Looking to Reopen? Caution and Creativity Get Green Light
July 7, 2020
Businesses need to retrofit, reconfigure, and reinvent workplaces for a post-COVID world.
Channelnomics Staff
This is part 2 of a two-part series.
Companies are reopening, but it’s anything but business as usual.
The very same attributes touted as boosters of collaboration and innovation before COVID-19 – open floor plans, shared spaces, and high mobility – are now being scrutinized and revamped in hopes of creating a safer experience for everyone in offices around the world.
Steelcase, a provider of workspace architecture, furniture, and technology solutions that’s done extensive research on office design, recently released “Navigating What’s Next: The Post-COVID Workplace,” a guide that offers strategies for coping with work life amid and after the coronavirus crisis.
The company said reopening essentially will happen in three phases: now, near, and far.
Now. As some workers remain at home and others return to the office, businesses will retrofit the workplace based on government and global health guidelines. Among the priorities will be reduced density, increased physical distancing, and exceptional hygiene via reconfigured workstations, barriers (such as panels and screens), visual cues (arrows on the floor, for example), smaller meetings, and rigorous cleaning regimens.
Near. Companies bringing back 75% to 100% of their workforces will aim to reconfigure their spaces to accommodate more people. Employers may consider selecting smooth surfaces that are easily cleaned, barriers made of materials that deflect the virus, furniture that can be moved easily, large-scale collaboration devices, standing meetings, and contact tracing.
Far. In the long term, the key will be to reinvent the workplace with the goal of creating resilience and flexibility. Solutions would include adaptable spaces, hands-free technology, sensors for monitoring health and well-being, enhanced virtual experiences, and established policies for remote work.
With all of that in mind, companies should strive to design shared spaces that are comfortable, safe, and productive. Through its research, Steelcase has generated a number of performance principles that can inform the creation of such workspaces.
> Proximity: In a post-COVID world, the nearness of people to each other, and to their tools and furniture, must be considered. The goal now is physical distancing aimed at keeping workers safe and healthy while ensuring that work tools are accessible.
> Privacy: For shared spaces to be both productive and comfortable, employees need the appropriate types of privacy – visual, acoustical, informational, and territorial – and acceptable levels of each.
> Posture: Accommodating a range of postures in the workplace – seated, standing, stool-height, perching, and lounging – allows for different tasks to be completed effectively. Having a variety of seating types enables those postures and facilitates flexible furniture arrangements.
> Personality: Despite all the limitations and caveats that come with a post-COVID workspace, businesses should still strive for an aesthetic that communicates their unique brand and culture, whether through stylistic choices, fabrics, lighting, or general ambiance. Conveying that individuality will likely attract and retain talent.
For more on post-COVID workplace design considerations, visit the Steelcase website.
Companies are reopening, but it’s anything but business as usual.
The very same attributes touted as boosters of collaboration and innovation before COVID-19 – open floor plans, shared spaces, and high mobility – are now being scrutinized and revamped in hopes of creating a safer experience for everyone in offices around the world.
Steelcase, a provider of workspace architecture, furniture, and technology solutions that’s done extensive research on office design, recently released “Navigating What’s Next: The Post-COVID Workplace,” a guide that offers strategies for coping with work life amid and after the coronavirus crisis.
The company said reopening essentially will happen in three phases: now, near, and far.
Now. As some workers remain at home and others return to the office, businesses will retrofit the workplace based on government and global health guidelines. Among the priorities will be reduced density, increased physical distancing, and exceptional hygiene via reconfigured workstations, barriers (such as panels and screens), visual cues (arrows on the floor, for example), smaller meetings, and rigorous cleaning regimens.
Near. Companies bringing back 75% to 100% of their workforces will aim to reconfigure their spaces to accommodate more people. Employers may consider selecting smooth surfaces that are easily cleaned, barriers made of materials that deflect the virus, furniture that can be moved easily, large-scale collaboration devices, standing meetings, and contact tracing.
Far. In the long term, the key will be to reinvent the workplace with the goal of creating resilience and flexibility. Solutions would include adaptable spaces, hands-free technology, sensors for monitoring health and well-being, enhanced virtual experiences, and established policies for remote work.
With all of that in mind, companies should strive to design shared spaces that are comfortable, safe, and productive. Through its research, Steelcase has generated a number of performance principles that can inform the creation of such workspaces.
> Proximity: In a post-COVID world, the nearness of people to each other, and to their tools and furniture, must be considered. The goal now is physical distancing aimed at keeping workers safe and healthy while ensuring that work tools are accessible.
> Privacy: For shared spaces to be both productive and comfortable, employees need the appropriate types of privacy – visual, acoustical, informational, and territorial – and acceptable levels of each.
> Posture: Accommodating a range of postures in the workplace – seated, standing, stool-height, perching, and lounging – allows for different tasks to be completed effectively. Having a variety of seating types enables those postures and facilitates flexible furniture arrangements.
> Personality: Despite all the limitations and caveats that come with a post-COVID workspace, businesses should still strive for an aesthetic that communicates their unique brand and culture, whether through stylistic choices, fabrics, lighting, or general ambiance. Conveying that individuality will likely attract and retain talent.
For more on post-COVID workplace design considerations, visit the Steelcase website.
