How To Change Your Workflow to Prepare for Post-COVID-19

Preparing to Return to Work

By Howie Fenton for Rochester Software Associates – It does not matter if your in-plant has remained open during the pandemic or if you are waiting to return, everyone will have to adjust their physical space and workflow for 12-18 months until a vaccine is released. As I write this, meat packaging plants around the country are becoming COVID-19 hot spots because staff work shoulder to shoulder, which is the same as many manual workflows for finishing and inserting. That is just one of many workflow challenges in-plants must face during the pandemic.

If you shop at grocery stores or pharmacies, you may have already noticed the clear plastic barriers at some registers. Any print or mail workflow requiring staff to stand within six feet of each other will require similar barriers. Fortunately, in-plants offering large format services may be able to create these barriers for both print shop and other areas within the company. The physical distancing and plastic barriers between staff may be the easier changes we will face when we return to work. The tougher challenges involve the digital workflow.