The new normal ways of working require space – whether it is at home or in the office. Factory layouts have been changed, office setups changed. This article will provide you with some ideas as to how this can be achieved in your business without breaking the bank.
The new normal in terms of office space is about safeguarding staff and providing a safe environment for office work to continue. It helps to form a component of the hybrid way of modern employment. Office spaces must be sanitized and spacious yet remaining usable and functional for a productive team of people.
Creating an office space; the five things that your business can do now
#1: Screens
The use of so-called sneeze shields and clear partitions has been one of the ways that the new normal protocols for office work can be instituted. It requires thorough planning and is not as easy as simply putting up screens between the existing desks. You need to incorporate these screens into the overall office design, and rather than using them to isolate and distance, they should be used to enhance the space.
#2: Innovative use of space
All the space inside the office must be utilized to the fullest; the requirements will be for increased space between desks and insider workstations. And for many, this has meant a reduction in personnel. The more creative way to look at it is to remove the stationary elements, such as walling, pillars, storage cabinets, and instead use innovative ways to create space in the office to keep the required manpower. For example, using a cloud-based document storage system should allow for all the old school filing cabinets to be removed, and a sliding whiteboard system could turn your thick wall space into sliding work screens.
#3: Open plan everything
The tip above is part of this, but the idea is to make everything open plan. From workspace to meeting rooms, the use of sliding screens and interchangeable partitions means that by keeping the space as open plan as possible, you are able to change it as and when you need to. The start is to have a designer and architect advice, ensuring that the removal of walls is done safely, no load-bearing walls should be removed, and if so, steels used to open up space.
#4: Ventilation
Air quality and airflow will be the new wellness and well-being criteria for office spaces everywhere. Many will not be able to simply open a window, and as such, there will need to be some planning around how to increase ventilation in as green away as possible.
#5: Staffing rotas and shifts
Having staff work at different times and breaking teams into different shifts has been one of the ways that business has found to reduce the number of employees in the space at any one time. Just ensure that if there is any rubber desking, the surfaces should be cleaned and sanitized thoroughly.
These tips are simple strategies that will become management norms as we all look for the best ways to return to full productivity.
But before you go, you can spare a few minutes of your time to check this post about Space-saving ideas you can implement in your office.
