Stay Open Responsibly: Best Practices for Post-Pandemic Facilities Maintenance

Businesses continue to face many challenges as remote schedules are adjusted and employees return to the office. Some organizations are challenged with accommodating flexible remote versus in-office schedules or easing a majority of their employees back into the office for a resumption of business as usual. Meanwhile, other entities, such as airports, are tasked with resumption of normal operations and staying open safely as COVID-19 variants continue to impact their employees health and safety.

No matter the circumstance, it’s important to understand that the definition of “clean” has evolved, especially for commercial facilities. COVID-19 changed the way that commercial cleaning is performed and how seriously it’s taken. New cleaning goals should be focused first and foremost on safeguarding the health and safety of facility occupants.

This guide is designed to help organizations with questions about how to create and maintain a healthy facility while supporting employees as they learn to manage both remote and on-site work. While recommendations are primarily focused on office environments, the methodology can easily transform for whatever industry you serve or property you manage.

We’ve drawn on the expertise of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to create this guide. It combines their guidance with Flagship’s 30+ years of experience in janitorial and facilities solutions, including prior pandemics, as well as expertise gained from servicing businesses through the COVID-19 outbreak. These proven processes and methodologies will help organizations of any size, in any location.

Once You’ve Opened Your Doors

Whether your employees are returning to work for the first time or simply being asked to visit more frequently, it’s your job to make the transition as smooth as possible. Having a clear plan in place is sure to make the change easier on both you and your staff.

Define Priorities

Every business has its own unique requirements. Some may need to prioritize the wellbeing of their workforce, while others need to concentrate on the health of visitors. Once you’ve determined your top priorities, then you can begin the planning process.

Weigh Risk vs. Expense

With change comes expense, and the higher the risk posed by an item, the more expensive it’s likely to be. It’s a good idea to rank all the permanent changes that need to happen within your facility to make it safe, and then create a budgetary timeline and phasing forecast.

• Determine the risk/value of new technologies, furniture, signs, space adjustments, disinfecting units, and outsourcing staff.
• Rank your budgetary needs, taking their risk/values into account.
• Be prepared to make budgetary adjustments based on changing caseloads that are out of the organization’s control.

Update Your BCP

Many businesses have been so focused on maintaining operations that they haven’t had time to revisit their Business Continuity Plan (BCP). But having an up-to-date BCP is essential. The goal of the BCP is to continuously improve the preparedness of the institution to handle a disaster or business disruption. The BCP should include a pandemic response plan, including steps for shuttering as well as steps for recovery.

Procure & Inventory Necessities

Cleaning for health (versus appearances) became a high priority as the pandemic spread throughout the world. As a result, individuals and companies alike found it hard to find and procure the cleaning solutions they needed.

When facilities closed, suppliers were able to restock most items, but as more facilities open, the demand for EPA-registered disinfectants has started to rise again. Make sure your facility has sufficient inventory for the number of employees you have on-site.

• Review the list of EPA-registered disinfectants (which has changed multiple times over the past year) and base purchase numbers on the number of square feet and occupants at each phase.
• Order supplies early and monitor your inventory. Everything should be on-site and ready for use each day employees are in-office.
• Each solvent has its own directions for mixing and saturation. Develop a guide for each solvent you procure (as well as any backup solvents) to guarantee proper use.

Source: snagajob.com

Prepare Your Facilities

Once you’ve completed the planning process, then you’re ready to introduce new health and safety measures to your facilities. In addition to completing a thorough inspection, you may need to invest in extra personnel and equipment.

Update Safety Measures

Reconfiguring Your Space

Gone are the days of 8-hour shifts and Monday-Friday work schedules. Employees are demanding more flexibility, which has prompted many businesses to reevaluate their office space.

If you’re thinking about reconfiguring your facility, the first step is to understand how it’s currently being used. You can rely on your access control system to gain insights into when, how often, and how many people are using the office and its amenities. Depending on traffic, you may want to consider installing higher cubicle walls or glass partitions to minimize the risk of virus transmission.

You may also wish to spread out desks and other furniture to create more space between employees. Not only does this help maintain social distancing, but it fills your space more naturally and keeps your office from feeling empty.

Assign New Responsibilities

A small facilities team can quickly become overworked by all the needs and requests that come with post-pandemic operations when facilities return to normal operations and occupancies. Help will likely be needed to fulfill emerging obligations and complete new tasks. Consider redefining the roles and responsibilities of existing staff who are already involved or have a passion for facilities. If needs cannot be met internally, you may need to hire or outsource positions.

