Temperature Checks and Plexiglas Partitions: Tech’s Plan to Reopen Offices

Body temperature checks at the front door. Plastic partitions to create more separation in open offices. And company-branded personal protective equipment for employees. 

These are among the measures startups and other tech companies are considering as they begin actively planning for a return to their offices in the coming months. Most businesses shuttered workspaces weeks ago to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Timelines and tactics vary for reopening workplaces, but there is growing anticipation that state and local authorities will begin easing stay-at-home restrictions before summer arrives.  

Still, few employers are expecting a return to normalcy anytime soon. Most companies will discourage, if not ban, business travel and attendance at live events. Some of them say they may never go back to their offices. Those companies that do expect to operate very differently than they did before the outbreak, with more intrusive policies than many people are accustomed to.