UNHCR Back To Office Guidelines

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................1

1. Executive Summary .........................................................................................................2

UNHCR

Back To Office

Guidelines

An i

nteractive guide to prepare offices as part of COVID-19 response.

Version 1. 6

4 May 2020

Geneva HQ

Guiding Principles ............................................................................................................3

3. Social Distancing ..............................................................................................................4

4. Masks and thermal screening ..........................................................................................5

5. Office Traffic .....................................................................................................................6

6. Restrooms ..................................................................................................................... 11

7. Parking .......................................................................................................................... 12

8. Disinfection Measures ................................................................................................... 12

9. External Visitors ............................................................................................................ 12

10. Meeting Rooms ........................................................................................................... 13

11. IT Equipment and Support .......................................................................................... 14

12. Protocol in case of illness ............................................................................................ 15

13. Returning to office after home isolation or quarantine ................................................ 21

14. COVID-19 and mental wellbeing................................................................................. 21

15. Signage........................................................................................................................ 22

1. Executive Summary

The following Safe Office Guidelines, developed by the Division of Financial &

Administrative Management and the Division of Human Resources, with inputs from

relevant divisions and entities, will help UNHCR facilities as they prepare to transition

from an office-wide teleworking arrangement to a gradual return to the office. The

guidance outlines suggested approaches to ensure safety in the workplace for all

UNHCR personnel, in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This is a living

document, which will be continuously reviewed and updated as the situation evolves

and more information becomes available, in alignment with the WHO, Swiss Authorities

and other relevant stakeholders.

To the extent possible, this document follows all WHO recommendations and guidance.

HQ Geneva: The Swiss Authorities have indicated that offices may re-open on 11 May

2020. During the first phase, which will span approximately 90 days, UNHCR will aim to

significantly limit physical presence in the building. Colleagues will be encouraged to

continue teleworking where possible.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary....................................................................................................... 2

2. Guiding Principles

The following core guiding principles have guided the planning and decision-making

process for UNHCR's return to office:

• Safety and health: Protecting the health and safety of our personnel is our

highest priority. The most important safety aspect continues to be social

distancing – even at the office.

• WHO and Host Country:

We will – to the best of our abilities and where

applicable – respect guidance coming from the World Health Organization and

the respective Host Country authorities as we plan and execute our return to

office.

• Gradual/phased approach: We will take a phased approach and reassess

after each phase. As we learn from others and gather more information, we may

need to adjust our plans. Flexibility and adaptability will be great assets in this

period.

• Business Continuity Planning (BCP): returns to office should be in

accordance with the BCP. For more questions on the BCP of your office, please

liaise with the head of your Division/team.

• Voluntary return in the interim: To the extent possible and in line with the

specific needs of your team – including location-specific tasks – returning to the

office will be accomplished on a voluntary basis in the interim period. We need

to recognize that individual circumstances may vary, and return may not be

possible for everyone at the same time.

• Flexibility and communication: Throughout the various phases of

implementation, managers are asked to exercise flexibility with their team and to

continue to communicate effectively and find ways to solicit feedback.

• Discipline to limit the spread of the virus: Social distancing will continue to

dictate the way we work, and colleagues are strongly reminded to follow the

recommended measures to prevent the spread of disease. Colleagues should

remain at home if they are sick or have been in close contact with a suspect/

confirmed case.

3. Social Distancing

Social distancing is a simple, yet very effective, mechanism to prevent the

potential transmission of COVID-19. In practice, social distancing means:

• Staying 2 meters away from others at all times.

• Establishing 2 meters of free space between each workstation.

• Eliminating physical contact with others, including handshakes and hugs.

• Largely avoiding touching items and surfaces that have been touched by

others.

• Avoiding people who appear physically ill and those who are coughing or

sneezing.

• Colleagues coming in on alternate days to reduce the number of people in

the office.

• All colleagues taking their laptop/essential files home on a daily basis so

they can telework if attendance in the office is not required.

HQ Geneva: For the foreseeable future, everyone will be encouraged to continue to

telework as much as possible. To reduce density in the UNHCR Geneva building on

the Rue de Montbrillant, we have organized workstations in alternating blue and green

categories, effectively dividing the

workforce into two teams. The

current plan is to have the “green

team” report to the office on even

days and the “blue team” on odd

days. Divisions, bureaus and

offices will be given some discretion

to determine prioritization within

teams and make arrangements for

colleagues whose daily presence in

the office is essential.

