How Residential Housekeeping will Change Post COVID-19
Tags: residential housekeeping
Rhousekeeping will see the dawn of a new era as the COVID-19 pandemic gradually subsides. Presuming that the virus will not completely go away anytime soon, residential housekeeping and safety measures need to be tightened to safeguard the residential complexes. The onus of keeping the residential areas devoid of the virus falls on not just the secretary personnel as the managing head of the residential complex. Other residents of the society and your residential housekeeping staff are also responsible for keeping the complex virus-free.
You need to enlist a new set of standard operating procedures and safety protocols for your residential complex. At the same time, you need to ensure that the new protocols are adopted and followed by everyone. Collective measures by the residents and the housekeeping staff is the only way to keep your complex safe from becoming the next potential hotspot in your area. This is why getting your residential housekeeping running at its utmost capacity post the pandemic is vital. We would like to propose short-term and long-term strategies for the well-being of your residential complex.
Although some residents might show resentment in following these safety protocols or might not realize its importance immediately, imposing such actions is critical for the safety of your residents.
1. Reinforcement of Safety (PPE) Kits
While most of the residents must be safely following the primary protocol to socially distance themselves, occasionally stepping out cannot be restricted. People often step out to buy essential resources and may not be able to follow social distancing in crowded marketplaces or retail outlets. As a result, residents must be asked to equip themselves with disposable PPE kits. This way, the possibly infected PPE can be disposed off before entering the residential complex.
In fact, not just residents, this protocol must be followed by your residential housekeeping staff too. Your residential housekeeping staff must be well-equipped while collecting the garbage, wiping the surfaces and while performing other housekeeping functions. This is not just to ensure the residents’ safety but also to eliminate housekeeping staff’s probable contact with poorly-disposed garbage, PPE, or infected surfaces if any.
Thus, mandating PPE kits, including proper elbow-length gloves, face masks, shoe covers, protective face shields, etc. is essential for residents and residential housekeeping staff.
2. Augmented Role of Housekeeping
Residential housekeeping contributes a great deal in keeping the residential areas virus-free. If you already have housekeeping staff taking care of your residential complexes, brief them about your renewed safety protocols and make sure that they abide by your standard operating procedures. Residential housekeeping staff should be trained to sanitize everything from the elevator buttons to the most common high contact touch points in your residential complex at specified intervals. The garbage disposal cans from the complex and its recreational facilities should be cleared off daily without fail with utmost safety.
Residential housekeeping does not just limit to the daily maintenance of the complexes by housekeeping staff, but there’s more to it. For example, residential complexes can also be sterilized with fumigation services. Fumigation services are effective but are overlooked most of the time. Some facility management or housekeeping companies like Unify offer these services, which should be availed at least fortnightly. Although fumigation majorly eliminates the virus in the surroundings, daily housekeeping should still not be compromised.
3. Revamped Safety Strategies
Your society’s standard operating procedures and safety protocols must be drafted clearly and displayed at the most accessible/visible locations. This will help the residents to understand the protocols better and will be able to duly follow them without fail.
Stringent health checks should be mandated at each entry point, and the outsiders must be tested with infrared thermometers. This will ensure untouched health surveillance of the entrants, thus safeguarding the society’s safety along with the safety of your security personnel.
Additionally, elevators are small, enclosed places that can violate social distancing norms. Only one/two person/s or one family should be allowed to use it at a time based on its size. This acts as a social distancing measure where residents are deterred from coming in contact with other residents.
Other than that, people should be restricted from using recreational facilities for a specific time period, or only a limited number of people should be allowed. There are high chances that the residents may revolt against the new safety strategies, but the society’s committee and the secretary personnel should collaborate to inculcate these newly found strategies for the safety of all residents.
Apart from that, wherever possible, digital log-in should be practiced. This eliminates the passive contact through pens and registers and elevates the safety of your security personnel.
4. Limited Outsider In-flow
We understand that the months-long lockdown has made people impatient. This will lead them to either invite guests over or indulge in online retail shopping post the COVID-19 pandemic. This calls for acting on robust policies to block the possible incoming danger.
Firstly, residential managers or secretaries should ask people to limit online retail shopping or food deliveries or any other package delivery. They must carefully address the adverse outcomes of such actions. If the awaited delivery is essential, particular residents must be asked to come near the gate and collect their package/s.
Secondly, if the complex houses any senior citizens, they must be assigned a few temporary housekeeping staff to look after their needs. People who have recently migrated from international countries and have been asked to quarantine themselves should also be extended a hand with some noteworthy precautionary measures. The housekeeping professionals assigned to them must drop the package at the door and leave. The residents can be informed about their delivered package/s via the telecom service.
As mentioned earlier, collaborative measures by both the residents and your residential housekeeping staff can keep the virus at bay. Even better, it may stop the spread if such precautionary measures are adopted by all the housing societies and residential complexes.
Unify Facility Management Pvt Ltd. not only understands this but has well-trained housekeeping staff to tackle such unprecedented situations. We understand the limitation of housekeeping for the residential complexes. We possess resources in the form of trained housekeeping professionals who can help residential complexes combat the virus. If you are falling short of such professional resources or need a comprehensive standard operating procedure for your premise, reach out to us.