices will make regular cold and flu season less of a struggle. Further, the collective realization that employees are productive while working from home has increased trust and created new opportunities for a healthy work-life balance. Find the good in these changes.

Returning to Work

Tips

Returning to Work: Facilities Management

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the way that we think about the office. We've explored all of the facilities changes that you'll need to retrofit, renovate, or rebuild your various spaces.

The Complete Guide to Furniture Cleaning

Here at NBF, we're serious about keeping things clean around the office. So much so that we've written about it fairly extensively over the years. Now, let's look at some of the most common office furniture materials and how to keep them squeaky clean.

Of course, not all materials can stand up to all solvents. Consult your manufacturer to see if they have specific recommendations for general maintenance, deep cleaning, and disinfecting. New cleaning agents and solvents enter the market constantly, making it more important to be aware of what chemicals do and don't work on different items.

For immediate sanitization and to prevent the further spread of germs, occasional and sporadic use of disinfectants is OK. Don't rely on cleaning wipes or disinfectant sprays as a substitute for routine or deep cleaning, but as a matter of public safety, furniture should always be designed to withstand occasional use.

Solid Surfaces

For desks, file storage, bookcases, and other office mainstays, only a few materials can provide a stylish look that stands up to regular use. Most office furniture is constructed from durable scratch and stain-resistant laminate or veneers that mimic the natural appeal of solid wood. Both materials have their benefits but caring for each material differs dramatically.

Other furniture, such as reception seating or anything in a healthcare setting, will often feature durable materials that can handle more rigorous solvents. These pieces are designed for environments with high levels of human contact or spaces prone to messes and other hazards.

Laminate

Laminate finishes have come a long way over the years. These days, laminate desks are often more popular than their wood or veneer counterparts, thanks to their durability. This finish boasts resistance to heat, scratches, and stains, making it just right for high-traffic areas, spaces that encounter rigorous wear and tear, or offices that need furniture that's built to last.

Warm, soapy water is preferred for cleaning laminate surfaces. Mix a few drops of dish detergent into a bucket of water and go to town. While this almost sounds too easy to be true, laminate is naturally less porous than natural surfaces, making it vital to take care of germs and buildup on the surface. Always rinse with clean water after scrubbing, ensuring that there's no soap residue after cleaning.

Avoid abrasive chemicals, especially bleach and ammonia-based cleaners or those with any sort of grit. These aggressive solvents can change the color of your finish, dulling it with repeated cleanings. While it's the most resilient of furniture finishes, long-term maintenance will help your furniture look great for much longer.

See more details on laminate care here.

Wood Veneer

Veneers combine the many brilliant attributes of both man-made and natural surfaces. These pieces are finished with an extremely thin layer of real wood bonded to a lighter, less expensive wood or manufactured board. This creates furniture with all the natural beauty of solid wood yet is easier to move and costs significantly less overall. Like most natural materials, veneers are easier to damage and require a higher level of maintenance than their laminate counterparts.

It's key to be gentle with wood veneer. Use a microfiber or cotton cloth and, if necessary, highly-diluted mild, soapy water for everyday cleaning. It's tempting to use aerosol furniture polish with its high shine and lovely smell, but these oil- and wax-based cleaners leave harmful residue and buildup on surfaces. As with laminate, avoid harsh cleaners, such as bleach or ammonia, at all costs.

With veneers, the best defense is a good offense. Actively care for your veneer furniture by dusting routinely, actively managing scuffs and scratches with polish, and always using coasters for drinks and mats for hot food. Combined with effective cleaning, this will keep your veneer furniture looking great for years to come.

See more details on wood veneer care here.

Plastics and Man-Made

Not all plastic and plastic-like materials are the same. Manufactured surfaces have differing degrees of porousness and cleanability. In the office or home, it's safe to rely on soap and water as you would with laminate or veneers. You could also use a diluted vinegar mixture for regular washing. Plastics are typically more resilient to common disinfectants and household cleaners, making it easy to use bottled solutions or wipes for a quick cleanup.

Healthcare environments follow a completely different set of rules and regulations when it comes to their man-made materials. The wide variety of materials available, as well as the degrees of solvents used, vary dramatically. In most situations, contact your manufacturer to make sure that your surfaces can be used with the required cleaning agents.

Metal

While its use isn't as common in office environments, some furniture pieces are made from powder-coated metal, stainless steel, aluminum, and chrome-plated elements. While these are often accents or only part of the construction, they still require cleaning and care along the way. Most metal surfaces can be cleaned with the same simple dish detergent and water combination mentioned above, but some have a few more requirements:

Powder coating should never be cleaned with any abrasive cleaning agents or sponges, as this can very easily damage the coating.
Chrome plating will easily show scuffs and scratches, lending itself to nonabrasive cleaners and sponges. Be sure to thoroughly dry the finish to prevent watermarks, and use a clean microfiber cloth (without any additives) in circular motions to bring to a polish.
Brushed aluminum and stainless steel can be easily cleaned with a simple solution of vinegar and water and, as with chrome, should be dried thoroughly to prevent water spots.
Copper, brass, and other decorative metals are often used as hardware or small accents and can usually be cleaned with the same nonabrasive solvents used to clean laminate or wood veneers.

