Businesses cautiously return to offices, seeking ingenious ways to protect workers. Deal

With a relatively low incidence of COVID-19 in the country, the government decided to lift the three-month quarantine from June 17. However, the change in the legal regime itself does not encourage employers to rush to let workers into offices, and returnees face several restrictions.

Returns from June

Darnu Group, a real estate development group owned by MG Baltic, manages three business centers in Vilnius: Business Triangle, Park Town East Hill and Paupio Business House. According to the group, a greater return of workers to jobs began in June.

However, Mantas Umbrasas, director of asset management for the Darnu Group, said that with the start of the holiday season, the performance of 100% of employees will likely be recorded only in the fall.

“So apparently, employees of foreign companies who had returned to their home countries during the quarantine period will return to Lithuania.” 15 minutes Umbras said.

According to him, there were, although few, working in business centers throughout the quarantine period. Some worked in the office due to the nature of the work, others were divided into teams, for example one part of the people worked for a week and then another.

The goal was to prevent employees from meeting. In this case, not all company employees should be isolated if there is suspicion of infection.

The Darnu Group says it has paid more attention to disinfecting common areas of buildings throughout the quarantine period, as well as increasing air flow to make workplaces more ventilated.

In the “Business Triangle”, limited access to the business center was only possible after meeting an office employee.

“We provide disinfectant fluid and face masks to all centers to keep them short. We also provide information with recommendations on how to behave in the business center so that everyone feels safe, “said M. Umbrasas.

The handles open at the elbow.

A tenth of the team members have been allowed to work in the Vinted office of the online used clothing exchange and trading platform since May, and a quarter since June.

Representative of the company Daina Aleksandravičienė 15 minutes He said the company has taken a variety of security measures and preventive actions to help ensure the safety of employees and their families.

For example, the candle maintains a distance of two meters between workplaces, meeting rooms and free movement areas, and guests cannot visit. Additionally, employees must leave their personal belongings in separate boxes at the end of each day to completely disinfect the workplace.

Vinted’s office has elbow or foot-operated handles, as well as a tight variety of snacks, with no bulk food supply to employees for some time.

Lunch service at Vinted Noise has also been adjusted. From now on, orders are made in advance, and when lunch arrives, food is served in sealed packages.

Travelers to the office are encouraged not to choose public transportation, as well as to measure the temperature before leaving home.

Vinted facilities are constantly ventilated and disinfected, disinfectants, masks, gloves, thermometers are freely available everywhere, and employees are encouraged to wear masks and gloves in open office spaces.

The company says the removal of quarantine in the country continues to prioritize the safety of colleagues and their families, so colleagues continue to be encouraged to work remotely.

Vinted currently has more than 450 employees.

Telework Policy

People gradually return to their offices at NFQ Technologies, a provider of data science and business innovation services, but many of the company’s employees would like to continue working remotely, and the company’s management promises to facilitate this.

Paul Insoda, Head of NFQ Technologies 15 minutes They said workers were still advised to work from home until the end of the quarantine, but that since June 1 they had already been given freer conditions to return to work.

According to the company, although it could invite about half of the employees to the offices to ensure security, about a fifth of the staff currently works at NFQ branches in Vilnius, Kaunas and Šiauliai.

“It is important to us to achieve the result achieved, not where we work or how long we have been working, we trust the employees, and the excellent results they achieve speak for themselves,” said P. Insoda.

According to him, before the quarantine began, hygiene and security measures were guaranteed in the NFQ offices, and various restrictions were imposed on returnees as of June 1.

Among them, live communication with colleagues for no more than 15 minutes, which limits the number of people on the premises. Employees cannot play foosball, table tennis, use the rest and bedrooms, showers. We recommend wearing a protective mask, respirator, or shield.

However, a large proportion of NFQ staff are unlikely to return to the office soon. A survey conducted at the company showed that up to 93 percent. Workers would like to be able to work more freely geographically and after quarantine, so it has recently been decided to have a free work from home policy for workers.

“Employees will be able to choose where to work themselves after quarantine: at home or at NFQ’s offices in Vilnius, Kaunas, Šiauliai,” said P. Innoda.

The company also plans to update the company’s policy in the near future, which will allow its colleagues to work not only from their home in Lithuania, but also from anywhere in the world.

NFQ employs around 400 people in offices in three cities.