The workspace is a key element in employee performance. For this reason, companies invest a great deal of money in facility design to ensure ease of use.
However, office aesthetics change over time, and today we have to ask ourselves what a "workspace" really is. There are various factors to consider when converting the workspace into a coworking space in a pandemic. Read about them in this article.
What is a shared workspace and why is it important?
The shared workspace is a new way of understanding the office. Instead of cubicles and fixed workstations, there is a modern open-plan room with tables, chairs, sofas and poufs where employees do their work.
This model, which breaks with the traditional idea of what a workspace is, has been shown to increase creativity and the generation of idea. It is even applied in large multinational companies such as LEGO.
LEGO CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp leads the company on the premise of "management at eye level," which means that everyone can see things at the same level. This formula saved the company.
LEGO CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp books coworking spaces close to his team, which allows him to listen to them and get to know them.
Many companies have opted for the creation of shared workspaces because encouraging communication offers better results. It also makes it easier for employees to feel close to the organization's leaders.
What aspects should be considered when redesigning coworking?
When you decide to bet on creativity and productivity by investing in the redesign of your coworking space, you should consider a number of factors to ensure that the change is successful.
This transformation is a matter not only of infrastructure but also of education. Your employees must see themselves as users of the workspace. It is also important to consider health and safety issues.
Health and safety in redesigning a workspace in the pandemic
When redesigning a workspace into a coworking space, attention must be paid to health and safety. Make sure furniture materials are easy to clean and antimicrobial.
Ventilation is also of utmost importance, for example through HEPA filtration systems and maintaining constant pressure to keep air flowing while rooms are being cleaned.
In relation to the pandemic, the International Labor Organization (ILO) points out that employers have a responsibility to protect health and safety and prevent infection.
Automatic temperature control and occupany limiting systems are also good investments. It is also valuable to have contact-tracing strategies in place.
Social distancing: practicality and flexibility
In the design of shared workspaces it is essential to consider social distancing. This measure is known to be essential to avoid infection.
Therefore, make sure that the facilities comply with the rule of at least two meters of separation between people. Also make sure that the layout of the workspace meets the criteria of practicality and flexibility.
Create a workspace supported by technological solutions
This technology provides workspace management applications that assign locations to employees on rotating shifts, send automatic alerts for cleaning crews when their services are required, and generate reports on office capacity.
It also provides contact tracing, a tool that helps track contacts between employees in the office. It also issues real-time reports to warn of possible infections.
You can also track visitors, automatically checking in customers or suppliers present on the premises. You can automate the office temperature as well.
Managing parking spaces is also important because with rotating shifts some spaces remain empty. With this application you can assign empty spaces to visitors or set up the same space to be used at different times by multiple employees.
Conclusion
Cutting-edge companies have been opting to redesign workspaces into coworking spaces. The benefits of this in terms of staff productivity and creativity are obvious.
However, we are still in a pandemic; therefore, when making changes to the workspace, it is important to consider the employee health and safety. It is also important to ensure social distancing.
Fortunately, today we also have technology to help manage the workspace. Visit Parso and discover the solutions we offer to help manage your office.
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Physical distance in the office: key to preventing COVID-19
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Control software: do you know what contact tracing is?
