Proudly voted Promotional Merchandise Distributor of the Year, December 2024 (Sourcing City Awards).

TM Edit: Must-Have Promotional Products For Getting Back To Work

With the government keen to encourage offices across the country to reopen, there's no better time to give some thought to what you can do in order to welcome your team back to the workplace.

Whether they've been working from home or are returning from a period of furlough, your colleagues will want to feel safe, protected and comfortable when they return. Creating an environment that feels Covid-secure is also a great way to ensure your colleagues are able to seamlessly go about their daily duties and responsibilities, with minimal fuss or panic.


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With the Cabinet Office reportedly preparing to launch a huge advertising campaign in a bid to 'persuade' people who have been #WFH to return to their offices, there's no time more pertinent than the present to give consideration to what you can do to ensure your workplace is as 'Coronavirus safe' as can be.

Chances are that you've already invested in social distancing products for your workplace, including social distancing floor stickers, hygiene keys and branded hand sanitiser products, as well as promotional banners and posters printed with guidelines.

But whilst that's all well and good, there's still more you can do. From providing staff with their own individually named items (such as mugs and stationery) to choosing antibacterial printed pens, there are a variety of other options you can explore in order to create a workplace that's as safe and secure for your team as possible.

What Guidelines Are There For Returning To The Workplace?

The government has extensive guidelines available on how employees should safely return to their normal working environment, with specific rules and advice in place for specific industries.

Within that, there are five key steps that any business should follow in order to ensure it's 'Covid-secure' and ready to welcome staff back. These include:

  • Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment. This will allow you to ascertain what areas need addressing within your workplace, with the government advising businesses to consult with their workers and trade unions, as well as sharing the results of the risk assessment - and the changes that will be made - on their website.
  • Develop cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures. As well as providing hand sanitiser and offering regular handwashing reminders for staff, this also includes the frequent cleaning and disinfecting of objects used around the workplace.
  • Help people to work from home as and when necessary. According to research, nine-in-ten of UK employees who have worked from home during lockdown said they'd like to continue 'WFH' to at least some extent after they return to the traditional workplace. (And if you're considering offering that degree of flexibility to your team, it might be worth checking out our range of Working From Home products, as well.)
  • Maintaining 2m social distancing, where possible. Whilst this doesn't lend itself to every working environment, doing your utmost to enforce some degree of safe distancing is essential. From rearranging desk layouts to implementing social distancing signage, there are all kinds of ways you can do this safely and responsibly.
  • Where people cannot be 2m apart, manage transmission risk. This consideration includes the potential cancellation of activities that cannot be carried out safely, erecting screens or barriers to keep colleagues protected at their desks and staggering arrival and departure times. 

Find out more by reading the government's full set of guidelines for returning to work.

Promotional Products For Getting Back To Work Safely

So where do you begin when it comes to ordering the best products for helping your team feel protected as they prepare to return to work?

Our range of Back To Business branded items has everything your workplace could need to ensure it's able to welcome staff back into a 'Coronavirus-safe' environment, with everything from branded hand sanitiser stations and promotional face mask cases to antibacterial products and individually named items to help limit the risk of cross-contamination and germ spreading. 

Essential Office Protection Pack & Cleaning Supplies

Ensure you've always got cleaning supplies to-hand with the help of our all-in-one Office Protection Packs. Available in a range of different sizes, these cleaning product bundles include all the items your workplace needs to feel spick and span.

The Essential pack contains everything from floor tape to antibacterial wipes and is available for dispatch from just two working days. For smaller workspaces, the Starter Office Protection Pack is a must-have, containing all the basics needed to ease a team back into the 'new normal' at work. At the other end of the scale, our Premium Office Protection Pack contains everything your business could need to get off to a flying start with keeping things Covid-secure; as well as cleaning products, the set contains everything from a contactless thermometer to branded social distancing posters.

Browse our full range of promotional social distancing products.

Freestanding Branded Hand Sanitiser Stations

We have a wide range of branded hand sanitiser products available and our hand sanitiser stations are must-haves for the workplace. Whether it's an office space or a setting that's open to customers, it's essential to make sure that hand sanitiser is easily accessible as and when needed.

Available to order from just one unit, our Freestanding Hand Sanitiser Stations require zero-contact and feature your branding printed in full colour on the backing area. They're ideal for displaying near entrances, exits and other areas of the workplace that have a high footfall, and are best used in conjunction with other normal hygiene practices.

