■ Employees will find new rules when they return to offices, like sticky notes on bathroom doors and wipes by the coffee pot.
Sticky notes on the bathroom door and wipes by the coffee pot. Employees find new rules as they return to the office.
“THERE IS NOT AN EXPECTATION THAT ANYONE HAS TO COME BACK, BUT WE DO WANT TO OFFER IT UP TO THOSE THAT WANT IT. WE ARE DOING THIS BY DESIGN TO ALLOW US TIME TO TEST THINGS TO GET IT RIGHT. NOBODY’S DONE THIS BEFORE.
BUT LET’S BE CLEAR:
YOU’RE SITTING IN A HUGE OFFICE BY YOURSELF WITH A MASK ON. IT’S NOT NORMAL.”
— Judi Hart, chief operating officer at Peak6
When Cushman & Wakefield’s employees started trickling back into the office Monday, they were given face masks, hand sanitizer and sticky notes.
The face masks and hand sanitizer were fairly obvious pandemic accoutrements, but the sticky notes?
The commercial real estate firm is using them to make sure there aren’t more than two people in a bathroom at a time.
“I’ve got a sticky, so when I go to the bathroom I put it on the door,” said Vicki Noonan, managing principal and Chicago market lead for the company. “There shouldn’t be more than two stickies on the door.”
Some Chicago offices are starting to reopen with a limited number of employees who are volunteering to return. As they do, companies are piloting new safety policies to protect workers from a health crisis that shows few signs of waning. The early steps, from practical safeguards to quirky solutions, offer a glimpse at what office life might be like once more companies bring employees back.
Hand sanitizer is everywhere, and certain desks are blocked off to promote social distancing while working. Conference rooms are often off limits, as are dining areas. There are signs on nearly every wall, door and TV screen reminding workers about the new rules.