If you run a business from home, you may be wondering how to host meetings in your home office safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, there are plenty of changes you can implement to protect the health and safety of yourself and your client. Let these tips guide you through your home office redesign process during the pandemic. 

Estimate Renovation Appraisal Value 

Before you begin making any renovation plans, think about how you can ensure that you get a great return on your investment. This is especially important if you’re thinking about selling your home within the next couple of years, as a fully functional home office could be an in-demand feature for buyers! By taking before and after photos, you’ll be able to keep track of your home’s improvements and assess your home’s increased appraisal value. Make sure to keep these photos in a safe place so that you can easily access them if you need to. 

Set Up a Sanitation Station 

Would you like to guarantee that your clients have taken a moment to sanitize their hands before they enter your office? Setting up a small “sanitation station” by the door is the best way to go about this. If you’re feeling creative, you can even use PVC pipe and other household materials to set up a DIY hand sanitizer pump! Otherwise, just put out a small table with a bottle or two of hand sanitizer. You could also add a basket with masks in case someone forgets to bring one of their own. It doesn’t hurt to stock up on these items in bulk if you have lots of meetings. 

Improve Your Ventilation 

Optimizing your HVAC system for disinfection is a bigger project, but you can hire an HVAC service provider to tackle this task. Installing UV lighting in your home’s HVAC system is actually an effective method of killing the COVID-19 virus. You may want to budget for this project and ask friends for references to HVAC companies. 

Use Software to Minimize Contact 

If you want to eliminate chances of physical contact between you and your clients, you can use software to conduct certain transactions and interactions digitally instead. For instance, rather than having clients sign documents in your office, you can use document signing software and allow them to complete this task online. Invoicing and payment software can also enable you to conduct transactions entirely virtually. 

Prepare for Virtual Meetings 

What if someone you are supposed to meet with happens to test positive for COVID-19, or they are immunocompromised and don’t feel comfortable meeting in person? You’ll want to set up your office design with video conferences in mind for scenarios like this. For good lighting, Fat Shack Vintage recommends placing a bright desk lamp off to the side of your computer and installing a light source above your desk as well – this will balance the illumination and prevent shadows. To ensure that your office looks aesthetically pleasing on camera, Bloom in the Black recommends adding a gallery wall. Having a few photos or works of art up on the wall will make your environment look more interesting!

When you work from home, you have plenty of control over your environment. You can take extra steps to make your home office safe for your clients and yourself when you host meetings. With these tips, you’ll be able to keep your home office sanitary during the pandemic.