We’ve stopped talking as much about the pandemic but the lessons it taught us are here to stay. Organizations learned that many employees can function remotely as efficiently as they do from central offices. On the other hand, employees discovered that working from home isn’t a good long-term idea.

Coworking spaces have emerged as the ideal solution. Today, it isn’t just freelancers and start-ups that are booking desk space but established large and multinational corporations as well. Coworking spaces attract people from all walks of life and hence every individual must take charge of their own well-being. Here are a few health and personal safety tips for coworking spaces.

1. Maintain Good Personal Hygiene

The first rule of staying safe is to maintain good personal hygiene. You may not be sanitizing the desk every morning but sanitize your hands frequently. Washing your hands with soap and water as soon as you enter the office and after using the washroom is always a good idea.

As shown by the graph above, you may not see them but there are millions of germs on unwashed hands. Ideally, scrub your hands with soap and dry them properly. If you sneeze or have a cough, always remember to cover your nose and mouth. This keeps germs from spreading in the office. If you’re using a tissue, make sure you throw it immediately into a dustbin.

3. Work From Home When You’re Feeling Unwell

Seasonal allergies and colds may not be serious enough to warrant medication and bed rest. You can still work but it is better to work from home in these situations. There are two reasons this is often listed amongst health tips for office space. Firstly, if you come to the office, there’s a chance you may spread the infection to your coworkers. Secondly, when you’re even slightly under the weather, your immunity drops. Thus, you’re at a higher risk of catching a more serious infection from someone else who may be asymptomatic.

3. Keep Your Work Area Clutter-Free

Keeping your work area clean and clutter-free is very important when we talk of personal safety tips in coworking spaces. If you have a charging cable lying across the floor, you may trip on it and injure yourself. Similarly, if your desktop is too cluttered, you may drop a glass and cut yourself.

As far as possible, try to keep minimal things on your table. Simple cord managers can go a long way in keeping your mobile and laptop charging cables from tripping you over. Similarly, rather than keeping your lunch box on the table, keep it in your locker or the kitchen fridge so that it is out of your way.

4. Carry Your Own Things

This falls under health tips as well as general tips for good working etiquette. Always carry your own pens, notebooks, water bottles, charging cables, etc. If you don’t want to carry a heavy bag back and forth every day, choose a coworking office that has a locker facility. Also, label your belongings so they don’t get accidentally picked up by someone else.

There may be some days when you forget to carry something. If you do need to borrow a pen or a pencil once in a while, wipe it down with sanitizer before and after using it. If you need to use community assets like a glass from the kitchen, rinse it out well before using it.

5. Take A Break

When you talk of health and safety tips for coworking, it isn’t just your physical health but also your mental health you should be concerned about. A survey found that over one-third of the respondents with very low physical and emotional wellness levels did not take breaks at all while they worked.

Take a break and stretch your legs every other hour. This keeps your muscles from stiffening up and allows you to clear your mind. Going for a five-minute walk during your work break can lower the risk of issues like heart disease, obesity, depression, etc.

6. Report Unsafe Conditions

Lastly, though the coworking space providers will have maintenance protocols and procedures in place, if you notice something that could be a risk to your health or personal safety, bring it to their notice. This could range from an unclean bathroom to an exposed wire. Take responsibility for the space and keep your eyes open at all times.