Post-covid Challenges for Office, Commercial and Residential Premises

Let’s Get Organized...

The COVID-19 health crisis is having a big impact on working environments. For a start, it is affecting the space layout in offices. New regulations put in place to combat the virus are forcing employers to redesign workplaces. Firstly, they have to rethink the open-plan areas that allowed them to place as many employees as possible in the same space. The new health regulations require that there be a minimum distance of two metres between two employees or workstations.

To avoid employees being too close to each other, it is necessary to rethink the configuration of chairs in common areas and to relocate some offices. For example, meeting rooms or training rooms can be converted into offices to save space. It is also important to restructure elements such as circulation patterns to avoid crossing paths or to limit access to certain areas for people who do not need access. It is also necessary to add non-contact equipment (taps, toilets, etc.) and disinfection stations to provide employees with the safest possible environment. It is even possible to separate some workstations with walls to allow employees to be closer, without any danger to them.

We are seeing a comeback of cubicles. However, there is a way to organize these cubicles so that everyone still has access to the benefits of the open space. Finally, the materials chosen are also important: they must be anti-bacterial so that they can be easily cleaned.

Health Canada strongly suggests that teleworking be encouraged. In this way, employees work from home and are safe. However, this does bring about major changes in home design. Many people are easily distracted by the things around them: the television, the urge to clean or do the laundry, children playing nearby... It is difficult to prepare a home work environment that will allow us to be efficient. Not all of us have a home office. It can therefore be difficult for us to work in an unsuitable location. For example, exposure to sunlight can prematurely tire our eyes and make our work less effective. If we are working on a computer or tablet, we can set up our desk to face north and position ourselves to be perpendicular to the window. This will greatly improve our efficiency.

It is therefore important to assess our needs in order to find the ideal location where we can settle and work efficiently.