Tag Archives: Commercial Office Interiors NJ

“Right Sizing” Your Office in a Post-COVID World

“As a manager of a technology team, I never supported the notion of working remotely.”

That, according to Richard Casamento, former global program manager for the Intel Corporation. “I assumed people were about half as productive when they weren’t here.”

Mr. Casamento isn’t alone in his sentiments. Prior to COVID, it was a challenge to get senior managers to embrace the idea that employees could be as, or more productive from home.

But as COVID has taught us, workplaces are constantly evolving spaces. Their design and build is influenced by the changing needs of businesses, productivity trends and yes, occasionally far reaching pandemic type events from the outside world. In 2021, Successful office designs will reflect the new awareness in the industry, that virtual work is possible and can be managed effectively. Every company will agonize over the balance between remote employee productivity, the desire to save money on office space, and the intangible lifestyle, creativity and productivity improvements that are possible when people are interacting face to face in a positive environment.

In the rethink of company environments post 2020, the focus must become the creation of productivity powerhouses rather than just a space to rest your computer. So, how will office design change in a post-COVID world? What will these spaces look like and how will they be used? Here are some insights into the different trends shaping the design and implementation of the post-COVID office from the experts at BE Builds.

Why We Still Need Offices

For many employees, working remotely from home comes with it’s own, significant challenges. There’s no space for a proper workstation or desk, there’s less time and energy to focus on work because the hustle and bustle of family life is going on around you (especially if you have kids!), and chores can become a troublesome distraction from work tasks. Ironically, working from home can make it even more difficult to create that all-important work-life balance that we’re all after, as there is no escape from your environment, no change of scenery, and more limited interaction with coworkers. Studies have shown that prolonged working from home is directly linked to depression in many people1

Even the most advanced teaming technology we have is simply not powerful enough to substitute for physical, face-to-face interaction. That’s where the magic happens – it’s the catalyst for innovation, creativity and engaged problem-solving. It’s how real relationships between employees are built and how people go from being coworkers to genuine friends. And of course it remains the place where company resources and equipment are most easily available. For most industries, the company workplace needs to remain the primary focus of efforts to enhance employee productivity.

But we should not unlearn what COVID-19 has taught us. Our approach to office design and construction has to change, balancing the need for the energy and innovation of a shared space with the need for effective hygiene protocols and a more flexible working environment.

What to Consider When Choosing or Designing a Post-COVID Office Space

  • Design flexibility – Due to the ongoing uncertainty of COVID-19, office design needs to be safe, but flexible too. Businesses want a space they can use for collaborative meetings and other essentials that can’t be achieved successfully while working remotely without safety concerns. The space needs to be able to reflect this, offering the ability to easily switch around furniture and structures to create workspaces that are socially distant and hygienic, or to create collaborative spaces that are fun and conducive to worker discussion.
  • Custom solutions for your sector – The team at BE sees many different types of industries trying to reinvent their spaces for the new normal but priorities are highly dependent on what kind of business you’re in. Large healthcare clients are focused on changes to the layout and construction of their furniture. Copper clad materials, hygienic surfaces and of course barriers are changing the requirements for new build-outs. Others are adopting more subtle changes in layout and design that incorporate best practices for workplace efficiency and safety. BE partners closely with every company to balance their goals carefully while helping them choose from almost infinite options for exciting design within their budget.
  • Hygiene and safety – Regardless of whether your business is a traditional office space, a warehouse, a law firm, a clinic or anything else, the health and wellness of staff while on-site is critical. This should be supported in every phase of your office design, from selecting the right size office to ensuring peak wellness can be achieved by installing acrylic barriers on workstations, air purification systems, body temperature scanners and more.

Looking for Office Construction Services in NJ? Let’s Get to Work

Redesigning your office space for a post-COVID world is complex, but can be rewarding and cost effective when you have a good partner. At BE Builds, we’re dedicated to delivering exceptional office fit-outs on time and on budget. Whatever your office design challenges are, we’ll handle it all. Visit us at https://bebuilds.com/ for more information.

https://thriveglobal.com/stories/why-working-from-home-might-make-you-depressed-during-and-even-after-covid-19/

For Your Company’s Return to Work, its about Rework, not Replace

With so many companies planning their return to work, our phones are ringing off the hook with clients wondering whether their current office furniture, layout and workflow is able to be made into a more bio-safe and hygenic workspace for now and the foreseeable future. What we’re telling our clients is basically a version of “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” Use the necessity of changing your office design to become both a safer, and a more attractive workplace. Office remodeling can change the personality of your office as well as motivate your employees, improve employ performance, and attract new clients, while better retaining employees. But in these times your remodel can also add design and furniture features that improve employee separation, facilitate social distancing yet allow for teaming, introduce bio-engineered worksurfaces, and make new cleaning and workflow protocols work better. To make your office remodeling work for everything you need, in 95% of cases you don’t have to throw everything out (unless you want to of course!) you just need to consider the modification and addition of a few elements.

Consider Movement In Your Office

Design and layout choices now are about limiting incidental interaction, while allowing efficient movement to important area’s. What was less important in a pre-covid world has now become a central fixture of office layout. The introduction of natural barriers full of plants or artwork, become both beautiful visual elements and practical barriers that direct employees where you want them to go and how you want them to get there.

Consider Bio-Toxic Worksurfaces

Several Manufacturers provide copper or copper infused chairs and work surfaces. For critical area’s such as conference rooms and touchdown stations, its worth considering an investment in work areas that will not harbor virus’ or bacteria for long. Even certain kinds of fabrics and backing materials are known to be less friendly to germs are can be easily cleaned with stronger cleansers without losing their beauty. It’s all about cleaning friendly materials now.

Partitions that Protect but Don’t Separate

Visible, view through partitions distributed through BE Furniture from several manufacturers, can be added to most work surfaces. Made of clear acrylic they fully protect workplace neighbors from the worst effects of errant sneezing and other contact, while allowing employees to see each other and remain in close proximity desking layouts.

Teaming Areas

The days of packing to standing room only into a tiny conference room are probably over for the foreseeable future. Conference rooms seating has to be pared back, worksurfaces cleaned after every meeting, and virtual meeting elements should be part of every teaming area now. Meeting in smaller groups will drive changes to workflow that may require the creation of more but smaller protected teaming areas. BE’s Movable Wall solutions have long been a cost-effective solution to the challenge and are more than ever relevant now. They even come with potential tax benefits for the business owner, check them out at our moveable glass walls page.

Keep the Air Clean

In an age of concern about airborne disease, paying attention to the quality of your office air is a pretty good idea. If you rent office space, ask your landlord to have the ductwork professionally cleaned. Better yet consider the installation of a UV Ductwork Sterilization System. But finally consider the installation of a local commercial air filtration system. One of the most advanced on the market is the Dyson Pure Cool, by Dyson for business. Using a combination of Hepa filtering and UV light, the Dyson Pure Cool can remove up to 99.97% of particulates from the air, and a single unit covers more than 400 square feet. Actually all Dyson products represent the leading edge of hygienic technology, you can see it all at BE’s Dyson Products for Business page

Design for the New Objectives of Workplace Safety

A few decades back, workplace safety meant not getting hit by falling boxes, run over by forklifts, or keeping your hands away from the printer head. But the concept of workplace safety post COVID has just been reinvented, my friends.

For those who are planning to remodel or start over with their office environment, you need to partner with a company that leverages a deep understanding of the new meanings of workplace safety. Please contact us at Business Environments, we want to help you with that.