4. Masks and thermal screening

According to current guidelines from the World Health Organization, protective

masks are only recommended for and should be reserved for healthcare workers

while giving care to patients, people who are sick and exhibiting symptoms of

COVID-19, or anyone taking care of an infected person.

Furthermore, Swiss authorities announced on 22 April that it would not be

implementing a general obligation or advice to wear masks as the country eases

restrictions on movement. We therefore will not be distributing masks to

personnel at the office facilities in Geneva.

Colleagues may voluntarily wear non-medical masks on their way to work or in the

office. Guidance on how to make, put on, wear and dispose of facemasks can be

found on the intranet.

Please note that the wearing of non-medical masks at your duty station should be

in line with your host country recommendations. Please consult your respective

host country guidelines for information about requirements to wear masks and

other protective measures in your duty station.

Temperature screening is a low-effective measure, as people may carry the virus

before showing symptoms, including fever. Social distancing – at least 2 meters – is

more effective against the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, UNHCR will not be doing

thermal screening at the entrance of buildings for employees and visitors.

Serology Tests: Medical authorities around the world are considering and testing the

effectiveness of implementing serological tests – blood tests that look for COVID-19

antibodies - to identify people who have already been exposed to the virus. At the

moment, however, there is not enough clear scientific guidance for UNHCR to begin

serological testing on personnel.

5. Office Traffic

To facilitate social distancing in the office, each office should review foot traffic

patterns to and from the workspace and common – shared – facilities. Traffic

flow should be directed to ensure maximum social distancing. This may mean

designating a specific stairwell for going up and another one for going down to

prevent people from having to cross each other in a tight space. Thought should

also be given to elevators, which may need to be restricted to one or a small

number of passengers at a time. Signage should be posted throughout the

office to guide the flow of foot traffic, especially in congested points like

entrance/exit, printer rooms, communal spaces, small corridors, corridors within

open spaces, etc.

HQ Geneva: Signs have been placed throughout the Geneva office facilities to guide

colleagues on the new traffic patterns, designed to facilitate social distancing.

Entrance and Exits: Colleagues should enter the building from the main entrance on

the intersection of Rue de Montbrillant and Avenue de France as usual. To reduce

congestion at the main entrance, colleagues will be using the emergency exit on the

first floor to leave the building. The exit is accessed through the stairwell in the glass

façade of the office building, and will lead to the square in front of the main entrance,

right next to – but separate from – the security gates.

Personnel with limited mobility can continue to enter and exit the building from

the main entrance as usual.

• Metal barriers are placed around the perimeter of the main entrance, to create a

dedicated pathway for queuing and observing social distancing guidelines.

• The external glass sliding doors and the revolving door leading from the main

entrance to the atrium will remain open.

• On every floor, the doors connecting the building’s front glass façade and stairway

to the corridors will remain open at all times. The small horizontal glass windowpanes

embedded in the front glass façade of the building will remain open for additional

ventilation.

• All stairs will be single-directional (i.e. one set of stairs going up and one down).

The stairs from the atrium to the 1st floor facing the Avenue de France-side of the

building (on the left when facing the security desk in the atrium) is going up, while the

Montbrillant side is used to go down.

• The emergency staircase on each side of the outer banana can be used for going

up and down between floors (single-direction). There will be signs to clarify.

• Access to and from MBT Parking: For accessing or leaving the parking space

underneath the building, colleagues are asked to use the emergency stairs on

Montbrillant-side to go up to level -1. As the stairs from the level -1 to the atrium is

single-directional, colleagues going up will be directed to cross the space between

the lower-level meeting rooms (MTB 02 and MBT04) to take the stairs to up to the

atrium on the side of Av. de France.

• To go down from the atrium to the parking, colleagues can use the glass stairs on

the Montbrillant side to level -1, from where they can access the parking garage on the

same side.

Both elevators to the parking garage can be used by one person at a time for

going up and down. Priority should be given to colleagues with limited mobility.

• Signs will be posted around the building to clarify these measures further.

