As the UK government eases the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, workplaces are slowly reopening. Despite this, the risk surrounding the virus transmission is still serious. Employees may feel concerned about their health and the safety of loved ones that they may come in contact with.
Due to the uncertainty and the fear surrounding social interactions and indoor spaces, many employees may feel sceptical about returning to their workplace. Employers need to prioritise the health and safety of their workers. As a result, businesses will have to make changes to the interior of their workplaces to aid in the confidence levels of your employees about coming back.
If you aren’t clear on what changes to make, then we’re here to help. Here are 7 changes you can make to your workplace to help increase health safety.
1. Declutter the workplace
The first change that you make to the interior of your workplace is removing excessive objects. If you have a lot of empty space in the office, the risk of transmission goes down. When your workplace has fewer objects and furniture, you’ll only have to worry about the cleaning and sanitization of fewer surfaces.
Redesign your workplace to a minimalistic model, that way your workers will see the effort you’ve made and will feel safer. When you declutter a space, the objects that people could come in regular contact with become fewer. It would also provide you with the space to implement the distance of 6 feet or 2 metres between workstations. Decluttering the workplace will make your employees more comfortable about returning. It will also show your commitment to their safety and wellbeing.
2.Introduce outdoor shared spaces
Due to the high-risk nature of close spaces, companies have the opportunity to introduce the idea of outdoor shared spaces. If your office has a roof, patio, or terraces, then you can move the employees who need to work in groups to those spaces. Because outdoor spaces are less prone to transmissions.
You can also turn these spaces into breakrooms while using the indoor common-spaces for distanced workstations. This change is very likely to give more confidence to your employees when coming back. However, you can only apply it in areas with moderate temperatures during summer and Autumn. Hot and humid weather could negatively impact your employees’ efficiency.
Additionally, as the weather gets colder, you’ll have to go back to indoor settings.
3.More use of technology
Technology has proven its worth, especially more during the crisis of COVID-19 pandemic. It’s because of technology that we were able to switch to work-from-home settings. Now that workplaces are reopening, it can be leveraged to make workplaces safer.
Touch-free technology may be your best friend during this time! COVID-19 is transmitted through contact, so you need to eliminate as many options for touching equipment etc. as possible. Consider designating a budget for adding and implementing voice-activated systems. Touchless switchboards, automatic doors, and phone-controlled systems would ensure minimal contact in your workplace.
Another creative way to cope with this situation is to introduce door-free designs. If automating doors is a cost you don’t want to bear, then getting rid of doors entirely may solve the problem. Removing doors between small workrooms will also increase ventilation and the circulation of air. They can always be put back on later down the line, if required.
Many workplaces already have sensor-flush toilets and sinks in bathrooms. If your workplace restrooms don’t have these functions, then this may be an ideal time to consider renovations.
4.Advanced air filtration systems
COVID-19 is spread the fastest due to contact with the oral droplets of an infected person. Therefore, having a system that cleans out the air frequently and efficiently will reduce the risk of this transmission. Indoor spaces usually cause its inhabitants to share the air. Thus, installing and maintaining a state-of-the-art air filtration system will keep the indoor air clean of microorganisms.
An upgraded air filtration system will reassure your employees of safety in the workplace. If you have an efficient HVAC system at your workplace, then you need to ensure its regular maintenance.
5.Protective equipment
Making the use of protective equipment mandatory inside your workplace is also a great way to ensure safety and satisfaction. High impact measures like providing sneeze guard glass to each worker could reduce the anxiety surrounding the return to workplaces.
Making changes to workstations should be another step that you take. For example, installing glass panels around individual workstations in addition to the 6 feet distance is another cost-effective change that you can make.
Change the design of workstations so that employees don’t have to sit in a face-to-face setting. The more space there is between the workers, the better. Normalising the use of sneeze guard glass in small spaces will help reduce the risk of transmission.
6.Distribute office space and working hours
Make use of as many shared spaces in your workplaces as possible to install distanced workstations. You can also distribute your workplace into several smaller units in different areas instead of having one headquarters where everyone has to show up. This measure could ensure that employees don’t have to travel long distances to reach their workplace. Instead, they can go to the office near their area of residence.
If you can’t afford to sustain a distributed workplace, then you can cap the number of employees that can work on shifts at a time. It would be ideal to limit the use of your workplace to 30% of its capacity at a given time. You can hire office fit out contractors to help you in spacing out your office.
7.Hygiene & Cleaning Protocols
It’s vital to standardise new cleaning and hygiene protocols at your workplace. Before calling your employees in, send them a list of safety and preventive protocols that will be implemented in the office. That way, your workers will come prepared. Moreover, it will send a positive message that you’re taking their health and safety seriously.
Author Bio
Bryony Shaw is the marketing executive at Spectrum Interior, a leading office design company, offering washroom fit out and office fit out services in the UK. Her aim in life is to transform as many interior environments as possible into highly beautiful and functional spaces and make all incumbent dysfunctional eyesores a thing of the past. Synchronising the marketing, sales, purchasing and project management teams, she likes to listen to the needs concerning absolutely anything interior.
