Social Distancing for Business

Those of you in larger corporates will already have developed some policies around social distancing at work, particularly around close contact such as handshakes, hugs and hongi, with high levels of cleanliness a given.

However, it won’t be the same for all small businesses, especially as there may be some mixed messages reaching the social landscape. The general consensus is things pandemic related will get worse before it gets better, with a large estimated window for when figures for infection may peak, and a focus around “flattening the curve”, which is the effort to reduce the level of that peak and the negative impact a pandemic can have on health systems, processes and infrastructure.

But, it shouldn’t all be doom and gloom. I suggest we provide alternatives for social contact, so the level of expectation is set for greetings in the office and when we meet outside the office. For example, a virtual handshake, also known as the "Kahungunu wave" is a good way to greet one another, and should be the alternative to a handshake and/or hongi. This entails a raise of the eyebrows and an accompanying head nod, with some eye contact, but feel free to ad-lib as one may do with a handshake! If you believe your greeting warrants more than a handshake then the sign language sign for a hug is an option, which is a crossing of the arms across the chest with closed fists, as in the title illustration.

It may seem like an overreaction at this point, but it is likely that this type of behaviour modification will assist in containing the spread of COVID-19 and that should be sufficient motivation going forward. So, the sooner we lead by example the better!