If you're working with a tighter budget, you might want to consider our desktop-sized Contactless Automatic Hand Sanitiser Dispensers or Wall Mounted Hand Sanitiser Dispensers (shown below); both can be printed with your logo and offer the perfect solution for smaller spaces. 

Browse our full range of promotional hand sanitiser products.

Mood Collection Back To Work Packs

Welcome your staff back to work with these all-in-one kits, that combine a branded water bottle, printed pen and promotional notepad in one handy set. As well as providing practicality for your team, these neat sets are also a thoughtful touch that your team will undoubtedly appreciate.

Providing colleagues with their very own products is a great way to reduce the potential for cross-contamination, helping to eliminate the need for 'quickly borrowing a pen' or drinking out of something found in the communal kitchen area.

View our full range of promotional product bundles.

Printed Face Mask Cases

Ideal for storing branded face masks in, these handy cases are printed with your artwork and are ideal for keeping face coverings safely stored when not in use. This can reduce the need for masks to be stuffed in pockets or chucked into bags, helping to limit the potential for cross-contamination between items.

We also have a range of other face mask accessories available too, including face mask exempt badges, which, depending on the environment you work in, could prove handy for team members who can't wear face coverings.

Also worth considering are our printed face mask straps; printed with your logo, these simple plastic straps can help make the wearing of face masks and coverings that bit more comfortable for those who matter the most to your business.

Browse our full range of branded face masks.

Antibacterial Ballpens With Your Logo

Each of these special promotional pens is manufactured from ABS material, especially processed to limit bacterial growth on the body of the pen. (Find out more about how it works.)

As well as that, each of these branded pens is printed with your corporate logo in up to four colours - ensuring visibility for your business with every written word. 

Browse our full range of antibacterial promotional products.

Individually Named Branded Mugs

There's no scope for coffee cup mix-ups with the help of our individually named promotional mugs! Each mug is printed with both the recipient's name, as well as with your business' logo, all in dazzling full colour. 

The result? A branded mug that will not only add an extra personal touch to your colleagues' desks but will also help limit cup-sharing and the spread of germs in the office. We'll drink to that!

View our full range of individually named promotional products.

Promotional Box Of Face Masks

Always useful to have to hand, these boxes of disposable face masks are ideal for keeping stocked up on, whether you order them in bulk (so each of your team can have their own box of disposable face masks to-hand) or in smaller quantities for keeping in the reception area or medical room. 

Printed with your full colour branding to the sleeve, these branded face mask sets are also perfect for using in customer-centric environments, such as hairdressers, beauty salons and showrooms. 

Explore our full range of promotional face masks.

Individually Named Branded Lunch Bags

Much like our individually named mugs, these branded cooler bags are a tasty option for helping to limit the potential for cross-contamination come lunchtime. After all, there's no scope for sandwich theft or yoghurt pinching if everyone keeps their snacks inside lunch boxes or lunch bags printed with their names, right?

Keeping food at optimal temperatures throughout the day (and cutting the need for staff to crowd around the fridge at breaktimes in the process), these vibrant promotional lunch bags are also printed with your logo, making them ideal for generating positive brand awareness on your employees' daily commutes. 

Browse our full range of promotional lunch boxes and branded lunch bags.

Clear Promotional Roller Banners

Ideal for acting as an extra protective shield between colleagues who sit on the same pod of desks, these social distancing roller banners are available to order in plain stock or printed with your full colour branding.

These promotional banners are also ideal for displaying safety messages - including social distancing guidelines - around the workplace... And with orders available from just one unit, they're a must-have for businesses both large and small.

Browse more of our must-have promotional products for getting back to business.

From branded hand sanitiser to promotional face masks, Total Merchandise has all the branded items your team could need to get back into the workplace. Need help finding a specific item? Simply contact a member of our friendly and experienced Sales team on 01376 509092 or email info@totalmerchandise.co.uk

Main image via Pexels. 

Written by

David Stoddart | Co-Founder and Systems Director

As our co-founder and Systems Director, David has close to two decades of expertise within the promotional merchandise industry, with a specialist focus on our systems and processes. Under the guidance of David and the other co-founders, Total Merchandise has become one of the UK's leading suppliers of promotional products. With his finger on the pulse of both the industry and in-house activity, David oversees technical operations and prides himself on the 5* experience we offer suppliers and customers. Passionate about photography and off-road driving, he can often be found with his camera in hand or listening to a wide range of music genres.

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