With businesses looking to return to their offices within the near future (fingers crossed!), many business owners are starting to review their spaces. Not only to ensure social distancing and hygiene measures are in place, but also to encourage productivity within their workforce.
Short-Term Changes
It is really important that business owners are able to act quickly to the news that the Government announce. Being proactive is better than reactive in these circumstances. As well as preparing the physical office space, have you got all of the relevant policies and procedures in place, ready for when your staff return?
You might want to consider things like introducing flexible working hours, and staggering the schedules of your team so they are not all in the office at the same time. Businesses are increasingly looking for flexible workspaces that can be easily modified at short notice and can cater to staggered working arrangements.
Long-Term Measures
Business owners also need to look into the future, beyond the immediate transition back to office spaces. Offices need to be designed to facilitate more virtual meetings and have strong internet connections to allow for remote working. Social distancing itself creates a whole array of challenges for any business, let alone those that rely on creativity. If people are unable to work in close proximity, how do you ensure that collaboration is still possible?
A flexible office is key to adapting to the ever-changing needs of your staff. Within your office space, you should include some collaborative areas where your team can easily (and safely) share their ideas and knowledge.
Designing Future Workplaces
Here at McCue House, we are focused on delivering office space tailored to the needs of individual businesses. By listening to local business owners we have developed a blend of private offices and a co-working space to allow for those collaborative opportunities. We have also installed state-of-the-art broadband so that businesses can easily connect via video to other businesses globally.
Priorities For Business Owners
All of this may feel a bit daunting to any business owner, whether you have been in business for years, or have recently set up a new company. If you have a team of staff it is also a good idea to chat with them in order to understand any concerns they may have about coming back to the workplace post-COVID.
Initially, you need to focus on how you will be implementing social distancing within your current office space, as this has to be a priority. From there, you will want to think longer-term – once your full team are back in the office, how are you going to make sure they feel safe and comfortable working together again? Do you need to install hand sanitiser stations in every room for those who are germ-conscious? Do you need to hire a regular cleaning company who can also carry out fogging after a client meeting? It is really worth taking the time now to think about what a post-COVID office space looks like for your business so that you can slowly start putting steps in place.
If you are considering letting your team continue to work remotely, but still require a place for meetings you might want to register your interest at McCue House. Get in touch today – call 01472 287766, or email info@mccue-house.co.uk.