What is
COVID Office Furniture?
COVID Office Furniture is an entirely new term. As employees continue to adjust to home–work, it is becoming clear that the return the office is going to be unprecedented. While working from home will increase for a lot of people, this does not mean that the office will become obsolete.
Offices and workspaces are vital for organizations to be successful, as they provide a place of free-flowing collaboration and communication that a video call simply cannot offer. Because of this, the existing office must be transformed to meet health and safety guidelines and recommendations, which includes using office furniture that is COVID friendly.
While some organizations might choose to completely redesign their entire office space, implementing COVID office furniture offers a subtler and easier change. COVID office furniture refers to pieces of furniture for the workplace that help prevent the spread of germs and viruses like COVID.
Specifically, many of these pieces of COVID office furniture allow employees to be socially distant from their coworkers, which gives them a sense of security and safety. COVID office furniture also is purposely designed using materials that can be easily disinfected and sanitized.
Rightsize Facility has been an industry leader in furniture and we currently consider ourselves a COVID-19 office furniture store. Over the past 15 years, we have been helping companies with every detail of office transitions. We plan, furnish, and service our clients with our innovative design solutions, which can be extremely valuable during this time.
COVID office furniture products refer to pieces of furniture for the workplace that are purposely designed with protective measures and features to minimize the spread of viruses like COVID.
Traditional office furniture provides a haven for germs and bacteria. Additionally, open floor plan workspaces that encourage employee collaboration do not follow social distancing guidelines and recommendations.
However, this does not put an end to collaborative workspaces. Instead, collaborative workspaces will need to shift in order to promote social distancing, which includes using COVID office furniture. Some examples of COVID office furniture products are listed below:
- Writing Desks – In order to ensure social distancing in office spaces, individual writing desks are a great way to prevent the spread of germs. Writing desks are a great piece of COVID office furniture because they ensure separate, individualized working space that can be placed in a collaborative area at a safe distance from coworkers.
- Laptop Tables – Laptop tables have similar features to writing desks in that they can be the perfect piece of COVID office furniture for a collaborative workspace while still social distancing. Laptop tables, as opposed to writing desks, are a bit slimmer, but they function similarly as they provide an individualized workspace.
- Light Task Chairs – As previously mentioned, traditional office furniture can trap bacteria and germs, especially if there is a lot of fabric and seams. Light task chairs feature materials and surfaces that are easily to clean, sanitize, and sterilize. Light task chairs can also include fully wrapped cushions which feature minimal seams.
- Copper Mesh Chairs – In addition to light task chairs, copper mesh chairs offer an alternative seating solution for COVID office furniture. Copper mesh chairs help prevent the spread of germs as they feature self-sanitizing, bleach-cleanable copper.
- Acoustic Materials – The return to the office post-COVID is going to be gradual and slow, which means that workplaces might still need to be able to communicate with certain employees virtually. Because of this, conference rooms post-COVID should include acoustic panels, acoustic ceiling grids, and sound-absorbing lights.
This list includes just some of the many pieces of office furniture that are suitable for creating a work environment that promotes health, safety and wellness.
If your workplace is not looking to completely redesign the office with new furniture, there are also some options of add-on pieces that can be applied to existing furniture in the office. Some of the add-on COVID furniture options are listed below:
- Panels – Tall, hard surface gallery panels can be added to the base or ends of desks in order to provide workers with an additional layer of protection from their coworkers. These panels are purposely designed with materials that are easy to clean and sanitize as well.
- Sanitization Stands – Sanitization caddies or stands for personal use are going to greatly add to an employee’s sense of security and safety in the office. When individuals have cleaning wipes, hand sanitizer and masks available at their workspace, they will feel much more comfortable in their work environment.
- Screens – Divider screens can be used to make a more open office space have the feel of separate and distinct rooms to accommodate social distancing. Additionally, these screens can also be made of clear material that facilitates communication within proximity with an added layer of protection that is easy-to-clean.
- Storage – Storage units can be added onto to existing pieces of furniture, like desks, to provide higher boundaries and, of course, add additional storage. An add-on storage pieces can even be a sanitization stands.
In this time of uncertainty, the return the workplace is going to be extremely difficult. Employees have adjusted to working remotely in the comfort of their homes, so they might be concerned and worried about the health and safety risks associated with returning to the office.
Because so many workers are concerned with their wellbeing when they return to the workplace, organizations should implement protective measures to quell these fears. Adding COVID office furniture is an easy and simple solution that offers many advantages, some of which are listed below:
- Mitigate Anxiety – One of the most important things for companies to be proactive about post-COVID is mitigating anxiety and risks for employees. Employees are going to need to be assured that their office is a safe and secure and implementing COVID office furniture can accomplish this.
- Promote Social Distancing – Adding COVID office furniture to the workplace can assure employees that they will be safe and socially distant from others. Many COVID office furniture products are designed to ensure that employees can be socially distant from their coworkers, whether they are working together or separately.
- Reduce The Spread Of Germs – Because COVID office furniture helps accomplish social distancing, the spread of germs is significantly reduced. COVID office furniture is also purposely designed with materials and surfaces that can be easily sanitized, cleaned and sterilized in order to reduce germs even further.
- Increase Sense Of Safety – As many employees have perfected their work-at-home routine, a lot of individuals will be hesitant to return to the office due to concerns for their health and wellbeing. Furniture that ensures social distancing and minimizes the spread of viruses will allow employees to feel safe and comfortable working in the office space.
Rightsize Facility
The Premier COVID-19 Office Furniture Store
Rightsize Facility has been working with clients to create, design and install the perfect office furniture for over 15 years. At Rightsize Facility, we consider ourselves experts in office transitions, which is why we can help organizations reshape their workplaces during this time.
At Rightsize Facility, our approach to office transformation is focused on three key things that we offer our clients: plan, furnish and service. We take pride in reshaping workplaces with an emphasis on wellness, safety and productivity.
To get started, all you need to do is answer a few questions to help us create your optimal office space, and we’ll send you a complimentary space plan and ideas from a Rightsize expert.