Office construction standards have changed as a result of COVID-19. Between the need to accommodate greater social distancing, worker demands for higher levels of sanitization and a need to both be and look safer, here are some of the ways that new offices can be built and existing offices can be retrofitted.
Separate Workspaces
One of the keys in the post-COVID-19 office is to keep people -- and their droplets -- apart. This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to return to large private offices, though. Putting dividers between open-floor plan workspaces and reorienting desks so that people aren't looking at -- and sneezing on -- each other can go a long way to making your workspace safer and cleaner.
Of course, if you can take workspaces out and achieve greater distancing that way, it can be helpful. Given that work-from-home arrangements seem to be working out well for many businesses, removing workspaces could be easier than it may seem. Another way to accomplish this goal is to split the workday to have half of your workforce in at each of two times, further de-densifying the office.
Safer Shared Areas
In shared areas, the watchwords are cleaning and separation. For better cleaning, work with your janitorial team to setup disinfection protocols, including, potentially, midday cleaning passes. Don't be surprised if your workers start spending less time in the kitchen -- and less of your money by eating your communal snacks. After all, the more time they spend with coworkers, the more risk they take. Items that are heavily used -- like water and coffee dispensers -- should be updated with no- or low-touch devices, making it easier to keep them clean.
Post-COVID-19 separation comes from de-densification. This starts in lobbies and entry areas with spaced out seating and decals to mark who should be where, when. You will probably reduce capacity in conference rooms by removing seating and creating more space. Even better is to replace a large conference room with multiple smaller rooms that individuals can use for virtual collaboration. After all, you can't catch COVID-19 from the person on the other end of a Zoom call!
New Approaches to Infrastructure
Your office's infrastructure also needs to change. Hallways can be widened, turned one-way, or both, to reduce the risk of passing employees infecting each other. Basic infrastructure items can also be made COVID-friendly. Access controls like locks can be replaced with touchless biometric systems. Doors and lights can open, close, and turn on and off by sensor instead of by touch. And you can find room to add hand sanitizers and other waterless cleaning products just about everywhere.
Some offices may go a step further and transition to one-way flow systems where everyone goes in one door and out the other. This could practically eliminate the chances of people walking past each other in a bottleneck like a narrow door or hallway. At the same time, you may also need to add additional storage to your infrastructure to accommodate people who need to keep materials at the office even if they don't have a full-time desk.
Ultimately, COVID-19 won't spell the end of the office or of traditional work. Instead, it's an opportunity for all companies to rethink how they use and configure their offices to improve safety, health and productivity.
Reach out to us to see how we can help you find the best office space to fit your needs during these times!
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