The COVID-19 outbreak has altered our lives dramatically in a short period of time. Although quarantine and initial fears over social distancing will end, the coronavirus has likely changed the way we interact with one another for a long time to come.
As businesses continue to operate remotely, or with limited hours, it’s important to maintain friendly, professional interactions. Businesses, especially restaurants that are focusing on to-go orders and curbside service, are maintaining professional and courteous social distance by:
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- Allowing customers to remain in their vehicle for service or take-out products
- Actively enforcing social distancing between employees
- Actively maintaining friendly social distance between staff and customers or clients
- Requiring immunocompromised workers to wear special ID cards
- Requiring visitors to wear visitor ID badges and keep a healthy distance from others
When schools and businesses are back to normal operation, new social distancing practices will likely be the new norm. Businesses can help prepare their buildings by:
- Placing wash hands signs where customers and staff can see them
- Making hand sanitizer readily available to staff and customers
- Placing social distance courtesy signs and desk plates at reception counters, check-in desks and registers
- Requiring all visitors to wear a temporary badge while on the premises
- Requiring all staff to wear an ID badge with an enlarged font that can be read from 6 feet away
Although the coronavirus pandemic has altered our professional and social lives, it has positively impacted our lives at home, with our pets, and with our coworkers. Businesses are bringing their employees together and boosting morale in difficult times by:
- Having staff share fun selfies
- Hosting remote video chats and happy hours
- Introducing family members and pets online
Name tags are a tradition in the workplace, and are effective in creating connections between people. These connections can still be made, despite social distancing. Here are a few tips for creating name tags that are effective in the age of social distancing:
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- Keep name tags simple! Include name and job title in a larger font that can be read from a few feet away
- Replace traditional name tags with ID cards, which are larger and have space for logos, names, and photos. Design your own IDs now!
- Order bold color name tags or IDs. Use your company brand colors to make them stand out
- Make sure the badges are worn closer to eye level
- Order them with clips that can be attached to shirt pockets or collars
- Pocket badges can also come in handy for this purpose
As we all work to flatten the curve of the spread of COVID-19, we can also do our part in creating healthy, happy relationships with our coworkers, family, neighbors and the public. Keep a 6-foot distance from others, but don’t be afraid to smile, make eye contact and say hello.
