Back to Work and COVID-19

The restrictions put in place earlier this year to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are beginning to ease, being replaced by measured, phased-in business reopening plans across the country. Though this is a welcome direction, it’s important to remember that the novel coronavirus has not been wiped out, and its health risks are expected to be present for the foreseeable future. Given the continued risk as they reopen, organizations must continue best practices to mitigate the spread of the virus in order to protect their customers and employees. Here are some things to consider as you begin to reopen during this unique time.

As employees begin to come back into the office, everyone should continue to adhere to the CDC recommendations for washing hands, interpersonal contact, mouth and nose coverings, and sanitization procedures. An organization can:

• Encourage employees to wash their hands often and have hand sanitizer readily available to use.
• Remind employees to maintain the recommended six feet of social distancing between individuals and encourage them to wear face masks.
• Provide disinfectant cleaners to clean surfaces and items that employees use, such as desktops, keyboards, phones, printers, etc., and encourage employees to wear protective gloves.
• Ensure that employees who feel ill or have a temperature feel comfortable going home and following the CDC guidance for symptoms of the virus.

These recommendations for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic are national in scope. OSHA has also published back-to-work guidelines.

Each state has guidelines as well, and some have released business reopening plans. An organization considering reopening needs to follow their state guidelines. For the states that Centric Business Systems services, those reopening guidelines can be found here:

• Delaware: https://coronavirus.delaware.gov/reopening/phase2/
• Maryland: https://govstatus.egov.com/md-coronavirus-business
• Pennsylvania: https://www.governor.pa.gov/process-to-reopen-pennsylvania/
• West Virginia: https://governor.wv.gov/Pages/The-Comeback.aspx
• Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/coronavirus/

For workers coming back into the office who use a printer, copier, or MFP, we’ve provided some other recommendations in our previous blog post, “Protecting Your Employees and Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” that you also may find helpful.

In some cases, a firm may find that some employees can continue to work from home. With the right communication and collaboration tools, these employees can productively do their jobs without the need to be in the office. And, with the right security measures in place, their work and the information they work with can be as secure as if they were in the office. Our blog post “Remote Work with Secure Access to Information” covers some ways organizations can support remote and work-from-home employees efficiently, productively, and securely.

At Centric, we are committed to supporting and servicing our clients in the safest way possible during these times. Some of the things we have done and are doing to accomplish this include:

• Centric employees have adhered to the CDC guidelines for hygiene and social distancing from the outset of the novel coronavirus crisis.
• Protective materials, including face masks and disposable gloves, have been provided to employees.
• Our service technicians, along with following the CDC guidelines, use isopropyl alcohol to clean machines before and after servicing.
• Before equipment is delivered, it is sanitized, and our delivery team follows the same hygiene and cleaning protocol as our service technicians.
• Our sales teams use Zoom, GoToMeeting, and other virtual technology to conduct product and software demonstrations to clients, and when requested, are available for in-person meetings in which they follow the CDC recommendations.
• Investments in our infrastructure using the same technology we sell, install, and support for our clients has enabled us to ensure business continuity and continue delivering outstanding service. We will continue to make these investments to sustain the success of our business and that of our clients.

There is no doubt that COVID-19 has changed the way business will be conducted for quite some time. Centric is here to help you with the technology, solutions, and support you need to manage through this health crisis, keep your employees and customers safe, reopen, and thrive in this new reality. Please do not hesitate to call on us; we are ready to respond to help you reopen and become stronger than ever.  We can be contacted at 1-877-902-3301 or info@www.centricbiz.com.