Colleagues are asked to respect the need for social distancing and minimize their

movement through interior corridors within open-space areas. They are also strongly

urged to minimize standing or sitting in places where social distancing cannot be

maintained.

Passages in the “bananas” (the long, slightly bent corridors that run along the long

side of the atrium on every floor, connecting the office on the Rue De Montbrillant side

with those on the Avenue de France side) are single-directional. The circulation along

the outer banana (on the side of Coop) flows from Montbrillant to Av.France-side; The

circulation along the inner banana (on the side of the atrium) flows from Av.France to

Montbrillant side.

• The mid-way bridge connecting the inner and outer banana remains two-

directional. All other corridors, including those leading to and from offices, the

elevators, printers, restrooms and meeting rooms are single-directional.

• Signs are placed on the one-way corridors and hallways to clarify the direction.

• Doors between the corridors and offices are kept open at all times to ensure air

circulation, avoid the need for using door handles, and create better visibility on people

entering or leaving office spaces.

• All items that limit the circulation in corridors will be removed, including tables,

fridges, coffee machines, microwaves, printers, plants, clothes hangers, pigeonholes,

and boxes.

• Hand sanitizer dispensers will be made available on every floor.

Elevators: All elevators from the atrium to the floors above and parking can be used

by individual passengers only. Colleagues on lower floors will be encouraged to take

the stairs. Colleagues going down should also take the stairs if possible.

Colleagues with limited mobility can continue using the elevators as usual.

Smoking: The patio next to the cafeteria will remain closed for smoking until further

notice, more information about accomodation for smokers will be shared as soon as

it becomes available.

6. Restrooms

HQ Geneva: Previously, each floor had one

restroom designated to each gender on both sides

of the building. These restrooms were positioned

opposite each other at the end of a narrow

passage leading to the main corridor.

To facilitate social distancing, the restrooms have

now been reallocated, whereby both restrooms on

each side of the building are dedicated to the

same gender (alternating sides on each floor).

This allows for the main doors at the end of the narrow passage (to the

handwashing/sink space) to be left open – providing a better view of how many

people are already inside the room and to avoid the use of door handles.

The doors to the individual bathroom stalls will provide sufficient privacy.

In addition to the cloth towels, paper towels are available for hand drying.

The shower facilities and changing rooms will remain closed for the time being.

7. Parking

HQ Geneva: Parking spaces are available at the MBT building. Personnel

requiring a parking space should contact GSS at [email protected].

8. Disinfection Measures

The adequate cleaning of exposed surfaces remains a crucial measure to prevent

the spread of COVID-19. The cleaning protocols that have been put in place or

have been strengthened to protect UNHCR colleagues as they return to the office

facilities include:

• Regular cleaning and disinfecting plans have been put in place.

• Extra disinfection measures for exposed surfaces in common areas, such as

printers, door handles, telephones, elevators buttons, coffee machines,

fridges, microwaves, etc.

• The replacement of air filters throughout the facilities.

• A deep-cleaning and disinfection protocol is triggered when an active

employee is tested positive for COVID-19.

• Hand sanitizers have been made available on every floor.

• Alcohol-based disinfectant and wipes are provided in every office for

additional self-cleaning of desks and equipment.

9. External Visitors

As UNHCR colleagues start to return to their office buildings, all offices are

requested to limit external visitors to the facilities as much as possible.

Before scheduling an in-person meeting, options for meeting virtually or at an off-

site location should be thoroughly explored. For urgent on-site visits, the standard

procedures should be followed to provide visitor accreditation through Security.

Visitors should be reminded of the standard measures to prevent the spread of

COVID-19, and social distancing rules should be strictly followed during meetings.

HQ Geneva: Parking spaces are available at the MBT building. Personnel

requiring a parking space should contact GSS at [email protected].

External visitors are limited to official business only, and are required to

check in at the visitors’ center for the issuance of temporary badges. While the

Visitors Center will remain closed to groups until at least mid-June 2020, there will be

a security booth for the processing of individual badges.

The decision to re-open the Visitors Center will be reviewed in May 2020.

The Visibility Shop will remain open to online sales, with reduced opening hours in its

physical location in the Geneva office for UNHCR employees only. The opening hours

will be determined in the coming days. The decision to re-open the visibility shop to

visitors from outside MBT will be reviewed in May 2020.

