Any individual case of infection in the office will be disruptive and costly to business operations. But most alarming is the ease in which a virus, demonstrated by the Omicron variant, can spread throughout a department, floor, or entire building. Single cases can result in large percentages of employee populations infected with the virus. This could be a significant business disruption and could ultimately send entire departments home.

Then there is the issue of liability. Legislature in many states has offered some protection to employers, but organizations are still vulnerable to costly lawsuits if negligence can be proven. The problem is that negligence has yet to be defined and likely won’t be until the first major case is litigated.

But the greatest challenge now, in the pandemic age, is to provide employees with the peace of mind that their work environment is safe so they can be effective in the office without anxiety or apprehension of becoming dangerously ill and potentially passing it on to their families.

To effectively get back to work in the office, companies must develop a Virus Prevention Plan that reduces the possibility of viral outbreaks in the office and protects the company in the event there is one, all while reassuring employees that their workplace is safe.