Returning to the Office: Considerations for Law Firms

Your Office

The biggest impact to your physical space will be increased sanitizing and disinfecting procedures, and complying with physical distancing requirements. Your plan will vary depending on the directions and support of your landlord or facilities manager. 

Cleaning and sanitizing

  • Once you’ve established an updated cleaning policy, clearly and transparently communicate it to your people, clients and visitors. Pre‐meeting calls/emails/texts to clients, signs in reception or on the office door, and communications to your people will provide knowledge and assurance.
  • Consider hiring full‐time custodial staff to perform constant cleaning or increase the cleaning frequency. In this “new normal,” it is acceptable and even comforting to see cleaners during the workday.
  • Implement a “clean desk policy” to avoid accumulation of memorabilia and allow for thorough night‐time surface cleaning.
  • Clean shared office equipment like phones, copiers and printers, expense recovery systems coders, fax machines and postage machines frequently and visibly. Keep disinfecting wipes near that equipment to allow people to disinfect before using it.
  • Establish a protocol for cleaning meeting rooms immediately after meetings and allow time between bookings for that cleaning.
  • Reconsider “hotelling” or rotating space where people share phones, headsets, computers keyboards, pens, staplers or any other desk items. If you continue, provide disinfecting wipes for people to clean before using the equipment.
  • Centralize trash and recycling bins to increase the frequency of disposal and free up time for custodial staff to complete additional cleaning protocols.
  • Can you adjust air circulation to avoid certain high traffic areas or keep air circulation to separate “wings” to reduce droplet transmission?
  • Can you order additional supplies prior to returning to the office? In some places there may be an insufficient supply of hand soap, dishwasher detergent, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and paper products: tissues, paper towels and toilet paper. Be sure you have enough before you return to the office.
  • Discuss what is the best way to handle incoming mail and other deliveries. e.g., designate one person to open mail, wearing PPE, once a day. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the coronavirus that causes COVID‐19 has a lifespan of about 24 hours on cardboard. So, if it’s not urgent, let the items sit for 24 hours.
  • As a longer‐term initiative, consider changing fixtures to “hands‐free”: faucets, soap and paper towel dispensers, automatic doors, badge readers and garbage/recycling bins.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

PPE includes face masks, gloves and potentially goggles or a face shield. Follow the guidelines of Health Canada and your provincial/territorial Health Officer about recommended practices before you implement any practices in your office. Be sure to explain to your people and clients what you are following and why and provide instructions on how to properly put on and remove PPE. 

Regardless of your firm’s new practices, some of your people may choose to wear PPE when returning to the office to protect them from the transmission of germs through contact and droplet routes.

To support law firms providing masks to their people and clients, CBA has sourced non‐surgical supplies of cloth and disposable masks for bulk purchase. Contact your local branch to order.

Lunchroom and food supply

The lunchroom or kitchen, with common touchpoints such as a faucet, fridge, dishwasher, cutlery and dishes, presents challenges for sanitizing and physical distancing. Approaches to this issue will vary and could include: 

  • Close the lunchroom entirely.
  • Eliminate seating but permit the use of the fridge.
  • Ask your people to bring their own cutlery/cups or switch to disposable utensils/cups.
  • Consider setting staggered lunch hours for people to use the lunchroom.
  • Make disinfecting wipes available to clean fridge handle, microwave, faucets, etc.
  • For clients, do you have disposable cups brought in or tell them that you are not providing beverages at this time? Could you provide an individual bottled water station?

If your office routinely hosts business meals or provides food to staff, consider eliminating buffets or self‐serve and instead arrange for pre‐packed individual food. Be sure to let providers know how you are receiving those deliveries. 

Physical distancing

  • To help everyone follow a two‐meter distancing requirement, physically mark it on the floor:
    • from the seat in an office or workstation
    • in reception
    • in the boardroom and meeting rooms
    • in front of an elevator
    • in the elevator
    • in the kitchen
    • wherever there could be a line (photocopier, elevator, washroom).
  • In the case of narrow hallways, consider marking one‐way directional routes or establish a one‐person‐only in a hallway.
  • Consider the provincial/territorial restrictions about numbers of people in a space. How many people can you, therefore, have on a floor or in a wing?
  • Identify areas that won’t be in use in order to maintain the requirements. Remove chairs from workstations, reception or the boardroom (this also helps the custodial staff clean only what is necessary), place signs, indicate it on a floor plan and circulate it to your people.
  • If you don’t have space to store unused furniture, ask your landlord or co‐tenants if they have any unoccupied space. Some offices may not be returning to work yet. Otherwise, look into getting monthly storage space off‐site.
  • Consider installing shields between workstations or re‐orient workstations, so employees do not face one another.
  • Consider which doors could be left open, while still maintaining security and confidentiality and adhering to fire code.

Parking

When you know about the changing needs of your people, reconsider parking allotments:

  • Do you have enough staff parking to accommodate those who need to drive?
  • Are there people who would give up their spot to benefit others who need it?
  • Consider alternating days for staff to come into the office to free up parking spots.
  • Can you lease more parking spots in the building? In nearby parking facilities?

Communications

When you know how you are returning to the office and have communicated with your staff, be sure to also inform:

  • clients
  • suppliers
  • landlord
  • other tenants – important to communicate and share protocols and expectations if you share
  • office space or building floors with other tenants
  • contractors ‐such as janitorial staff and IT support
  • insurer(s)
  • Canada Post and other couriers – implement a designated drop‐off area