With 8-months after closing all economic entities, it has forced most business owners to deploy their employees in a work-from-home scheme due to the Novel Coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19, a world pandemic. But at this day of writing, industries have decided to gradually reopen their offices for a more efficient workflow and added revenues, however, accommodation of workers has become a challenge as safety protocol on social distancing must be strictly implemented all over the workplace.
In the given new norm for the upcoming months – or even years, businesses have to invest on a safe office remodeling plan to secure the health and overall well-being of every person that comes in and out of the working premises. Here are some adaptive remodeling plans which can guarantee safeties while chasing the hook:
Spaced out office lounge
Office lounges are still of great use despite the horrific situation, so instead of completely shutting down the access, it’s time to re-arrange the office furniture that still offers relaxation in the midst of piling deadlines.
Apart from the practice of cutting the seating availability of a 3-seater sofa, it would be advantageous to replace it with single seating stools in proper distance or having a modern high back sofa seating. This type of lounge seating has a stylish high partition that offers privacy and secludes each personnel from other staff in the area, nevertheless, these lounge spaces would need diligent cleaning as fabric or leather upholstery are delicate.
Remodeling meeting rooms
The contagious virus has gone meeting in a virtual setup and has left the office meeting rooms empty to not endanger employees’ health, but there are still ways to optimize the usage of traditional conference areas which shall further synergize the collective, creative and strategic minds through a recalibration of functionality.
An efficient recalibration can be possible, in this given plight, by downscaling the accommodation capacity. Reducing the seating volume into half or so will completely adhere to the new norm that limits the participation to some staff involved thus, it is still recommended to incorporate a computer-generated meeting in some sessions that needs full force collaboration. Likewise, it would be best to have a small spatial size, especially to large rooms as huge gaps or distance may disconnect the innovative ideas from one another.
The profitable use of workstations
What most offices do these days to ensure the mandated 1-meter distance on workspaces is by hanging plastic covers until in the edge part of the office table. This improvised partition is a quick fix to completely comply with the office standards but as time passes, these light materials are easily tampered with and would need a frequent change, in other words – cost-inefficient!
A better way to conform to standards is through installing modular workstations that help in minimizing physical contact among employees with having built-in screen panels or partition features. These workstations provide a balance of privacy for a driven focus in doing individual works and a collaborative environment for a team.
The distinctive features of a modular workplace are available in various designs and layouts, depending on the requirement, and makes one of the best choices to have in an office setting as it consumes less floor space over the traditional office desks.
Changing the office layout
Medical experts have strongly advised that there must be proper ventilation in a closed space to prevent that stagnant air cycle. One way to observe these in-office workspaces is by embracing an open office layout or having a loft office workplace.
Having an open office plan does not demand too many solid boundaries resulting in employees freely move from one place to another which same goes to the air circulation hence, the surfacing of air-borne viruses becomes limited. Meanwhile, a loft-type – a wide trend on residential apartments – is an upper story or attic space under the same roof to maximize the open space beneath.
The loft-style can be adapted in the office scene, through an office interior fit-out, to prevent a crowded staff community in the open space while it practices the proper distancing. Either of the two options, both are promising in terms of aesthetic and functionality, at the same time, maintaining cleanliness is much easier to do than closed spaces.
