6 tips to create a safe working environment during a pandemic

These additional protective measures can help keep your employees and customers safe:

• Quick response (QR) codes

• Branded personal protective equipment (PPE)

• Augmented reality (AR)

• Single-use menus

• Remote feeds

• Livestreams

Read on to learn how these six creative health and wellness ideas in the workplace can help you comply with current health requirements and social distancing guidelines.

QR code technology lets customers scan a code from several feet away to learn more about a product. It’s a low-cost and highly effective solution to minimizing employee-customer contact. For example, customers can scan a QR code to:

• View a menu and order online

• View a price list on your website

• Make a call to customer service

• Navigate to a store’s website to purchase a product

• Pay for a service or product

QR codes eliminate the need for cash and paper receipts. Once you've created one for your business, display printed signs at your checkout counter or window or print stickers for your delivery packaging.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) has become a necessity to ensure a safe working environment for your employees. Add some fun and personality by branding these required items with your business name, logo and colors. The PPE you need depends on your business and can include:

• Eye protection, like goggles, shields or visors

• Hand protection, like disposable gloves

• Respiratory protection, like masks

• Clothing protection, like disposable gowns or aprons

You can also brand items like mini hand sanitizer bottles or masks to give out to customers. It's an easy marketing strategy that shows you care about your customers’ safety and employee well-being. 

Augmented Reality (AR) apps reduce in-store contact with customers by decreasing returns or exchanges and eliminating the need for a fitting room. For example, an AR app lets customers:

• Virtually try on clothing, shoes, jewelry and eyeglasses

• Give themselves a virtual makeover

• See how a product—like home décor or furniture—would look inside their home

• Test paint colors on their walls without the need of a sample

Providing an AR experience for your customers requires a 3D catalog of all your products. Customers can then download your store's mobile AR app or access your AR experience via the browser-based WebAR—a less complicated and more affordable option for small business owners.

Livestreaming allows any employee to participate in storefront activity while working from home and reduces the number of people in your business at any given time. Encourage administrative employees to work remotely and set up a table with a tablet so customers or other employees can view and speak with them as needed. If you have a bigger budget, consider investing in a robotic docking cradle for your tablet or a telepresence robot—customers will benefit from an immersive experience, and employee meetings will feel more connected.

Livestreams can put customers at ease with a behind-the-scenes look at what your business is doing to promote health and safety measures in the workplace. For example, restaurant owners can livestream their kitchen, allowing diners to see how safely and hygienically their orders are being prepared, along with how your business is keeping the workspace safe and clean. This element adds an exciting backstage aspect to the customer experience and boosts your brand's transparency—an especially important factor for building trust in an uncertain time.

A safe working environment creates confidence in your brand. Take your workplace health and safety measures above and beyond with these timely tips, and let FedEx Office help with your creative and printing needs.