Operating your business safely during a pandemic

Conducting business activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic takes careful planning to ensure employees and customers are safe and business goals are met. Mayo Clinic experts have carefully developed strategies and protocols focused on mitigating COVID-19 within the health care setting, where halting transmission is critical. They are also currently tailoring those strategies to support and advise businesses in settings outside of health care.

Mayo Clinic has refined its expertise and may offer advisory services in the following areas, which may be relevant to your business:

• Cleaning and facilities management. Mayo Clinic experts developed cleaning protocols and training for 700 housekeepers and custodians to service 37,500 rooms daily. Experts also apply various technologies, such as ultraviolet robotics, which reduced hospital-acquired infections by 30%.
• Social distancing and use of PPE. The ability for visitors and staff to move safely around campus is essential for most businesses. At Mayo Clinic, experts analyzed physical environments, including conference rooms, elevators and other shared spaces, to develop effective social distancing measures and protocols and communication materials around how to correctly use personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Screening and testing. Mayo Clinic is at the forefront of COVID-19 testing, especially around the development of serologic testing. Our experts have established testing algorithms to inform users on which and when tests are appropriate and determined the screening protocols to manage people coming in and out of campus, including active symptom screening and passive self-monitoring.
• Exposure management and contact tracing. Mayo Clinic developed robust protocols for exposure management and contact tracing, enabling a rapid response to limit further exposure. The process identifies anyone who may have been in contact with an individual infected with COVID-19 and provides clear guidance for managers and supervisors on how to follow up on exposures and keep individuals informed.

Each step in planning should be evaluated in accordance with organizational, local and national guidelines. See the United States Center for Disease Control’s guidance on preparing.

Maintaining a safe work environment

Creating and maintaining a safe environment for staff and customers is a top priority. Not only is it the right thing to do, but a serious infection outbreak can present an existential threat to your business.

• 10 Steps from Mayo Clinic’s Infection Prevention and Control Team to Minimize the Spread of COVID-19
• Tips on how to wear and care for a cloth mask
• Mayo Clinic expert talks social distancing
• How dirty are common surfaces?
• COVID-19: How much protection do face masks offer?
• Proper handwashing
• Cleaning your hands using hand sanitizer
• Mayo Clinic expert explains why contact tracing is critical
• Integrating work from home (podcast)
• Resiliency during COVID-19 pandemic flu season (podcast)
• Wear and remove a mask safely

Nurturing a healthy workforce

Employee health and well-being is essential to a well-run business. That is why Mayo Clinic experts have developed resources to help workers stay healthy, navigate stress and maintain well-being during the pandemic.

• Tips for social distancing, quarantine and isolation (PDF)
• Staying healthy while teleworking
• Podcast: Get healthy, stay healthy adhering to social distancing
• Traveling safely
• Managing stress during COVID-19 (PDF)
• Managing stress during COVID-19 (Podcast)
• COVID-19 and your mental health
• How can you calm your mind?
• Reducing anxiety and stress during COVID-19 pandemic
• Home exercise during isolation
• Weight gain during COVID-19 pandemic
• Mayo Clinic News Network’s healthy living suggestions

Communications

As you develop and implement your plans, communicating changes to employees is critical for success. Below are real examples Mayo Clinic uses to communicate to its workforce.

• Poster/infographic used to explain how to reduce risk of spreading respiratory illness (PDF)
• Poster used to help with masking compliance (JPEG)
• Poster used for masking/handwashing compliance (PDF)
• Sample of guide for wearing and caring for cloth masks (PDF)