Ways to Promote Social Distancing for Onsite Employees and Customers

Promoting safety during the rash of coronavirus cases is critical for onsite employees and customers, especially as businesses begin to reopen. The “new normal” amidst the COVID-19 outbreak is unfamiliar to most, but informational business signs can help point the way for customers and employees.

Social distancing efforts have proven to be the most effective method to limit the spread of COVID-19.Maintaining a six-foot distance from others prevents the inhalation of respiratory droplets that are potentially contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 and emitted through sneezing, coughing and talking.

Sustaining recommended physical distance from others at work poses a new challenge, especially to employees who work in confined work settings. Customers, too, are urged to stay six feet away from other customers and employees to prevent inadvertent exposure to the coronavirus.

1. Promote social distancing for customers

Grocery stores, for instance, have been familiar places to gingerly browse for various foods. Once the coronavirus pandemic resulted in major upheavals, the once-comfortable stores have become unfamiliar spaces to most people. New protocols are enforced to keep the public and employees safe.

Onsite grocery employees are protected from the coronavirus by acrylic sneeze guards. Installed at the cash register, these clear shields prevent respiratory droplets emitted by customers from potentially infecting the cashiers and vice versa. Sneeze guards are just one new addition to stores.

Social distancing signs,too, are now a common sight at the entrance of and throughout grocery stores. The signs are designed to enforce social distancing, which, as mentioned, mitigates person-to-person contact and thereby reduces the chances of contracting COVID-19.Signs instruct customers to remain six feet apart.

Similar efforts to keep customers six feet apart include floor decals. The eye-catching floor decals are written with messages that encourage people in the store to practice social distancing. These reminders are placed at entrances and checkout lanes in the country’s largest retailers as well as smaller ones.

Many stores are also enforcing social distancing measures by offering customers curbside pickup. Restaurants,too, are staying financially afloat and safe by giving patrons the option to pick up takeout orders for food and beverages. Vendors that offer curbside pickup follow newly established guidelines.

Participating stores and restaurants display signs outside their establishments indicating available services, such as takeout or curbside pickup. Instructions for pickup and hours of operation are also typically listed on the signs in efforts to guide customers and patrons in the pickup of their orders.

Social distancing is facilitated by vendors when they reserve parking spaces near the front entrance specifically for curbside pickups. Workers are instructed to avoid direct hand off, when possible. Customers pay ahead of time by phone or online to create physical distance with employees.

Special store hours for seniors and other vulnerable individuals are offered by many retailers and pharmacies. Dedicated senior hours, which are usually during early mornings, help keep older people and those particularly susceptible to contracting COVID-19 away from crowds of customers.

2. Promote social distancing for onsite employees

Office workers, like grocery cashiers, may utilize plexiglass barriers to protect themselves from other staff members. The plastic shields are versatile and may be conveniently mounted on desks to reduce the spread of potentially contaminated respiratory droplets to and from colleagues.

Additional strategies that companies may now see as necessary in the coronavirus age include virtual meetings.Rather than huddle in confined conference rooms, team members conduct meetings via phone or the web. Such efforts meet recommended social distancing guidelines while allowing business to continue.

Sharing phones, keyboards and touch screens can readily transmit the coronavirus to unwitting employees. As a result, shared desks are now no longer common to the workplace. Instead,companies promote social distancing by simply having fewer staff in the workplace at once.

Staggered shifts and fewer workdays are implemented by some companies to reduce the number of employees onsite at any given time. Flexible hours also prevent large groups of staff from congregating onsite. Alternating desks ensures that each shift of employees is physically separated.

Safe collaborations between employees may now be done in outdoor environments, where adequate open-air circulation and opportunities for ample physical spacing reduce the transmission of the coronavirus. Companies even consider moving headquarters to buildings better equipped to promote social distancing.

Corporate employees who practice business etiquette are changing their ways in efforts to practice physical distancing while the coronavirus runs rampant. Rather than greet business partners or colleagues in the customary way, company personnel now avoid handshakes or hugs during interactions.

Both employees and customers should wear cloth face masks when in the workplace and in stores. In some counties, wearing a cloth face covering in public is mandatory, while in others the practice is recommended. Social distancing is still necessary when people wear a face mask.

Amidst the societal chaos caused by the coronavirus outbreak, employees and customers are left wondering how to proceed. COVID-19 has displaced what was once normal. New ways of handling the daily activities of life are communicated by signage, whether in stores,workplaces or in the general public.

Signage to Promote Social Distancing

When the coronavirus has upturned business-as-usual in your company, count on Divine Signs and Graphics. Our business signs will point your customers and employees in the right direction. We offer a variety of signs, such as COVID-19 signs, exterior signs, lobby signs and ADA signs. We also proudly provide fleet and vehicle graphics to promote brand awareness, especially on the road!

Keep your patrons and staff well-informed by adding signs designed, produced, and installed by Divine Signs and Graphics. Our signs incorporate your business logo, colors, graphics, and fonts. As customers enter your building, make sure they are greeted by an exterior sign from Divine Signs and Graphics.

Catch the attention of your customers and employees with a carefully crafted lighted sign, ground sign, plaza sign or monument sign. Divine Signs and Graphics in Schaumburg, Illinois, will capture your unique message and display it in a custom outdoor business sign.

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Call us today at 847-534-9220 to discuss your project and get a free estimate!

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