The novel coronavirus has turned our lives upside-down. As the virus swept the globe, the way we interacted with friends, family and colleagues changed in an instant. Many office workers have given up the commute and started working from home in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.

But for the millions of people who can’t do their jobs from home, workplaces like factories and warehouses are being made ‘Covid-safe’ in order to keep operating. So in the age of social distancing, how can employers change the way they operate their businesses to keep compliant and keep their businesses going?

Covid-Secure Workplaces

The Health and Safety Executive sets out advice for how to maintain social distancing in the workplace, including:

  • Printing arrows on the floor to create a one-way system of movement
  • Having people work side-by-side rather than face-to-face, to prevent the opportunity of transmission
  • Limiting movement of people rotating between jobs and equipment; and limiting the number of people in lifts and corridors
  • Only allowing essential trips between different sites

Other advice includes limiting the number of people at a workstation at any one time, and creating ‘bubbles’ of coworkers to stop too many people interacting. These measures are all essential to helping prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the workplace, but limiting movement between people also limits communication between colleagues.

Communicating in a Covid-Secure Workplace

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to maintain communication between coworkers despite a lack of in-person contact. Some employers are opting for radio-speaker systems to make sure employees can stay in constant contact, even if they’re not able to communicate directly. With an excellent and reliable system, operations can continue to run smoothly without compromising the safety of workers.

For example, warehouse workers who typically interact closely with lots of different people each day could reduce their contact time by speaking into a microphone to communicate with others. Ultimate Ear’s AttenuatEar Bluetooth Audio S Pro is designed to enhance communication in industrial environments, which has extra benefits in the age of coronavirus.

It provides clear stereo sound and contains a built-in microphone and controls for phone calls and volume. Equipped with a product like this, warehouse or factory workers who would normally have to walk around and interact face-to-face with dozens of people can stay in one place. With good sound quality, they will be able to understand each other clearly and not need to raise their voice – which is another Covid risk.

Workplaces have changed drastically to curb the spread of Covid-19, and even when the threat of the virus has gone, the ‘new normal’ may remain for some time. No one knows what the workplace will look like in years to come, but technology will continue to adapt to our ever-changing world. And although this pandemic has taken us all by surprise, advancements in communication have meant we can adapt.