How To Adjust Your Office Setup To The New Normal

As the country continues to recover from the COVID-19 outbreak and employees return to the workplace, business owners must have strategies in place to protect their employees’ safety. While the pandemic has forced some businesses to implement safer work-from-home regulations, office environments are increasingly changing to welcome the new normal. 

As businesses adjust to the new normal, the modern office environment may undergo long-term changes. If you’re an employer preparing to reopen your company office, this article is a guide to help you adapt to the new normal and keep your employees safe.

1. Consider Coworking Spaces First

About a few years ago, a new type of office structure changed the workspace business. Coworking spaces are, at their core, collaborative workstations. It differs from a normal office workplace in that the workers aren’t from the same firm. Coworking space Melbourne and others provide the same benefits as regular offices. Because you don’t have to sign a rental contract in a coworking space, flexibility is a key distinction. To keep it, coworking spaces may help small businesses grow by lowering expenses through the meeting rooms, network, and potential business possibilities that are available.

In this way, reopening your business in a coworking space is a cost-effective fix to the unpredictable government lockdowns. So, before you start and open up a new office, consider coworking spaces first. They’re widely popular in many cities, so finding one isn’t a hassle.

2. Rearrange The Current Office Setup To Enforce Social Distancing

The greatest concern for companies is to get their people back to work safely as soon as possible. Businesses should focus on modifying the workplace to comply with current health regulations during the initial wave of re-openings. The easiest way to accomplish this is to rearrange the current workplace setup to ensure it adheres to social distance guidelines. However, this is only for businesses that still have their own place. Workers’ desks should be positioned six feet apart, if possible, while other furniture can be adjusted or even removed to provide extra space. 

To enforce the six-feet rule, graphic cues can be used to further establish social distancing. In addition, one-way traffic may also be imposed to prevent employees from making unnecessary touch.

3. Limit Office Capacity

Naturally, when there are fewer employees in the building, it’s easier to make distance amongst other workers. Employers should devise a strategy for returning workers to the office such as effective scheduling and facilitating a mix of remote and onsite work. To comply with safety rules, communal events such as team breakfasts and office-wide gatherings should be halted or adjusted.

4. Modify Common Areas

Many companies are eliminating huge common spaces in order to comply with social distancing rules. Larger meeting rooms, food courts, and staff lounges are examples of these areas. Instead of ignoring these rooms entirely, organizations can convert them into temporary workplaces where staff can stretch out. Furthermore, if your organization offers outside space, you may relocate staff outside if the weather is good.

5. Incorporate Hand-Sanitizing Stations And Hand Hygiene Rules

Hand washing is a simple yet efficient method of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Employers could think about buying hand sanitizer stations to install throughout common spaces such as break rooms, reception areas, entrances, conference rooms, and toilets when workers return to the workplace to promote excellent hygiene.

Additionally, consider adding personal hand sanitizing stations to employee desks if your business already has hand sanitizing stations in common spaces. Furthermore, you may also provide each employee with their personal sanitizer once a week, along with workplace hand hygiene rules.

6. Upgrade The Air Filtering and Ventilation Systems

Coronavirus is known to transmit mostly by droplets produced when people speak, cough, or breathe. Tiny particles may stay in the air after many of these droplets fall to the ground and disintegrate fast. Improving air filtration and ventilation is one strategy to combat these microscopic, highly infectious particles.

Many major corporations are planning to replace their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in the near future to enhance airflow and filter out toxins. If you don’t have the funds to repair your HVAC system, portable air purifiers may be strategically positioned throughout the office for a fraction of the expense. This is especially handy if office windows can’t be opened to allow air to circulate.

Final Thoughts

The COVID-19 outbreak has introduced plenty of new obstacles, particularly for companies seeking to reopen. Businesses are now changing the office environment as they adjust to the new normal. While you may feel a sense of urgency to get your company back up and running, refer to this guide to ensure a safe and stable reopening.

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