To our employees and customers:
SIMON has implemented procedures to reopen our offices safely. Although we never completely ‘closed’ our offices at SIMON, we have encouraged all office staff to work remotely whenever possible, and the vast majority have been doing just that.
As state governments are starting to loosen work-at-home restrictions, we have begun to allow employees to return to the offices with management approval, and will strictly adhere to state and local guidance. With the easing of restrictions, we expect that people will be more exposed to public settings and the ability to maintain a safe work environment will become more difficult. To ensure employees can work safely, we must adopt CDC and local government standards.
Employees wishing to work in the office may return after coordinating with their manager. In general, there should be a good reason for returning to the office – we continue to encourage employees who are able to work remotely to do so.
Where we do have employees working/returning to SIMON offices, the following guidelines and requirements are in effect:
SMS/Text Message Questionnaire
Employees must complete the text Check-in questionnaire daily, and have supervisor approval prior to working from any office.
Use of Common Areas
Common areas should be accessed only on an as-needed basis, with no congregating at any time. Employees touching/using any items in those areas are asked to sanitize both before and after using. “Common areas” include, but are not limited to:
Copy Areas/Work Rooms
- Use limited to one employee at a time
- Sanitize door handles, staplers, scissors, pens, copier touch-screens, & other hand-operated equipment before and after use
Breakrooms
- Use limited to one employee at a time
- Sanitize coffee maker/pot, microwave, refrigerator, etc. before and after use
- Food items (sugar, salt, milk, etc.) should not be shared, and labeled
Restrooms
- Use limited to one employee at a time
- Sanitize door handles, faucet handles, soap dispensers, switches, etc. before and after use
Conference Rooms (use of MS Teams is encouraged in lieu of in-person meetings whenever possible)
- Must maintain 6 feet of physical distance
- Max occupancy up to a max 10 people (6ft physical distance must be maintained)
- Use of masks are recommended
- Sanitize tables, chairs, door handles, switches, IT equimpent, etc. before and after use
Meetings & Workspaces
- Use of Microsoft Teams is recommended whenever possible – even when working from an office
- In-person meetings require at least 6 feet of physical distance between participants
- Masks must be worn for all in-person meetings
- Work from cubicles should be avoided if in a shared space; use of vacant offices is recommended if available and approved by manager/supervisor
Wearing Masks
- Employees must wear masks when leaving their work space going to and from common areas
High Risk Groups
We advise caution if an employee or a member of their household is “high risk”. We encourage those individuals to continue to work from home as much as possible. “High Risk” is defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/groups-at-higher-risk.html.
We ask all office employees to coordinate with their manager for final approval to work in the office, whether full-time or on an intermittent basis. Additional guidance will be provided as it is developed from the CDC and local governments.
I don’t know that I can truly express how much I appreciate our team’s ability to keep SIMON moving forward through the last two months, especially while dealing with incredible changes to personal lives in these uncertain times due COVID-19. We are confident our efforts to put employee health, safety, and wellbeing first, will allow us to continue to be able to deliver for our customers. So that is our focus.
To our employees – thank you for all that you do. To our customers – thank you for continuing to trust SIMON to provide you with high-quality projects, products, and services.
-Brett Baker
President
Simon
