The Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the way of work and life around the world. Most office professionals, after the coronavirus, were forced to carry out their services from home. Tourist attractions, shops and city streets are empty while the population “complies” with social isolation.
It is not yet known when this period of isolation will end and routine will return to normal . But will everything continue as it was before? Will offices operate in the same way as they did before the pandemic? Tip: we created the Home Office Guide for Small and Medium-sized Companies , with tips and tools for those who have adopted this type of work.
Many believe not, because the tendency is for precautions against the virus to continue even after the end of the pandemic. This must happen, because the creation of the vaccine will still take time and people will be afraid of exposing themselves to the disease.
Therefore, we have listed some changes that should happen in offices after the emergence of the new coronavirus. Continue reading to check and adapt your company to these transformations:
Six Feet Office
“ Six Feet Office ” is the brainchild of Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate services firm. In free translation, “six feet” means six feet, which is a unit of measurement used by North Americans. When converted, “six feet” are equivalent to 1.82 meters, that is, approximately the social isolation measure recommended by health organizations.
In this new office model, workstations must be at least six feet away from each other. Additionally, stickers should be placed throughout the company to remind professionals of how they should behave in this environment.
These notices must show, for example, where the employee should step and in which direction to walk to respect social isolation within the office. Thus, safety increases both for professionals who respect the measures and for those who share the workplace with them.
Open windows
Another change that will happen in companies will be the opening of windows in office rooms. As air circulation is very important so that the virus does not spread, they will have to remain open during working hours.
If some company spaces do not have windows that can be opened, the person responsible for the office will have to rethink the arrangement of their employees. A renovation that makes windows available on site could be a good idea.
Frequent cleaning
Generally, cleaning of company environments took place at the beginning and end of the day. After Covid-19, they should become much more frequent during working hours to prevent the virus from remaining on tables, chairs and other surfaces used by office staff.
Another measure that must be implemented is the availability of contagion prevention materials, such as alcohol gel, masks and even plastic or paper on tables and equipment, so that professionals do not need to directly touch these surfaces.
At the end of the day, employees who used these plastics in their workspace must throw them away. The next day, a new one can be placed and the employee must always do the same procedure day after day.
Temperature check
Checking employee temperatures could become a common measure in offices after coronavirus. This action is very important and large companies, such as Amazon and Walmart, have already included it in their employees' daily lives during the pandemic.
There is nothing in Brazilian labor legislation that prevents temperature checks of office professionals during or after a pandemic. Since this measure is taken during this period, it can be considered a company security measure.
In addition to taking employee temperatures, companies may decide to regularly test their staff when tests are available to make sure no one is infected in the environment.
Different times
It is common for employees to start and end their work hours together. This is another pattern that is about to change. Several companies around the world are rethinking and reformulating the entry and exit times for professionals so that elevators are not crowded.
Furthermore, so that there is no crowding inside offices, another plausible alternative is to remove community spaces for meals, coffee and rest. Thus, the chances of social isolation being respected will be greater.
Fewer people in the office
Many companies that had never declared home working had to do so due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And what most of them are realizing is that this way of working can work well.
So, is it really necessary to send all employees back to the office after the coronavirus is over?
This idea is being discussed a lot and there is not just one right answer to it. Depending on the number of professionals hired and the company's physical space, requiring everyone to return to work together in person may not be a good attitude.
Therefore, companies are reflecting on what can be done. Some must decree a total home office for some of their employees, others may offer one day a week of remote work or even return to the office in stages.
Technology used to reduce contagion
This change may not be so immediate, especially in Brazil. However, businesspeople are already thinking about ways to use technology to adapt offices and, thus, reduce the chances of contagion at work.
The idea is that with technology, solutions can be created so that a company's employees do not need to touch many surfaces in the office with their hands. Based at the headquarters of a waste management company in the Middle East, one of the ideas for the future is to install doors that open with motion sensors or facial recognition.
Furthermore, the possibility of carrying out everyday tasks, such as ordering a coffee, via cell phone is also increasingly being considered advantageous.
These 7 measures can affect office routines during and after the pandemic, because care will still be required after this most critical period of the spread of the disease.
After reading our text and discovering what trends will be present in companies, do you already know which ones will be applied in your office? Leave your testimonial in the comments!
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