It could get really weird going back to the office.
There could be staggered shifts at offices as some companies try to reduce the number of people at the doors and in the hallways.
For Forbes
photo: NEWSDAY VIA GETTY IMAGES – Caption: A passenger waits for the Long Island Rail Road in Freeport, New York.
Arrive at your assigned time.
Someone in a spacesuit might insist on taking your temperature, which is both intrusive and an imperfect indicator of whether you’re carrying coronavirus. Let it go.
You’ll need to keep the same distance from your coworkers as you would if they had not showered for a few days. Bring a mask. Wave and smile enough that they can see your eyes squint, since they won’t be able to see your mouth.
Don’t touch the copy machine, a stapler, a coffee pot or anything any of them touched unless you wiped it down before or washed your hands after, or both. Bring hand sanitizer.
Meetings will be held in the big conference rooms. Keep your distance as you file in. You’ll have at least two empty seats on either side of you. Bring disinfectant wipes.
You’ll have to sit by yourself or eat at your desk during your assigned mealtime. Bring your lunch.
When you first return, the pipes in the building may have been unused for so long that you could catch Legionnaires’ disease from them. Bring water.
While it would be great if those cubicle walls were a barrier against the virus, the current evidence indicates they are no guarantee. “Many workers will find a mess of masking tape, plastic sheets, police tape, floor decals, and a host of half-baked design solutions in the name stemming the spread of Covid-19,” wrote Quartz’s design and architecture reporter. Bring your newfound germaphobia.
Be prepared for new experiences, like watching the guy with asthma run from the building when the woman with seasonal allergies has a sneezing fit. Or being notified to stay home when someone in your building tests positive. Or not being able to go to the funeral of the woman who was planning to retire next year, the one who was your mentor. Or being mad at whoever brought the virus into the office – until you realize it might have been you. Bring your patience and compassion.