Connect With Your People

Follow the “4 Cs” rule: Communicate using compassion, coordination, consistency, and clarity when discussing changes with staff at every stage.

Communication is key to getting and keeping your employees on the same page, especially as circumstances and facility protocols continue to evolve. Remember – Everyone communicates differently. Deploy a variety of communication methods to address questions and concerns as quickly as possible.

Alleviate Fear

Despite efforts to enhance health and safety, many employees still fear returning to facilities with hundreds or thousands of co-workers. It’s important to be practice sensitivity when it comes to issues of cleanliness, touch, and proximity. Remember – occupant health and safety is your number one priority.

Follow the “4 Cs” rule

• Routinely adjust and update scope of work and cleaning protocols. The ability to quickly adapt to the changing environment is essential.
• Communicate how the organization and/or the facility is following (or going above and beyond) the guidelines outlined by governing agencies.
• Encourage employees to participate in roundtables/surveys and share their ideas and frustrations regarding facility updates.
• Communicate that any updates are designed to keep everyone safe and healthy.
• Create signage that clearly explains changes, including number of occupants per room, one-way corridors, room closures, personnel processes, etc.
• Reward successful occupant performance and celebrate achievements unique to the “new norm.”

Communicate Frequently

Throughout this guide, there is a lot of emphasis placed on communications. It is very important to keep employees up to date at every stage of the reopening process, including the post-return stage. By communicating clearly and often, you boost employees’ confidence in your ability to protect them and eliminate any possibility of confusion.

Incentivizing Employees

There are plenty of reasons why businesses want to motivate employees to return to the office. Not only does it help them make the most of their real-estate investments, but it ensures that staff are engaged and fosters a fun and friendly company culture.

Although many employees are looking forward to getting back to their desks, many remain hesitant. What can you do to incentivize your employees to return without breeding discontent?

The first and most important step is to listen to your employees. Don’t assume you understand their preferences. Instead, start a conversation and base your return plan on what you learn from them in the process. Some staff are driven by free lunch and transportation options, while others expect upgrades to the physical office space. There’s no way to know unless you ask!

No matter what excites your employees, remember to treat it as a reward. You’ll get better results if you recognize positive behavior than if you punish employees for not complying.

Overhaul Training & Guidelines

Not only do employees need to know what actions are being taken to protect them, but they need to know what is expected of them. Training should be both thorough and empathetic to the fears employees are experiencing. Rules should also be posted to allow for repetitive consumption.

• Clearly communicate your organization’s vaccination policy.
• Tailor training to your staff, including frontline employees, employees that interact with visitors, employees working with food, and employees with no customer contact.
• Place signs and written reminders throughout the facility.
• Train in fitting, wearing, and using PPE as well as safe removal, sanitation, and disposal.
• Provide opportunities for employees to ask questions and provide feedback on training.
• Initiate virtual training for regular visitors and staff ahead of the facility’s opening.
• Reinforce training regularly and update and adapt training as circumstances change.
• Find ways to connect training and messaging back to the corporate vision to help employees find meaning in organizational changes.

Emphasize Shared Responsibility

Once employees are fully trained, then you can shift your focus to enforcing the rules and promoting good habits. Be sure to emphasize that maintaining a healthy facility is a group effort. There are many actions employees can take to minimize risk – many of them voluntary.

Consult the Experts

Today, facilities maintenance is more complex than ever before. On top of cleaning and maintenance, the function is now responsible for protecting occupants against the dangers of illness and other outside threats. Luckily, there are plenty of specialists willing to help you optimize facilities safety and performance. Don’t be afraid to call on them! It’s sure to save you money and hassle in the long run.

Ask For Help

It’s daunting to think about every crevice of your facility, every action’s reaction, and the health, safety, and well-being of every occupant and visitor. It’s always a good idea to consult the experts with specific skill sets and experience.

