COVID-19 has forced companies and employers in general to rethink their office space layout to minimize the spread of the virus. Many employees are apprehensive about returning to work due to safety concerns. Therefore, employers face the challenge of creating a safe socially distanced workplace for them as they return to work. The new workplace must provide a sense of safety from infection while maintaining a sense of togetherness among the employees. The new office set up should also be attractive to your customers who want to identify with quality and style.
Considerations to be Made When Modelling the Workplace to Fit the New Normal
An open-plan office layout has been in use for quite some time. The plan is said to increase collaborative efforts among employees leading to increased productivity. COVID-19 has made the open-plan offices irrelevant. The previous office plan must transform into a healthy Post-COVID workplace. The social distancing cubicles settings should satisfy the following criteria:
- The surfaces should be easy to clean and sanitize several times a day. Surfaces that are absorbent and porous are therefore not safe.
- Any barriers erected should allow for the entry of natural light.
- The shield arrangement provides for adequate circulation of fresh air.
- The barrier should also be adjustable in terms of height and length.
- The new additions should be easily adaptable to any future unforeseen changes related to the pandemic.
- The shields should be able to block high-velocity droplets emissions produces during a sneeze or a cough.
- Space allowance between one person and the next should be at least the recommended two meters distance.
- The new spaces should inspire the employees to desire to go to and stay at the office.
Innovative Furniture Solutions that Make the Office Space Attractive and Safe for the Employee
Whether the employer chooses to remodel the existing furniture or do a complete overhaul of the office space, it is essential to know which new additional structures to incorporate. Necessary additions that must be made in the office to reduce the virus’s spread are as follows:
Physical barriers
A significant requirement at the workplace during the pandemic is to install transparent shields or other physical barriers to allow in enough light. The three walls make a six-foot cubicle for the worker to allow for social distancing. The plastic or glass barriers are easy to clean and able to block any infectious aerosols from spreading. The shields used should be light in weight and accommodate any necessary adjustments.
Workstation desks
The office desks tops arrangement should conform to the two meters apart rule. Additionally, the surfaces should be easy to clean. The recommended desk arrangement is back to back or side to side.
Personal storage units
The office spaces should be free of clutter, which people tend to touch all the time, therefore promoting the spread of COVID-19. Personal storage units that open quickly without the use of handles are an essential consideration to make. Employees are encouraged to keep their items in the storage space.
Shared spaces
The use of Coffee makers, fridges, water dispensers, and items that employees tend to share in the office is now a health hazard and unnecessary. The additional space is useful to configure the office for one way flow of human traffic to maintain social distancing. With professional help, it is possible to create progressive and innovative designs for your office to assure your employees of safety.
Getting your office ready for your employees is challenging. You desire to carry out the office renovation process in the right way to increase safety and maintain your company’s brand traditions. The new office specifications are likely to be with us, even post COVID-19. Therefore, it is prudent to get a professional furniture company that will give you quality office installations. Your employees would like to go back to a safe and comfortable workplace where the furniture is of high quality and functional. The perfect environment is what your employees need to maintain meaningful office interactions while keeping safe to boost productivity. Your clients will also be happy to do business with a safety-conscious company.
Take the steps today to make your workplace safe not only for your employees but also for your clients.