No visitors are allowed to enter the building to use the cafeteria until further notice.

10. Meeting Rooms

Meetings and gatherings in the office can only take place when social distancing

rules are strictly followed. All colleagues are strongly encouraged to conduct virtual

meetings for the foreseeable future.

Colleagues are reminded to avoid lengthy face-to-face meetings and workshops in

closed meeting rooms.

For tracking purposes, all meetings – and all individual invitees – are to be

recorded in Outlook. This practice may be reviewed if a mobile contact-tracing app

is developed and becomes available.

Additionally, a written sign-in record should be produced for every meeting, listing

the name, email, and mobile phone number of each participant. This document

should be scanned and shared with [email protected] within an hour

after the meeting ends. Please provide the name, location and date of the meeting

in the subject line.

HQ Geneva: During the initial phase of "Back to Office" planning, we strongly urge

meetings of any size to continue to take place virtually through Teams, Webex or

other online platforms. In-person meetings should strictly be limited to a maximum

of 5 people. Meetings involving more than 5 people will have to be virtual.

HQ Geneva:

The meeting rooms at -1 and 7th floor will be open, but with limited capacity for

external visitors.

The capacity of the meeting rooms has been adjusted to allow strict adherence to

social distancing norms. The maximum capacity of every room will be posted on

the doors of the room. Extra chairs and tables have been removed where

appropriate, and signs are placed on tables that should not be used.

Small cubicles on each floor and the “phone booths” on the 5th floor will remain

closed.

Cleaning materials are available in

every meeting room.

11. IT Equipment and Support

HQ Geneva:

IT Equipment: The organization aims to support colleagues with their IT equipment

needs for accommodating colleagues to comply with the building instructions. For

any specific questions, please write to [email protected].

• Personal equipment: Colleagues are required to bring their laptop and its charger

to and from the office daily. Users should ensure that they use their own personal

accessories (e.g. mouse, headset, keyboard) at all times and refrain from sharing

these items with colleagues.

• Users who were initially not allocated a laptop should contact their Senior

Resource Manager (SRM) to request one. The SRM remains close contact with

DIST for the coordination and scheduling of laptop deployments.

• Monitors: Desks are equipped with at least one monitor, which should stay in the

office. Users who have brought more than one monitor to their home for teleworking

are kindly requested to bring one back to the office so that they can easily alternate

between the office and their teleworking space.

IT support and Tech Café: The Tech Café space on the first floor remains closed due

to social distancing requirements.

• Requesting support: Users can contact the Global Service Desk for IT Support, by

phone (tel: +41 22 739 8888; ext.: 8888) or email ([email protected]).

• Remote support: In most cases, technical/IT support is provided remotely; a

technician contacts the user and takes control of the user’s PC through the remote

support tools, and solves the problem remotely.

• Desk support: If on-site technical assistance is required, a technician contacts the

user to schedule an appointment.

12. Protocol in case of illness

While the Swiss Federal Council and several other Member States are slowly

beginning to ease certain measures against the spread of COVID-19, the

Coronavirus is still circulating within communities and might continue to do so for

the foreseeable future. Only by continuing to follow the basic rules of hygiene and

social distancing can we reduce the risk of re-accelerating the spread of COVID-

19.

A key measure to control the spread of the virus is

to identifying people who are sick, isolating and

testing them, and following up with everyone who

may have been in close contact with them.

COVID-19 presents very mild symptoms for some

people but can cause severe complications in

others. Colleagues are strongly urged to stay

home if feeling unwell, regardless of whether the symptoms resemble COVID-19 or not,

to prevent new clusters of infection within the workplace.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are:

• Cough (usually dry)

• Sore throat

• Shortness of breath

• High temperature, fever

• Muscle aches

• A sudden loss of sense of smell

and/or tast

More rarely, patients have reported to experience:

▪ Headache

▪ Gastrointestinal symptoms

▪ Conjunctivitis

▪ A runny or congested nose.

If you have one or more of the symptoms mentioned above, you may have contracted

COVID-19. You are strongly urged to:

• Stay at home.

• Call the UNHCR hotline on +41 22 739 7399

• You can also self evaluate your need for testing on line set up by the

University Hospital of Geneva.

