Like most businesses, retail shops, restaurants, and other establishments, the office workplace has had to adapt to many changes and new protocols during the global pandemic. While many employees are still working from home, some are seeing a gradual return to the office. Whether that means some workers return in a hybrid model or on different schedules, employee health and safety has to be top of mind.

The need for social distancing, frequent disinfecting of surfaces, and new ways of working that require minimal contact call for common office spaces that are focused on employee safety. The thought of getting your morning coffee from a shared coffee maker or touching multiple buttons on a vending machine to get an afternoon snack may seem worrisome now with the risks of contracting Covid-19, but there are ways your office breakroom can—and should—be altered to offer a safe space for employees and maintain Covid-19 precautions.

Contactless Breakroom Solutions
Even before the pandemic upended our daily lives, GlobalConnect^® was an innovator in providing contactless breakroom solutions. Contactless technology was nice to have prior to Covid-19, but now it’s really a necessity. Providing touch-free options for common contact points such as coffee machines, vending machines, and more will protect employees and reduce the number of areas that will need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

So what, exactly, does a contactless breakroom solution mean? With GlobalConnect’s contactless breakroom solutions, you can use your Smartphone to make purchases of coffee, beverages, snacks, or grab-and-go meals without touching a screen or pushing buttons on shared surfaces. Grabbing your morning latte or daily bagel can be touchless, safe, and easy. You can make selections using your phone and pay using your cash app. You can even customize your coffee using your phone with the same choices that you see on the coffee machine screen simply by scanning a QR code and clicking on the link.

In addition, you can still benefit from GlobalConnect’s regular monthly promotions, receive loyalty points for every purchase, and also support your favorite charity with a donation of 1.5 percent of every purchase using USConnectMe and CAConnectMe loyalty program.

Safer (and More Convenient) Lunch Options
More employees may now need to stay in the office for lunch breaks, so having access to quick grab-and-go meals through a fresh market or fresh-food vending machines are even more important to have available.

It may not be possible or even allowed for you to come and go throughout the day due to new safety protocols such as temperature checks and daily health screenings, so having on-site options available and easy access to quick, fresh meals is even more important since you may not have the option to leave for lunch at a nearby restaurant, or you may not feel safe doing so yet.

Having contactless break room amenities as well as a variety of meal and snack options can help foster a sense of safety being back at work during such an uncertain time, and will ease staff concerns by eliminating the need to touch shared surfaces or to visit public cafes or restaurants that may or may not be following as strict Covid-19 safety protocols.