Back to the Office: Ensuring Staff Safety During the Lunch Break

The Corona crisis brought most of the world to a halt.

Most companies are gradually getting used to having their employees work from home. But there will be time after that.

As soon as the number of cases declines and the state will loosen the restrictions, more and more employees will gradually return to their accustomed office environment.

How do you ensure the necessary safety - and make sure that the numbers do not suddenly rise again?

Many Smunch customers have turned to us because they are not sure what to recommend to their employees when it comes to sorting out lunch. Bringing their own food? Going out into the fresh air? Avoiding the outdoors?

We have therefore taken a closer look at the different lunch break options. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Option 1: Bring your own food
  
• Option 2: Go to the restaurant
  
• Option 3: Get take-out
  
• Option 4: Supermarket, bakery, etc.
  
• Option 5: Delivery service

Option 1: Bring your own food

A few days ago, the Smunch Team had a video conference in which an important sentence was said: "My wife is a great cook, but I would do anything for a Smunch Schnitzel right now!"

If you don't go out, you can't catch the virus - that's true, of course. But keep one thing in mind: people have just been at home for weeks and are in dire need of a change. 

Not offering it can severely impair motivation. Instead, it is all the more important to sweeten the return to everyday office life with benefits and highlights.
So the conclusion is: homemade food is safe, but boring. Maybe there is a better option?

Option 2: Go to the restaurant

The catering industry has, in the best case, long been a role model when it comes to hygiene. Because even before Corona, good conditions had to be in place to protect the health of the customers. 

But there is one problematic factor: the proximity to other guests. This is why the catering industry is suffering so much from the consequences of the crisis. Operation is - if at all - only permitted with restrictions and it will take a long time until everything is back to normal.

And even then the question arises whether a sudden encounter of so many people does not favour a renewed expansion. A risk worth taking?

Conclusion: Suboptimal. Maybe there is a better way to support your favorite place?

Option 3: Get take-out

Of course, (almost) everybody is keen to get out and enjoy some spring sunshine. So it would be a great idea to grab a tasty meal from your favorite restaurant on the way! After all, take-away avoids proximity with others. Right?

There is more and more contactless payment now and we’re all used to keeping distance anyway. But there are still a few factors you shouldn’t forget. What about the food delivery? The doorknob? Or narrow entrances where people push past each other?

Conclusion: Take-away is better than eating on site, because you have more influence on the distance and you are only in the shop for a short time. Nevertheless you get quite close to other people.

Option 4: Supermarket, bakery, etc. 

What about the supermarkets? We're going there anyway, so it doesn't really matter now, does it? Wrong.

There are reasons why so many rules have been put in place for going to the supermarket: There's even more crowding. Keeping a distance at the entrance or at the checkout is all well and good, but it doesn't prevent you from getting very close to others in the usually narrow aisles.

And the packaging? Viruses only survive for a few hours on such surfaces - but long enough to spread if a shopping bag is first put on the desk, then on the kitchen shelf and finally in the lunch corner.

Conclusion: Really not the best idea...

Option 5: Delivery service

So better not to go out? Probably ... but that's no reason not to enjoy your break! Delivery services (and an online canteen!) make it possible. But how do you make sure that there is no contamination?

Easy: hygiene, hygiene, hygiene. Almost every supplier is now relying on contactless delivery - something that we are also happy to fulfil. Our drivers wear masks and gloves for as long as this is necessary.

Their job is quite strenuous, because all our boxes and cooling/heating elements are thoroughly disinfected every day (by the way, not only during Corona time). We also make sure that everyone wears gloves when picking up the food from the restaurant and that a safe distance is kept during the handover.

And after delivery? Even if viruses do not survive for long on packaging surfaces, it does not hurt to take the food out of the packaging and arrange it on a plate. This makes it a feast for the eye, too! 

As usual, wash your hands thoroughly, as before every meal, and there is hardly any risk of infection with this solution. Conclusion: A pretty safe bet!

So nothing stands in the way of a good meal. We are already quite restless and can hardly wait to provide you with delicious food again!

Stay safe!
The Smunch Team

P.S.: If you would like to have all the safety rules bundled up again, we refer you to the detailed information from the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment.