Things have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Schools were closed, leisure activities areas halted from their operation, and workplaces were temporarily unoccupied due to the spread of the virus, which translated to a work-from-home set up for the working class. 

Now that the workers can’t go back to the old normal, they have to adapt to the new normal, which means they should expect changes in workplaces. Some examples are implementing mandatory wearing of face masks and distanced work pods. The pandemic may have changed traditional workplaces, but this article will help you prepare for some eight changes to expect in post-COVID workplaces. 

Installed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Vending Machine

If you’re a medical healthcare worker or frontline, you can expect that your company will install one to provide convenient and fast-paced distribution of PPEs. Furthermore, a safety PPE vending machine has other benefits, too, like the following: 

• It can help lessen the company’s expenses.
• The company can better manage and monitor PPE stocks.
• It keeps PPEs safe and sanitized if they’re just in one storage area.
• The company can easily count the PPE stocks and immediately inform the supplier.
• The company can accurately determine how many PPEs they’re going to order.

Having a PPE vending machine can also help you and your company save time whenever you’re in a rush for acquiring PPEs because you already know where they’re located, and you don’t have to worry if they’re already out of stock.

Mandatory Use Of Face Masks

Maybe, some of your co-workers don’t believe in the COVID-19 pandemic, but companies will strictly implement the mandatory use of face masks since it’s one of the essential things during or even post-COVID. Wearing face masks all the time can help the company prevent the possible spread of the virus in your workplace.

Furthermore, if your co-workers don’t want to follow the mandatory use of face masks inside your workplace, your company can conduct a discussion on how face masks work to prevent the spread of the virus. 

Expansion Of Workplace And Distanced Work Pods

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, health protocols, like social distancing, have been a standard whether you’re inside or outside an establishment. Furthermore, it may be necessary for establishments to expand their offices to follow the social distancing health protocol and accommodate their workers who are assigned to work face to face. 

For example, a business processing outsourcing company has implemented face-to-face working hours after many employees have been vaccinated. Hence, they may need to expand their workplace and follow the protocols. Expanding their workplace can also be a manifestation that the company values their workers’ health and safety.

Established Temperature Scanner

If you’re going to work on-site, you may still see temperature scanners before going inside the building because it may still be useful to determine who’s sick or not feeling well. Furthermore, this can also easily determine if an individual is showing COVID symptoms, which can prevent them from going inside the area.

Flexible Work Arrangement

Working people can expect companies to implement a flexible work arrangement, which means that they can be in alternating schedules, whether they’re going to work on-site or from home. Companies implement a flexible work arrangement to control the number of employees working in the area, thereby preventing the spread of the virus. 

Furthermore, this arrangement can also help the company monitor the availability of its employees. Hence, they can efficiently record the productivity rate of their workers, as well as balance the workloads that they’re giving to them. 

Seminars To Webinars, Team Buildings To Online Breakout Rooms

If your company needs to conduct a seminar or training to enhance employee skills, they may assess the situation whether the training can be held online or face-to-face. They may choose a virtual setup if it’s doable online. Furthermore, the company can also hold team buildings virtually to lessen the number of employees being together.

When it comes to expenses, your company can save more from these online activities. However, some may prefer face-to-face activities to see better efficiency and results.

Monitoring Of Productivity Will Be More Technologically Advanced 

A post-COVID workplace may be using more technologically advanced applications to monitor their workers’ productivity. For example, if your company is in a hybrid setup, they may implement a blended setup, wherein some will be working on-site, while others work from home. 

Therefore, they can use social applications to monitor both the employees working on site and from home. In addition, companies will need to adapt to the new normal of monitoring the records of their employees, especially if they’re far away from the actual workplace sites. 

Colleagues From Different Parts Of The World

You can expect that you may have co-workers from other countries, particularly if you’re working for a company with a work-from-home setup. Therefore, you may face some challenges when interacting with your international colleagues, particularly because of cultural barriers.

Here are some tips that you can use so you can communicate effectively with your foreign co-workers: 

• Do some research, then do a background check about their respective countries, particularly their cultures.  
• Ask for consent if it’s fine to ask some personal questions to know them better.  
• You can initiate small talks sometimes that aren’t related to your work. Small talks may help for cooling down your workloads.  
• Build rapport and make them feel welcome to the company, even if they’re just working remotely.  
• Avoid using slang, especially if you’re unsure if your foreign co-workers can easily understand it or may be offended by it.  

Conclusion

A post-COVID workplace may mean major adjustments, but it’d be best to expect such changes so that you can prepare for the new normal and not be confused with your new work environment. Moreover, expect the tools to be more technologically advanced as well. Such inevitable changes are going to be part of your routine for many years. These will help save the world from going back to the horror of when humanity was at the height of the pandemic.