Once upon a time, imagining the future didn’t leave you wondering about whether it would be safe and healthy. It was about spaceships and robots and if our neighbors would look like George and Jane Jetson. The idea of being safe at home and at work seemed inherent. Of course, we’d be safe – anywhere.
If we’ve learned anything over the last few weeks, it’s that 1) we can’t take our health and safety for granted, and 2) we long for normalcy, routine, and the opportunity to return to work.
The modern workplace has been taking a beating for a while. Between the arguments over the too open office space, insufficient consideration for what employees need to stay healthy, and the lack of environmental sustainability, no one, it seems, was paying attention to the thing we were all taking for granted. Somewhere, underneath it all, we actually enjoy work. There’s the routine of coming to the office, the camaraderie within the confines of those four walls that’s actually pleasing, and the very sense of place that we crave.
So how do we bring people back to work safely and ensure they are healthy 40 hours a week? With products and solutions that will help you and your employees feel comfortable getting into a new normal routine.
Social Distancing Office Solutions
Private Cubicle Workstations
Private offices, once the sign of truly having “made it,” fell out of favor over the last two decades from the desire to democratize the workplace coupled with the need to lower real estate bills. However, with the interest in creating social distance in the office, businesses will find the perks of the modern workstation are bountiful. Workstations are versatile, colorful, ergonomic, and now most importantly, private.
With a private office cubicle collection that features higher walls for better division and shielding while utilizing materials that still let natural light in, germ-spreading is controlled. The use of non-porous materials in our enhanced privacy cubicles—such as laminate, acrylic, glass, and marker board—allows for cleanability and disinfecting of all surfaces. With this furniture collection, you can still limit the amount of square footage you need while establishing a healthy environment.
Social Collaboration
We’d just gotten used to corporate offices with lavish touchdown spaces. Touted as the best way to collaborate over a cup of coffee, shared brainstorming sessions with laptops on overstuffed couches won’t be returning anytime soon. However, our professional need to collaborate and our emotional desire to work with others will need to be fulfilled. All the while, we want to know we’re safe when doing so.
Solutions such as desk privacy panels and sneeze and cough protection screens not only allow you to retrofit existing modern office furniture, they allow employees to engage by sight and sound with their coworkers. Research shows that a productive and happy staff who believes their employer cares about their wellbeing stays healthier.
This period of time has been a rude awakening. A healthy and safe future is no more guaranteed than that spaceship docked next to the Jetsons. But if there’s a silver lining, it’s in noticing the little things we crave—routine, caring for one another, and the satisfaction that comes with doing a good day’s work.
source https://strongproject.com/office-furniture-blog/the-future-of-the-healthy-and-safe-workplace/