• Inform your supervisor of your absence and record your Uncertified Sick

Leave in MSRP, indicating COVID-19 and specifying, "not working."

Testing

Polymerase chain reaction (or PRC) tests are commonly done to determine whether

someone is currently infected with a virus. PCR testing for COVID-19 is now widely

available in Geneva and can be facilitated by the UNHCR Medical Section. Swiss

authorities encourage everyone who fits the case definition of COVID-19 to make

themselves available for testing. PRC testing can be facilitated at one of the following

locations:

• Hôpital de la Tour

Avenue J.-D.-Maillard 3, 1217 Meyrin

• Clinique des Grangettes

Chemin des Grangettes 7, 1224 Chêne-Bougeries

• Cité génération

Route de Chancy 98, 1213 Onex

• HUG - Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève: These testing facilities are reserved for

those with severe breathing difficulties or people above 75 years of age

Serology (blood) testing to know whether someone has been infected with COVID-19

in the past is currently is not available in Geneva unless one is part of a population

research study in collaboration with public health authorities.

Contact tracing

Contact tracing is one of the most important and effective instruments in containing the

epidemic. Ideally, every new case of infection should be identified and isolated to

prevent new outbreaks. Therefore, anyone with symptoms (however mild) should be

tested and isolated if positive. People living in the same household or who have

otherwise been in close contact will be placed in quarantine.

When the number of infections is high, it is difficult to trace the connections of every

confirmed case. However, as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to fall, each

new case will once again be traced. Anyone who has come into close contact (less

than 2 meters for longer than 15 minutes) during the infectious period with a person

who has tested positive will be placed in quarantine.

If you are experiencing

symptoms or otherwise

suspect to be exposed to

COVID-19 and are waiting for

test results or have already

tested positive, UNHCR

Medical Section will ask you

for your recent close contacts

within the building. This

includes all people you have

been in contact with closer

than two meters for more than 15 minutes. The Medical Section will alert them that they

might have been exposed to COVID-19 should go home and isolate themselves

immediately, until test results are available.

To facilitate contact tracing as we start our phased return to office, the names and

contact details of all meeting participants will be required to be recorded in Outlook and

on a written sign-in record.

The Swiss government is currently planning to implement a mobile app to quickly

identify sources of infection and the possible spread of the virus. More information.

Non-COVID related medical assistance:

Non-urgent care facilities, including clinics, dentists and physiotherapists have been

allowed to re-open their doors for medical consultation as of 27 April 2020. If you need

medical assistance, please call in advance to book an appointment to avoid

overcrowding in the facilities. Do not wait too long to seek medical care if you need it.

The Walk-In Clinic at the Geneva office will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

However, the medical service is still operating. Dr. Pierre Chatelanat can be reached by

email, and he will get in touch with you as soon as possible. If the matter cannot be

resolved over the phone or by teleconference, appointments at his office in Rue du

Prieuré can be arranged. Prescriptions can be sent by email.

We remind you that free telemedicine service is available to all UNHCR personnel and

their families worldwide – including Geneva – through the International SOS app.

Sick members in the household

If you share a home with someone experiencing one or more symptoms of COVID-19,

or if you had intimate contact (for example, hugging or kissing) with someone who

started displaying symptoms in the following 24-hour period, you might have become

infected.

Make sure you follow the basic infection prevention methods to contain further spread

of the virus:

• Please stay at home until the test result of this member of your household or

someone you have had close physical contact with is known. If their test is negative,

you can come back to the office.

• If they test positive for the virus, isolate yourself at home for fourteen (14) days as

per WHO recommendations. If, during that time, you get symptoms of COVID-19,

please call the UNHCR Medical Section hotline +41 22 739 7399 and get tested.

If you test positive

If you test positive for the virus, all members of your household should stay at home for

fourteen days, as well as anyone you've been in close contact with. Please inform

Medical Section who you have been in contact with at the office in the 48 hours before

you got symptoms. The medical staff will contact and guide them on what to do.

Inform yourself on the do’s and don’t of quarantine with these informational guides on

self-quarantine in several languages, as well as guidance on home care.

In case your health situation becomes worse, and you develop severe symptoms,

contact our hotline +41 22 739 7399, or the emergency number in Geneva: 144

For more information:

If you are looking for more information about COVID-19, start by visiting the intranet.

