After more than 2 months of lockdown, most European countries are now easing measures and getting ready to restart the economy. However, the COVID crisis is likely to enforce new rules in life and business for the long run.
So we created this checklist to help tour and activity companies prepare for the “new normal”. In this post, we’re going to suggest measures to prepare your workspace, protect your employees and wow your customers for a successful reopening of your business.
Ready? Let’s go.
Staying in line with regulations
Since social distancing is expected to continue through the end of the summer season, you need to keep following the protective measures currently in place. Here are two ways to do that:
- Follow the World Health Organisation’s latest advice on prevention and control that could be accessed through their website www.who.int.
- Regularly check the up to date regulations issued by your local authority and the government.
Your Workspace
Contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads. That is why you need to implement infection prevention and control measures to make your premises safer for everyone. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
- Regularly clean premises and equipment to maintain excellent hygiene.
- Display posters with instructions for your employees and visitors to follow.
- Provide chemical disinfectants for cleaning frequently used surfaces like desks and items like keyboards.
- Ask everyone to clean the tools and equipment they used.
- Rearrange desks to allow space between employees (if possible, leave at least 50% of the workspace unoccupied).
- Designate areas where people can get disinfectant, spare gloves, tissues and masks
- Provide metal bins where tissues and cleaning materials can be disposed of immediately after use.
Preparing and protecting your employees
Maintaining health and safety standards will largely depend on your employees. So it’s crucial that you’re all on the same page about expectations and responsibilities on both a personal and team level. Here are a few things to consider:
- Display posters promoting hand-washing and cleaning surfaces, objects, and tools.
- Host briefing meetings with up to date information as regulations change.
- Promote social distancing via remote meetings and videoconferencing where possible.
- Put business trips on hold where possible.
Meeting customers
Once you have your workspace ready and your team understands new policies, it’s time to prepare for serving customers once again. Consider the following steps to ensure customer safety and make the most of demand during the reopening phase:
- Buy an infrared digital thermometer to take the temperature of customers entering your premises.
- Put sanitizing hand rub dispensers near the building entrance.
- Tape off zones so people have enough space around them.
- If your premises allow it, introduce 1-way aisles.
- Consider installing plastic barriers to control queues.
- Limit visitor capacity in line with your government’s regulations.
Conclusion
This was a quick checklist with things you can do to ensure the safety of your customers and employees. We hope it’s going to help you to successfully reopen your experience business.
Related resource: The Five-Point Digital Recovery Game Plan for Tours & Activities. Download your copy now.
