![]() ![]() The embrace of open floor plans stretches back to the first dotcom boom, in the late 1990s. That is a concept that runs counter to the workplace zeitgeist of the past two decades. Photograph: Alana Paterson/New York TimesĪnother basic step to lower risk, Winston says, is simply having “fewer people in a space”. Post-pandemic workplaces: Mobify’s empty office. ![]() Keeping contagious people at home can reduce transmission numbers by as much as a third. The research also shows that one of the best ways to prevent transmission has nothing to do with furniture or layout slowing the spread comes from letting potentially sick workers stay home with pay so they don’t feel pressure to come into work. A 2016 analysis of various research papers from around the world found that about 16 per cent of flu transmission takes place in the office. "We know that flu spreads in workplaces among healthy working adults," she says. Much of what is known on the subject of workplace and disease transmission comes from studies about workplace transmission of the flu, which shares some similarities with the novel coronavirus, says Dr Lisa Winston, the hospital epidemiologist at Zuckerberg San Francisco General at the University of California, San Francisco. The question is whether any of the changes being contemplated will actually result in safer workplaces. Open floor plans were hailed as essential to collaboration and creativity but are also about cramming more people into expensive office space, a situation that people now realise creates unnerving Petri-dish conditions The design and furniture companies that have been hired for the makeovers say the virus may even be tilting workplaces back toward a concept they had been moving away from since the Mad Men era: privacy. The conversation about how to reconfigure the workplace is taking place throughout the business world, from small start-ups to giant corporations. Their post-pandemic makeovers may include hand sanitisers built into desks that are positioned at 90-degree angles or that are enclosed by translucent plastic partitions air filters that push air down and not up outdoor gathering space to allow collaboration without viral transmission and windows that actually open, for freer air flow. This Plexiglas barrier that can be mounted on a desk is one of many ideas being mulled by employers as they contemplate a return to the workplace after coronavirus lockdowns. Soon, there may be a new must-have perk: the sneeze guard. “The bedroom should be your sanctuary, a place for calm and reset and relationships and separating yourself from your working mindset so you can sleep peacefully and have that separation for your work/life balance,” she said.“It can impact your relationships, and you really want to be focused on your personal life in your bedroom when you are needing to rest and reconnect.The modern corporate office, particularly at tech companies, is renowned for open, collaborative workspaces, in-house coffee bars and standing desks with room for two giant computer monitors. Richter does not recommend using bedrooms for home offices. Factor in students needing homework space and a spouse who may also work from home and the situation intensifies quickly.īesides dining rooms, other places used as workspace include kitchen counters, basements, living rooms, closets and spare bedrooms. It provides services from consultation to construction and specializes in closets, pantries, garages, basements, craft rooms, play rooms and home offices.Ī big emphasis for Richter's clients is multipurpose space, especially for those lacking room for a dedicated home office. Pieces Into Place, based in Merton, serves clients in southeastern Wisconsin. Some people may want their dining room back. ![]()
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