We are emerging from the coronavirus pandemic, and employees are returning to work. Employers must have strategies in place to ensure that their employees are safe when they return. The issue has caused some organizations, such as the big internet corporations, to embrace more comprehensive work-from-home policies. Office environments are swiftly adapting for the post-coronavirus era.
Indeed, as businesses adjust to the new normal, the modern workplace may undergo permanent changes. As your company prepares to reopen its doors, these innovative office space and furniture options will keep your employees safe.
Temporary plexiglass barriers
To prevent the spread of pathogens, many establishments have already constructed temporary plexiglass shields and barriers. In an office setting, these similar barriers are helpful in places with a lot of foot traffic and in-person contacts. They help to keep individuals separated and follow social distance requirements. These temporary plexiglass shields are helpful in conference rooms, on staff desks, or in hallways. Plexiglass partitions may become the new office norm.
Repurpose Communal Spaces
In the quest to comply with social distancing requirements, some rooms have become obsolete. Large conference rooms, cafeterias, and employee lounges are among these areas. Instead of avoiding these rooms entirely, organizations might convert them into temporary workplaces for staff to spread out in. Additionally, if your organization offers outside space, you can move staff outside if the weather permits.
Make opening windows a top priority
According to experts, the best approach to keep the office cool while preventing the spread of coronavirus is to open the windows. Recirculated air from central air conditioners and heaters can spread virus particles from one room to another. Opening the windows in your office will allow air to circulate freely, preventing the virus from spreading in shared areas.
Please open the windows in your office to provide fresh air, even though it isn’t possible in every office building. If your workplace building doesn’t allow you to open windows, stay away from the air conditioning exhaust, which traps pollutants.
Hand Sanitizers
Hand washing is a simple yet efficient approach to stop coronavirus from spreading. Employers should consider purchasing hand sanitizer stations to install throughout common spaces. They should be in break rooms, reception areas, entrances, conference rooms, and toilets to promote excellent hygiene.
Consider adding personal hand sanitizing stations to employee desks if your business already has hand sanitizing stations in common locations. Alternatively, you can provide each employee with their sanitizer once a week and hand hygiene instructions for the company.
Decongest the office space
When there are fewer individuals in the facility, it is easier to create distance amongst personnel. Many businesses are taking a staged approach to bring employees back to work. They are using a staggering schedule and encouraging a mix of remote and onsite work. To comply with safety rules, communal activities such as buffet breakfasts and office-wide gatherings should be suspended or adjusted. This doesn’t mean you have to stop providing refreshments, though. Try installing separate serving stations with water supply machines (click here to know more) and your favorite coffee machine, such as the Philips espresso machine.
Reconsider cubicles
Cubicles have fallen out of favor in the modern workplace over the last decades, and open-office designs have taken their place. The coronavirus pandemic, on the other hand, has made individuals appreciate private, personal areas.
Plexiglass cubicles replace the open office concept to foster an open office ambiance while providing a private space for individual employees. Temporary plexiglass barriers are becoming popular as they reduce the chances of spreading pathogens.
Create office partitions out of conference rooms
You can turn those obsolete large rooms such as conference rooms into cubicles. Remove walls in conference rooms, creating a healthy workplace. Cubicles appear to be regaining favor as a result of COVID-19. Because they are a hybrid of an office and a cubicle, these places are called “officles.” Because these freshly remodeled areas have only three walls, air can freely circulate throughout the space. This potentially prevents germs from congregating in one spot.
Corner conference rooms
Office partitions are one option to adapt conference rooms to the new normal. You can use open office corners as a permanent or temporary replacement for a closed conference room. Corner conference rooms, like office partitions, enhance ventilation and allow employees to spread out from one another.
Reconsider your greeting area.
Reevaluate your reception area
Before the coronavirus epidemic, most open workplaces had a reception room where customers, clients, and other visitors. While this strategy made guests feel more at ease and welcomed, post-COVID reception rooms may be undergoing an extensive makeover in the coming months.
Some businesses are repurposing their reception areas as decontamination areas. New practices could become standard. Monitor temperatures at the door, provide handwashing stations in waiting areas or even tell visitors to remove their shoes. Meanwhile, amenities that are prone to transfer germs, such as self-serve coffee, will likely be phased out to lower the danger of transmission. You may see a sink or handwashing station in its place, which you must use before entering the office.
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These simple yet effective solutions are beneficial in keeping the office safe. You can implement these in phases if your budget is limited. That is an essential factor in maintaining distance between office occupants. Do not forget to update your stakeholders with social media updates of your milestones (click here for more..). This will help drive foot traffic back to your workplace.