Upholstery

Not all materials are created equal, and that's especially true when evaluating upholstery types. When purchasing furniture, you probably made upholstery decisions based on several factors—durability, cleanability, and style—with varying degrees of quality for each type of upholstery.

There have also been major changes in technology and coatings for all types of upholstery. Especially within the world of fabrics, new coatings and treatments have made specialty textiles available for healthcare environments that would otherwise require a less porous solution. As always, consult the manufacturer to confirm the capabilities of your chosen material. Material care tags will provide the most specific and accurate information for furniture care.

Fabric

Just as you would dust a solid surface, it's wise to always start with vacuuming your seating with a hose or upholstery cleaning attachment to ensure that crumbs, dirt, and other debris won't get in the way of cleaning. Outside of professional deep cleaning, fabric requires minimal day-to-day cleaning beyond vacuuming consistently and wiping down with a mild solution on a damp towel.

You should clean deeper stains immediately. If you don't know the trick for a specific type of stain, start with the basics and work your way up. Begin with a towel or sponge and plain water, using a dabbing (never dragging) motion to soak up as much of the stain as possible. Next, add a bit of dish detergent and continue to dab. For more stubborn stains, move on to a stronger vinegar or alcohol solution and continue to dab. Despite the harsh scent, these usually dissipate after a while, though the area should still be finished with a pat of plain water.

If you're still not seeing the results you want, hit the closet or the laundry room for stain-specific solvents that can get tougher or older blemishes out of your fabric. As best you can, try to patch test these items on an out-of-sight area to ensure they won't rapidly fade the fabric. Avoid bleach at all costs, as it can leave white marks or degrade the fabric quickly.

Mesh

Mesh office chairs offer cooling breathability that's great for stuffy office environments. As a bonus, they're easy to care for. The mesh fibers are usually made from a more durable synthetic material that's highly resistant to staining as long as you clean it regularly. From time to time, vacuum up crumbs and dirt as part of your regular cleaning schedule and run a damp cloth over the mesh to remove any buildup.

Mesh chairs often come with a seat upholstered in a different material, such as fabric, polyurethane, or even leather. Make sure you're using the appropriate cleaning materials on all parts of the chair.

Polyurethane

Often called faux leather when referring to office chairs, polyurethane is a popular choice if you want a fabric that looks great, can mimic any number of textures and is incredibly easy to clean. From your stately executive chair to guest rooms everywhere, a polyurethane alternative can be a stylish alternative to fabrics or more durable (and expensive) materials.

As always, the best easy clean comes from a light soapy mixture on a damp cloth. Along with your other surfaces, dish soap works just fine. Since it's synthetic, you can also rely on other household cleaners, such as a vinegar solution, to clean crevices or creases that catch extra buildup.

While these are great for high-traffic office, reception, and some hospitality environments, there's a degree of porousness that's not well-suited for healthcare or some food service areas that require deeper cleaning due to more hazardous materials.

Vinyl

Not only is vinyl the most durable option, but it's often cost-effective as well. Vinyl comes in a variety of styles and grades to suit a variety of environments. When selecting furniture, be aware of your requirements while selecting an upholstery. Especially when shopping for healthcare furniture, select a vinyl that's designed to stand up to the solvents required for your specialty or institution. Differences in durability can match your needs.

Because of its inherent toughness, you can clean vinyl with any number of solvents. For nonhealthcare environments, choose what best matches your industry. Be sure to wipe down your furniture to eliminate dust and debris before cleaning with a damp cloth and whichever cleaner you choose. After, rinse your vinyl with plain water to remove any excess solvent to ensure your upholstery lasts as long as possible.

See more details about cleaning healthcare furniture here.

Leather

Luxury comes with a price. Leather furniture can be appealing, but it also comes with higher maintenance needs and more complicated processes. Along with that, the higher the grade of leather, the more rigorous your care needs to be. No matter what, use a leather conditioner every so often to provide deeper nourishment between cleanings.

Because of its specific needs, premade leather cleaners contain the necessary cleaning compounds and hydrating compounds to take care of day-to-day care. Patch test the cleaner first and simply spray them on and wipe them off regularly.

For a more home-grown solution, use one part vinegar and two parts linseed oil to form a highly effective cleaning compound. This takes a bit of time, so rub the mixture onto your chair and let it sit until dry, usually over a few hours, before using a clean cloth to rub it in and reach a high shine.

As for stains, use a cotton ball dipped in alcohol in dabbing or circular motions until the stain fades, then be sure to apply leather conditioner so the area doesn't become dried out or cracked from the harsh alcohol solution. Ideally, patch test an out-of-the-way area to ensure the fading isn't too intense. If the stain isn't too deep, begin with a less diluted vinegar solution to see if this gentler method is effective.

See more details on cleaning leather upholstery.

Trusted Resources for COVID-19

When you're gathering information about COVID-19, make sure you're seeking out vetted resources that come from trusted authorities and agencies. We've compiled a list of the organizations that we have used to aggregate and share our recommendations and policies.

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Sam Pekarske

Sam Pekarske is a commercial and creative copywriter, lending a voice to National Business Furniture's products and resources one pun at a time.