We are continually updating the information available there. Alternatively, you may call

the information hotline in Geneva on 0800 909 400 (free call, available 7/7 from 9:00 to

21:00) or the information service provided by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health

on 058 463 00 00.

Employees with underlying illness

Colleagues with an underlying medical condition or over the age of 65 are at greater

risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19.

The continued wellbeing of our entire workforce is important to us. At this time, we

therefore strongly recommend everyone who falls within these categories to continue

working from home for the foreseeable future.

The UNHCR Medical Section will contact colleagues with a pre-existing medical

condition based on their medical records. A list of what is considered an underlying

medical condition that may make you more vulnerable to complications from COVID-19

can be found on the intranet. It is updated regularly in line with new scientific evidence.

If you have a recent diagnosis that the Medical Section may not be aware of, please

write to the Medical Section for advice.

If you are interested in extending your teleworking arrangement, please contact the

Medical Section with Request for Teleworking in the subject line. In your email,

specify your condition, any treatment you are receiving, your job title and location of

work, and the contact details of your supervisor. You will then receive a formal letter

indicating you are fit to work with workplace accommodation in the form of teleworking.

Employees with vulnerable household members

UNHCR personnel living in the same household as a person over the age of 70 or

people with a serious underlying medical condition continue to telework at this time to

protect their household members. Please write to your supervisor, copying in your HR

officer, to inform them of your wish to continue teleworking at this time.

Sick leave

As you are aware, the COVID-19 outbreak is heavily burdening doctors and health

systems worldwide. Therefore, in line with requests from the Swiss authorities,

colleagues can take up to fourteen (14) consecutive days of uncertified sick leave

without requiring certification. The MSRP system has been adjusted accordingly.

As medical clinics have begun to re-open their doors for non-urgent cases again, you

might get a sick leave certificate if you consult a doctor. The Swiss Authorities have

also indicated that if you or a close family member receives a positive test for COVID-

19, you will be able to get a medical sick leave certificate for the period of confinement.

If you do have a medical certificate – COVID-19 or otherwise – please share it with us.

As usual, all colleagues are required to record all their absences from the office in

MSRP through the Self-Service absence management module.

13. Returning to office after home isolation

or quarantine

If you have been sick with COVID-19, you cannot return to the office until fourteen

(14) days after all your symptoms have disappeared. While the Canton of Geneva

advises a shorter period before ending quarantine, UNHCR follows the WHO

guidance of 14 days.

The Canton of Geneva does not currently practice Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

testing to know if a person has recovered from COVID-19, only to determine if they are

currently infected. Serology tests are also not recommended for assessing fitness to

return to the office at this time.

As mentioned previously, if someone in your household has COVID-19 or you have

been in close contact with a positive case, you must self-isolate for 14 days before

coming back into the office. Only come back if you have no symptoms

14. COVID-19 and mental wellbeing.

Experiencing stress and anxiety about the outbreak of COVID-19 is something that

many people are dealing with during the pandemic. For many of us, life has drastically

changed over the past few weeks. We may be working from home, alone or with family

members – including children – confined to our houses. Or we might live in places

where daily life still resembles normality. Still, the news cycle, social media and

interpersonal conversation remind us that the world is experiencing an unusual

situation.

Colleagues working in refugee camps and informal settlements might find themselves

burdened with the insecurity of what will happen when the virus fully reaches these

communities. In deep field locations, COVID-19 might be added to a long list of daily

challenges to deal with.

Your R&R or other travel might have been disrupted, and you may be living and working

far away from your family and other loved ones.

Whatever the situation, the virus is uprooting our

lives in an unprecedented way, as we don’t know

exactly what will be coming next and how we will

be able to continue to deliver.

UNHCR has several resources available on the

intranet to help you cope with the psychosocial

impact of the COVID pandemic, including how to

reach out if you want one-on-one psychosocial

support from our UNHCR mental health

professionals in Geneva or the field.

15. Signage

To regularly remind and inform colleagues of the most effective ways to protect

themselves in the office, their homes and in public spaces, WHO signage will be posted

throughout the facilities, including on handwashing and using hand sanitizer.

More downloadable posters, leaflets and signs are available on the WHO website.