New Focus on the Office
As we reviewed our most-asked questions of the year (list is below), one thing became clear – there is a new focus on the purpose of the office.
Right now, it’s all about intention.
The pandemic has led business leaders to rethink the role of the office and how it can be used in a more modern way to support operations and staff for greater efficiency and safety. Whether it’s updating the office for COVID safety, transitioning the space to unassigned seating, or making changes to furniture and technology to support a mostly virtual operations, the message is clear. Business leaders are redefining the way the office is used and configured to adapt to the changing times and needs.
A quick review of our top questions of the year shows this pattern of intention:
◾ The #1 most-asked question was probably no surprise to anyone – How do we prepare our business for a return to office? More specifically, the questions centered around the details of how to prep the office for safety, how to reopen the office with the right safety protocols, and how to prepare staff for returning to the office after working from home for an extended period of time?
◾ The #2 most asked question is about reconfiguring a traditional-style office into a hoteling space with unassigned seating.
◾ The #3 most-asked question is about shutting down the office temporarily with the intent to reopen within 12-months and start fresh, with questions about storing items vs. liquidation, handling mail service in the interim, and how to close out equipment leases early.
◾ The #4 and #5 questions are about ensuring safety for everyone at the office and address concerns about what to do if there’s an outbreak at the office and the specific PPE that needs to be available onsite for staff to use.
Here are the responses to the top five questions from our office transition experts.
#5 What type of PPE do I need to have available at the office?
What should a business have available onsite at the office for staff and visitors for COVID health and safety? Here is a short list of the most common items that businesses have onsite and that are stocked in bulk.
◾ Disposable face masks
◾ Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, preferably in a touchless decanter
◾ Disposable thermometers or touchless thermometers
◾ Antibacterial wipes
◾ Face shields
◾ Tissues
◾ FDA-approved cleaners to disinfect surfaces
Just as important as having the PPE supplies available onsite is having access to the supply vendors for ongoing ordering. Always have a back-up supplier as well so that you’re never caught short with having the needed items for staff safety while onsite at the office.
#4 What do we do if there is an outbreak at the office?
The key is in the planning. Businesses should have an Emergency Plan in place before the office reopens with the detailed steps you will take if someone shows COVID symptoms or tests positive for the virus. Key plan elements include:
◾ Have an easy reporting system in place for staff to advise you if they have tested positive.
◾ Have an emergency contacts list for local health authorities and others.
◾ Identify the method to immediately alert staff about the outbreak and also your building liaison.
◾ Identify the steps you will take following an outbreak, such as sending staff home immediately and disinfecting the office.
◾ Determine how to continue operations during the office closure.
◾ Review the CDC’s guidelines for the steps to take following an outbreak. Access that link here.
#3 We want to temporarily close our office due to COVID and be 100% virtual. What do we need to consider to shut down and reopen it at a later time?
This was a hot question during the last part of the year. Even though the answer is different based on a company’s situation, here are some basic items to consider:
◾ Understand your office lease close-out requirements and any price reductions the building has to offer due to COVID, and determine whether fully closing the office makes sense.
◾ If so, determine whether to liquidate or store your furniture until you open a new office.
◾ Determine what to do with your onsite technology equipment and where to store it temporarily.
◾ Determine options for any leased equipment, such as copiers and postage machines, and determine whether to pursue early termination or if they can be put in storage.
◾ Determine what to do with onsite files, supplies, inventories and other storage items, such as digitizing files for easy access, donating reusable items to charity, and utilizing offsite storage for items that need to be retained.
◾ Set a procedure for desk clearing and the removal of staff items.
◾ Make any final changes to your virtual operations policies.
◾ Determine how to handle change of address and your mail service during the interim when you don’t have a physical office. Some options include switching to a virtual mail service where mail is scanned and shared, or utilizing a PO Box, or using mail forwarding.
#2 Should we turn our office into hoteling space? If so, how?
This has been a repetitive question as businesses rethink how they use their office space. Hoteling means desk sharing with unassigned seating for all or most of the office. Here are some things to consider:
◾ Do a needs assessment to determine if hoteling is right for your business. Considerations are staff needs, costs related to the transition, and how it would affect operational efficiency, company culture, and staff productivity.
◾ Determine the quantity and type of hoteling spaces for your office. The basic hoteling set-up includes: desk, chair, laptop docking station, monitor, power source, internet access (employees bring their own laptop, phone headset, keyboard and mouse).
◾ Develop a policy for how hoteling works along with guidelines for your staff.
◾ Create a workspace reservation system to ensure workspace is available for staff.
◾ Determine the onsite work schedules for staff, such as alternating days or in staggered shifts to reduce capacity.
◾ Make any changes to your technology to support multi-use work areas.
◾ Have a procedure for keeping desks clean and sanitized so that sharing desks is safe for staff.
◾ Consider having a storage option for staff to store personal items onsite, such as lockers or small pedestal files that can be moved around the office.
#1 How do we prepare our business for a return to office?
The number one question of 2020 is about how to reopen the office after COVID. Here are the more common items to help you prepare:
◾ Create social distancing measures, including maximum headcount and room occupancy.
◾ Have a method in place to clean and disinfect the office on a regular basis.
◾ Have PPE supplies available onsite and your suppliers secured.
◾ Reactivate your company’s supply chain for onsite needs.
◾ Install automatic controls at the office to reduce touch points., such as auto door openers and conference room phone/video equipment that can be controlled with your phone.
◾ Create onsite signage for health and safety, and to direct staff about onsite health protocols, such as a mask requirement and meeting room maximums.
◾ Develop a company policy for procedures and protocols for working onsite at the office so that everyone knows what to expect and feels safe.
◾ Develop a method to advise and train staff on the new rules and protocols.
◾ Create a monitoring and enforcement system for the new health and safety rules and designate an individual to lead the effort.
◾ Create an emergency plan that would be enacted if a staff member shows symptoms or there is an outbreak at the office.
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