• Janitorial companies provide the expertise, personnel, and EPA-registered disinfectants you need in these challenging times.
• Plumbing experts will make sure your waterways are clear and pipes are free of dangerous growth. They will also check your filtration systems (and repair or replace them if needed).
• Pest control companies can spray for and remove pests and critters.
• HVAC technicians are trained to maintain your HVAC unit, clean your ventilation systems, and replace your filter for greater efficiency.
• Facilities Management providers not only have the know-how to assist with all of the above, but they’re equipped to help with other facilities tasks, including:

Consider Outsourcing

For many facilities, outsourcing maintenance and engineering activities is more practical than performing them in-house. Not only do FM providers perform a range of services, but they know how to optimize your systems. The right partner will work with you to achieve greater cost control, visibility, and quality assurance. You can also count on a facilities partner to:

Introducing the PUREClean Service Method

The PUREClean method includes the following steps:

• Review and order sufficient inventory of cleaning chemicals, materials, and consumables based on the opening phase and building occupancy.
• Ensure cleaning staff have been thoroughly trained on proper disinfecting guidelines, mixing recommendations, and saturation times.
• Determine high-traffic areas that will require more attention due to heavy usage, such as break areas, kitchens, gyms/locker rooms, conference rooms, and restrooms.
• Ensure all cleaning staff practice hand hygiene prior to putting on PPE and follow all Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) requirements and CDC guidelines.
• Routinely disinfect high-touch areas and manage air quality and ventilation
• Use EPA-registered disinfectants for treating surfaces and ASHRAE’s guidelines for HVAC units.
• Properly dispose of PPE in accordance with WHO or local regulatory requirements.
• Stagger staff schedules to reduce overcrowding.
• Update food and beverage order quantities with vending machine vendors and make sure vendors comply with new processes and protocols during on-site visits.

Lessons Learned

Before the pandemic, facilities managers were already being asked to manage more business processes, data, systems, and regulatory requirements than ever before. COVID-19 only put added pressure on FMs to improve performance, despite lacking both the budget and personnel to do so effectively.

Out of necessity, FM providers learned to do more with less – to the benefit of businesses everywhere. By deploying technology to absorb some of their work, FMs have been able to reduce their operating costs and focus their attention on higher-value tasks such as workforce management and strategic planning.

Flagship is proud to partner with companies like TRAX Analytics and BrainCorp to automate key cleaning and maintenance activities using the following innovations:

• Autonomous Scrubbers. For each autonomous scrubber implementation, Flagship can reduce floor crew personnel and improve the productivity of the assigned floor crew team. The productivity and savings we have achieved at our airport sites is more than $40k per scrubber implemented per year, with a return on investment of approximately one and half years.
• High-reach Dusting. SpaceVac’s high-reach dusting system enables one person to operate the lightweight carbon wand, eliminating the need for a lift and a second employee spotter for most applications. Not only does this system enable us to complete high-reach dusting and vacuuming more efficiently, but it speeds up performance and is less intrusive to people passing by.
• Handrail Cleaning System. Our handrail cleaning system saves time and labor by cleaning handrails automatically. Equipment can run and sanitize without shutting down escalators, thereby minimizing the impact to facility occupants.
• Misting Technology. This technology is designed to reduce risks by killing viruses, bacteria, and mold faster, safer, and more effectively. Misting delivers disinfectant into the hard-to-reach corners and crevices that wipe methods simply can’t reach.

Final Thoughts

Take the Best Value Approach

The Best Value Approach (BVA) is frequently utilized in the procurement of facilities maintenance services. BVA promotes the selection and procurement of Best Value vendors based on performance (versus lowest price). Not only does it drive accountability and efficiency through performance measurement and reporting, but it is considered a tool for risk management.

BVA Can Help You Achieve

If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it’s that change is the only constant. You need a facilities provider that is established enough to provide reliable support, but flexible enough to adapt its services as circumstances shift and your facility’s occupancy fluctuates.

Flagship Facility Services is the right size to meet your evolving needs. With more than 30 years of experience, we offer a portfolio of facilities services – including cleaning, building engineering, maintenance, and project management. Still, we’re able to adjust quickly to match your current state of operations.

Our team takes a consultative approach to facilities maintenance, providing guidance and working alongside you to optimize your space. Not only can we help make your facility work for a smaller number of people, but we’re willing to flex our staff, cleaning frequencies, and other contractual provisions as you make your way back to 100 percent capacity.

Resources

The PUREClean™ service program was developed by Flagship’s facility services experts, drawing on decades of experience fighting pandemics, including Ebola, SARS, COVID-19, and H1N1.

PUREClean’s four-pronged approach helps protect employees in the workplace and the traveling public in airports. PUREClean is designed to support full, partial, or phase re-opening plans.

PUREClean provides a roadmap for supporting employees’ ongoing health and wellness now and into the future. Additional information on PUREClean is available at flagshipinc.com/pureclean.