After so many months working from home, changed routines, isolation and so much more, it is not surprising that many of us are keen to get back to the workplace. Whilst many perceptions have changed regarding working from home the general consensus for many seems to be that the best solution is a blend of working from home and attending an office. That way, they can get the best of both worlds.
The main concern for employers since the advent of the pandemic and the return to the office is ensuring the safety of the staff and any visitors who might be in attendance. One key way to help with this is to install some appropriate office partitioning. But there are plenty of other advantages of office partitioning in the workplace. Take a look:
Health & Safety
As briefly mentioned, one of the most relevant benefits (right now) of office partitioning is the restrictions they create in air flows. Preventing as much air from circulating in open spaces as possible will limit the spread of any infectious bacteria or viruses. We are all better informed than ever before about the spread of infection so understand that it can be due to droplets and aerosol particles ejected into the atmosphere. Barriers are one of the best ways to prevent them from spreading far and wide and that’s why office partitioning can be very helpful. It could be used around more vulnerable people, perhaps those who might have been vaccinated, to isolate individuals if there is a need to or simply to create smaller pockets of people.
Increase your workspace
One of the key ways to keep safe has been maintaining space between yourself and others. This can be extremely difficult in offices that have desks cramped together so some employers are considering using a great deal of working from home to keep staff apart. However, this can hinder collaboration so an ideal way to facilitate it is to create the right environment in the office. If you are limited on floorspace, you can increase it without having to move with the addition of mezzanine floors. That way, you could create meeting or break out areas that are comfortably spaced apart to allow staff to get together and brainstorm ideas or even have formal meetings.
Create individual areas
Open plan office spaces have been extremely popular in the past but many companies will now err on the side of caution when it comes to housing many people in the same place. Reverting to smaller enclosures permanently, however, is most likely ill-advised so what’s the alternative? Folding partition doors can be the perfect solution because they offer the flexibility of having open plan spaces when you desire, but will allow you to section parts off for a short while if some collaboration needs to happen.
So if you are worried how your teams will successfully collaborate in the new normal when offices return, get in touch with us at The DL Company on 0114 358 6248 and we will be happy to help. With years of office design experience behind us, we are well-placed to guide you to the solutions which are right for you.