How To Design The Post-COVID Workplace

At Rightsize Facility, we believe there are three key elements of change that can provide a timely, safe, and efficient return to work post-COVID which are explained below: redesign, retrofit and reconfigure.
 

• Redesign – Redesigning a workplace is no easy task, but it is essential for ensuring employee health and wellbeing. Redesigning requires a lot of innovative and purposeful design changes to reshape and transform spaces. If you’re wondering how to design the post-COVID workplace, redesigning might be the answer.
   
• Retrofit – Retrofitting refers to the addition of new features or accessories to existing office furniture. Workplaces can utilize retrofitting in the post-COVID office by incorporating purposeful and innovative pieces that enforce social distancing and provide sanitization materials to employees.
   
• Reconfigure – Reconfiguring existing office spaces is a great and simple way to enforce social distancing measures. Reconfiguring can include relocating certain departments, rearranging furniture and accessories while installing new protective measures. Implementing reconfiguration can give the workplace a sense of security and safety.
   

At Rightsize Facility, we believe that redesigning, retrofitting and reconfiguring are the most important tasks to take on when looking at how to design the post-COVID workplace. Whether you are looking for subtle or drastic changes to your office post-COVID, these three solutions can always be implemented to create an office that promotes wellness, safety and productivity.

When businesses wonder how to design to the post-COVID workplace, there are both short term and long terms changes to be addressed. Listed below are some short-term changes that can be expected in the workplace post-COVID: 

• Furniture Reconfiguration – One of the most important elements of how to design the post-COVID workplace involves reconfiguring office furniture to follow social distancing guidelines. By ensuring that employees will be socially distant in the office, individuals will be able to accomplish their work with a sense of safety and comfort.
   

• Sanitization & Sterilization – Before returning to the workplace, employees will want to know that they will have easy access to personal cleaning materials like touch free hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes and masks. Workplace spaces also must be sterilized and cleaned much more frequently than before.
   
• Traffic Patterns – A brand new design element that is emerging on how to design the post-COVID workplace involves enforcing traffic patterns in the more open areas of the office. With directional and informational signage posted, employees will be able to remain socially distant and minimize any interaction in aisle areas.
   
• Furniture Add-ons – In addition to furniture reconfiguration, new pieces of COVID office furniture add-ons can be added onto existing pieces to provide employees with additional safety and protection. Some of these products include workstation screens, space dividers and equipment arms that keep desk spaces cleaner.
   
• Remote Work – Now that most offices are empty as a result of the pandemic, people are mastering remote work. When thinking about how to design to the post-COVID workplace, it is important to remember that a lot of workers have found the perfect way to work remotely and might prefer it to coming into the office for a while.

In addition to short term changes to the workplace post-COVID, long–term changes are also important to keep in mind in order to know how to design the post-COVID workplace. Listed below are some of the anticipated long-term workplace shifts:

• Remodel & Redesign – The most intense long–term change that will affect how to design the post-COVID workplace involves remodeling and redesigning the office to accommodate social distancing. Many organizations will choose to make design changes in their offices to prevent the spread of viruses in the long run.
   
• Touch-Free Tech – In today’s digital environment, technology is already shifting towards touch-free. Touch-free tech limits the spread of germs, which is so beneficial right now. When wondering how to design the post-COVID workplace, expect to see more motion sensors, automatic doors, touch-free hand sanitizers and more.
   
• Finish Standards – When looking at how to design the post-COVID workplace, it is important to note that will be a shift in finish standards for FF&E to include things like bleachable fabrics, easily cleanable solid surfaces, integrated anti-bacterial technology and non-porous materials.
   
• Dedicated Workstations – Although the current trend in workplace design is open spaces and floorplans, one potential long-term change that will affect how to design the post-COVID workplace is in favor of dedicated workstations. With social distancing being crucial for safety, we might see the return of the cubicle and private office.
   
• Personal Space – Current workplace standards for individual space is around 150 square feet. Social distancing measures and recommendations suggest that this is not enough space to keep employees at a safe distance from one another. Now, offices should allot individuals with a more generous individual workspace of around 225 to 250 square feet.

Many people are unsure about how COVID-19 is going to shift things in the workplace. Because the world has never dealt with these problems in today’s day and age, it is hard to know what changes are necessary versus optional for different office spaces. 

Ultimately, the most important thing for any workplace to do during these times is mitigate anxiety and concerns for workers but prioritizing safety. Because of this, we suggest that every workplace make whatever adjustments are necessary in order to accommodate the health and safety of employees. 

When wondering how to design the post-COVID workplace for your organization, implement whatever changes are needed to create an environment of wellness, safety and productivity. Whether you are looking to redesign, retrofit, or reconfigure your workspace post-COVID, you can’t go wrong if you prioritize employee wellness, safety and productivity.