How Important Will Privacy and Collaboration Areas Be In The New Workplace
Most businesses and organizations across the world will have a new look to their office and workspace. Many will have to do major facelifts in order to adhere to the many guidelines to make everyone safe and comfortable, and with this, there are several considerations to be aware of.
Privacy Will Be Just As Important
Privacy will be a very important aspect to consider when getting everyone ready to return to the office. Adding privacy can mean many different things, from adding privacy panels in between workstations to adding single private phone booths throughout the office. The fact of the matter is that adding privacy within the workplace will allow people to do their work safely and socially distanced from one other, whether that means doing their work at their desk or conducting single virtual meetings.
“Privacy will be just as important as it always was in my opinion. Just because panels are getting higher- does not mean we need to overload the space and make it all closed off. By using different materials (glass/acrylic), we can open the space while still providing division between users. Offices will definitely still need small offices or touchdown areas for private/personal conversations and heads down work.”
Don’t Ignore Privacy & Collaboration Areas
While equipping the office so employees can be socially distanced from one another, having collaboration areas for internal meetings and customer presentations will still be a vital component for many businesses. Most collaboration areas will need re-designs to allow people to be spread out from each other, while some collaboration areas will need capacity limits as to not overcrowd the room. Whatever the case, having collaboration areas in the office is exceedingly important for both internal and external purposes.
“Some open collaborative areas may work as long as social distancing is maintained. These areas must also be kept clean.”
Adding Privacy Furniture Is Easier Than You Think
Most businesses will have to enable some form of privacy furniture for their workspace at some point, sooner rather than later. Privacy options will ensure that people’s germs won’t spread and while also allowing people to feel like they are focused enough to get their work done. Privacy will be one of the top aspects businesses will need to consider in order to make their employees feel safe when returning to the office.
“Privacy will be very important for people to feel safe from other people’s germs. Privacy makes people feel like their germs will not spread.”
People Are Anxious To Get Back To The Office
While some love working from home, others are anxious to get back to the office. People’s work preferences are not one size fits all, and a considerable amount of people will prefer to be in the office versus working from home. People view their home as their life away from the office and working from home, for some, can mean there’s a never-ending cycle of work to be done which can be draining on one’s mental health. Also, some people prefer the interaction and camaraderie with their peers, and that can be hard to achieve with only working from home.
“I think people are anxious to want to get back to working together and not just remotely. Collaborative areas will be very important.”
