| How To Improve Your Workplace After COVID-19 |
As time goes by, we are each beginning to wonder “how” and “when” we will return to the workplace. While there definitely remains uncertainty with the “when,” Eighth Day Design has prepared 8 different measures we believe will help our clients with the “how.” Health and safety were our biggest concerns when creating this list, and what will continue to guide our recommendations to each of our clients who are looking to make their transitions back.
Whether it is installing new equipment or reconfiguring existing furniture, our designers and IWMS experts are here and available to talk through all available options. We are working around the clock to design novel solutions that best fit our client’s unique needs and circumstances. We hope that the following 8 suggestions will inspire you to consider ways EDD can help prepare your workplace for life after COVID-19.
- Personal Sanitation
- Increase availability for hand sanitizing dispensers in high-touch areas such as printers, workrooms, reception desks, and elevator lobbies.
- Provide welcome back packages for all employees and include items like personal mask and gloves, a personal set of markers for writable surfaces, a pack of Lysol wipes, and personal hand sanitizer.
- Welcome back flyers or placemats to reinforce new desired behaviors developed by HR or Facilities Managers.
- Automation of High Touch Surfaces
- Automatic operators on doors for handsfree entry and egress.
- Motion sensor light switches.
- Touchless faucets, soap dispensers, and paper towels.
- Handsfree electronic sign in technology at security stations.
- Workspace Distancing
- Review desk layout, separation, partitions, and distancing.
- Review seating arrangements to ensure social distancing.
- Develop a staggered return to the office to minimize density.
- Acrylic dividers or partitions at hoteling desks to screen places where social distancing may not be possible.
- Anti-Microbial or Easily Cleanable Materials
- Replace materials with cleanable material, such as glass, when applicable.
- Place anti-microbial touch pads, such as self-cleaning sanitary touch pads, on touchable surfaces.
- Consider copper when applicable (copper does not support COVID growth).
- Daily Operations and Maintenance
- Address cleaning protocols and routines to increase its frequency and responsibilities.
- Deep cleaning prior to employee return.
- Encourage use of stairs to decrease elevator traffic and maintain social distancing.
- Signage and Communication
- Address new policies, expectations, and alternate work arrangements with all employees.
- Establish a clear and consistent communication channel available for all employees to provide feedback and concerns.
- Develop flyers and signage to communicate desired new behaviors and policies to post at high use areas (such as pantries) and throughout the office.
- Enforce stay at home policies when individuals are sick.
- Mechanical Systems
- Update mechanical systems to improve air ventilation, filtration, and movement.
- Technology and Facilities Management Software
- Install personalized Integrated Workplace Management Software that can track the number of people working remotely, the frequency of equipment usage, room scheduling and meetings.
- IWMS software can provide proper space planning and strategic planning for a shift in the number of people working remotely.
- Create space plans with a radius of how far apart individual workstations are to maintain social distancing guidelines.
- Personalized data can help drive decisions for staggered returns by tracking the number of people returning to work and floor occupancy limits.
- Software can be used to track mail and packaging delivery systems to minimize person-to-person exposure.
We hope that these 8 different solutions help you to feel a little more at ease and in control of the changes we will all soon face. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to any one of our EDD team members so we can better assist you and your company towards a safe, and healthy, return.