Coronavirus Health and Safety Guide for the Office: A Short How-To Guide for Employees

Can you get infected with Coronavirus from a colleague sitting one cubicle over? What do you do if your manager starts coughing? Can you drink from an office mug that’s been washed? These are some of the most frequent questions being asked by employees in the office — and company admins (HR, Internal Comms, CEOs) are scrambling to come up with effective ways to answer these concerns.

Companies are confused because this has never really happened before!

The Coronavirus has spread so quickly, and so far, in such a short period of time, many businesses, government institutes, and organizations have found themselves ill prepared on how to handle a modern-day, 21st century epidemic — or any epidemic,  especially on a corporate level.

• Should HR come up with a new policy?
• Write up a set of COVID-19 guidelines?
• Train staff on health and safety procedures?
• Distribute updated information?
• Provide tips for when employees are stuck working remotely from home?

YES, to all of the above. And the best way for companies to communicate this information is with friendly videos, because talking about Coronavirus is not just a matter of safety, it’s about alleviating fear.

Why People Are Worried

The strain of coronavirus, identified as COVID-19, was first discovered in Wuhan, China on December 1, 2019 — and within just a few short weeks, it had spread across 31 Chinese cities and reached countries all over the world, from Russia, to the UK, to Canada. To make matters more fear-inducing, little was known about symptoms, transmission, and prevention of the virus, and much is yet to be learned about the virus’s long term effects.

How to Alleviate Fear

People are wary of the unknown (especially when it involves personal health), and this often leads to high levels of stress and panic that can wreak havoc in a workplace environment. Fortunately, there is a very quick and straightforward way for office admins to abate these fears – make the unknown, known. Share everything you know about Coronavirus, as a company. Be transparent, be reliable and be smart about it. Coronavirus is a heavy topic, but you’re about to make it approachable, relatable, light, and even friendly!

How do you make a pandemic disease… friendly? You do what experienced HR, L&D, and training professionals have been doing for the past few years (only now, it’s way easier)…

Take advantage of your duty to inform as your opportunity to shine.

Instead of sending information-packed emails to your employees, communicate visually. In this case, bright, animated characters can act as your mascots to deliver a clear message: we’re learning more and more about this virus each day, we’re sharing what we know with you, and we will get through this together.

Introducing the Coronavirus Health & Safety Guide: the most effective way to keep you, your loved ones and your colleagues safe (and calm)!

Simply add your logo, swap colors to match your branding, and provide personal contact information, such as your HR or support email — and you’re ready to go with a short how-to guide for employees.

• 

Check out the example above from Sophia Foods, a specialty food company dedicated to bringing people together via wholesome, honest ingredients. They created their own branded Coronavirus health & safety guide and shared it with their employees.

This guide includes 7 actionable office tips for preventing the spread of COVID-19, but you can easily add new tips or guidelines as they come in, then send updated versions of the video to your company. Check out Powtoon’s Essential Guide for Remote Working for more resources, packed with helpful information for employers and workers.

Coronavirus may have caught you off guard, especially if you’re responsible for keeping an entire staff safe and protected, but if you choose to communicate in a way that is both friendly and informative (and totally shareable), then we’re all one step closer to preventing the spread of the virus – for good! We hope this Coronavirus Health and Safety Guide for the Office can help you accomplish this! 

Access These Video Templates & More

You can find these video templates (and others just like them) in the Powtoon template gallery.

Simply log into your account with your organization’s subdomain.

Click ‘More Templates’ from your My Powtoons page, and browse by category.

You can preview any template. When you find the one you want, just click ‘use’ to launch the Powtoon Studio.

No Matter Where You Work… Stay Connected with Visual Communications

These templates are just the start, but as soon as you begin to up your visual communications game with video, you will find your ability to stay productive and connected to your team will only grow.

Learn more about Powtoon Business.

Please note: Powtoon is a visual communication platform, not a health organization. Information about the COVID-19 outbreak is changing by the minute. Please be sure to verify, by direct and live contact with your local health authorities, any specific health-related inquiries.