Cecil Nurse: Pandemic Proof Your Office

As many countries cautiously make their way back from lockdown, many of us are starting to envision a time when we can stop working at our kitchen tables and return to the office. Yet, in the absence of a vaccine, aspects of modern workplaces will have to change if employees are to safely return to their desks.

Experts suggest this could involve a combination of short-term fixes aimed at boosting worker confidence, reducing the number of staff in the office at any one time and longer-term design upgrades and modifications that put hygiene at the heart of workspace planning.

The first phase of resuming office life will involve making basic changes to keep employees safe. However, with so much uncertainty, it’s unlikely that major office retrofits will be undertaking anytime soon

Stay Safe by Cecil Nurse has sneeze / cough shields that are a low-cost, high-impact measure. Previously, workstations were about privacy and acoustics. Now they represent a physical separation between colleagues – especially when you retrofit with custom extension screens.

Unsurprisingly, there is a move away from the open-plan workplace and a return to smaller, private workspaces. Collaboration rooms or acoustic booths could be used as offices until physical distancing protocols are relaxed and a vaccine for Covid-19 is found. The cellular office plan is making a comeback, while businesses rotate employees and colleagues.

Many companies are starting to consider the idea of the distributed office. Shunning a crowded or co-working area in favour of a distributed set of smaller offices or home office is the new emerging trend. In the short-term, it seems likely that many of us will remain working from home even after government orders to do so are lifted.