There are a lot of factors that contribute to choosing an office space, especially in this day and age. Although some businesses may feel as if they need to solely work remotely post-pandemic, others like to have at least some employees in the office when possible, or to at least offer the option to employees. But that may also mean that in the future, coworking spaces look different than they once did. There are a lot of benefits to having a strong, settled co-working space for your employees. But the fact is that we can’t have employees sitting as closely together as we once did. Nor can we necessarily expect employees to take a rapid COVID-19 test before heading into the office. Not only is this wasteful, but it’s also rather expensive and inaccessible for many employees.
This is why it’s important that you take the time to select an office space that is accommodating to the current working conditions that we’re living with, while also accommodating everything that your employees to accomplish during a regular workday. This can be challenging, but taking the time and care to carefully choose a space not only will make work easier. It will also show your employees that you care about their well-being, and want them to be comfortable and safe at work. So, let’s look into what you should look for in coworking spaces today.
1. The Ability to Social Distance
The rules for office spaces and work in general have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, with many offices required to only have so many employees inside at one time. Those that don’t need to implement these types of restrictions independently, in order to ensure that the coronavirus is as contained as possible.
Coworking spaces in Delaware are allowed to be open for business at this time, but many offices are staying closed or maintain a smaller staff in order to ensure that they are able to work flexibly if the state does go into a lockdown in the future. Office spaces should enable employees to keep a distance of six feet apart from one another, and this goes for cubicles as well. You should seek offices that make it as easy to keep employees firmly separated from one another as possible. This may require you to look into different office solutions, like barriers and temporary walls, but it will ensure that everyone is safer.
2. Remote Accessibility
Of course, it’s always important that offices have strong internet connections. But it’s more important now than ever before, as many businesses must now be flexible and allow their employees to work remotely if they feel more comfortable. Remote work is often beneficial to employees anyway, pandemic aside. One study has shown that around 82% of all telecommuters feel lower stress levels, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise. But now, it may be easier to keep your office team together by having half of them work in the office while half work at home, or to simply circulate them as needed. You can keep them together and on the same wavelength by having regular team meetings and using a project and a computer to incorporate remote employees into said meeting.
3. Great Air Circulation
There is still much to be learned about the coronavirus. While employees should wear masks at all times to cut down on the spread of the disease, a good air circulation that keeps stale air circulating out and fresh air circulating in will ideally keep the virus from lingering in the air. Furthermore, this will likely make employees feel more comfortable about coming into their coworking spaces.
4. Covered Office Furniture
Some offices come fully furnished, while others don’t. Either way, you may want to make sanitation a bit easier by keeping all office furniture either in plastic or metal forms or by covering upholstered furniture in order to make it easy to wipe down and disinfect daily.
Looking for an office space is different now. You need to take the health of your employees even more seriously than you did before and realize that selecting the right office space is a part of that.
