This is our third article in this series looking at the challenges educational institutions face this upcoming academic year. As the lockdown measures begin to weaken, many are starting to think about reintroducing office-based work. However, to do so, policies and processes will need to be put in place or revised. The preparation for the reopening and managing of an office during the era of social distancing involves many challenges. In this third article we focus on the impact of social distancing on the office environment as well as how staff and the estate can be prepared for a safe return. The government’s Working safely during COVID-19 in offices and contact centres document published on 11th May 2020, has been considered within this article.
This discussion has been broken down into the following sections:
- Can social distancing be achieved in an office environment?
- Preparing the estate
- Social distancing guidelines
- Identification of high-risk areas
- Circulation traffic
- Scenario testing
- Cleaning
- Preparing staff
- Phased return
- Clear communication
- Staff feedback
- How we can help
- Next time
Can social distancing be achieved within an office environment?
We have all become acquainted with the popular open plan office. This style of office layout has allowed for greater cooperation and accessibility between co-workers and improved communication. However, it is the open plan environment that now poses one of the greatest dangers to employees coming back to the workplace. With tightly organised rows of desks and staff circulation required throughout the space, most open plan offices cannot accommodate social distancing guidelines given current capacity or design.
Single or double occupancy spaces also offer risks, as do circulation spaces, building entrances, lifts, kitchens, canteens, photocopier rooms, meeting rooms, stationary cupboards and many more spaces frequently used by staff throughout each day. So, is it even possible for staff to return to work onsite? Yes, but first your institution must successfully overcome a series of challenges in order to provide a safe working environment for their staff…
Preparing the estate – social distancing guidelines
When planning office environments for our clients, we are incorporating a 2-metre distance between workstations, as per the guidance released by the Health and Safety Executive and the advice published within the UK government’s Working Safely During Covid-19 if offices and call centres document (11th May). Similar guidance for office spaces has been released by the Scottish government with a minimal requirement for 2 metres. Comparable to determining teaching workplace designs, a 2 metre social distancing requirement is a challenging task resulting in a necessary reduction of workstations per space.
The office workplace plan below highlights this, with a previous 6 capacity office space now only able to accommodate 3 staff once a 2m social distancing guideline is accounted for:
Often as shown above, opting for furniture reconfiguration might be the key to maintaining the highest possible capacity. In addition to maintaining 2 metres between workstations, floorplan modelling should also consider the distance from communal doors, cabinets and traffic aisles.
Where social distancing is not possible and essential tasks must be carried out the government workplace advice published on 11th May advises that mitigating action should include:
• Further increasing the frequency of hand washing and surface cleaning.
• Keeping the activity time involved as short as possible.
• Using screens or barriers to separate people from each other.
• Using back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face) whenever possible.
• Reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’ (so each person works with only a few others).
Preparing the estate – identification of high-risk areas
A comprehensive evaluation of risk areas should also take place. High risk areas include high touch areas such as social spaces, printing stations, communal storage spaces, changing rooms and shower facilities. You might want to restrict or regulate access or close off some facilities altogether as they could pose a significant risk to your employees.
Some of the high touch areas usually included in an office environment are kitchens and kitchenettes with items shared amongst people in at least one department. You might also find yourself with an onsite canteen, a regular lunch spot or other types of breakout areas. Limiting the number of people using the facilities at any given time should be considered to prevent congestion. In the event that you deem these spaces safe for use, cleaning wipes or sprays should be on hand at all times to ensure frequent cleaning throughout the day. Current government guidance on canteen spaces can be found here.
Preparing the estate – circulation traffic
An additional aspect that must be considered is the impact of social distancing upon circulation spaces and staff traffic within these areas. Most corridors, stairwells and building entrances cannot accommodate 2-way traffic without a person needing to walk within 2 metres of another person.
Where 2 metre distances cannot be secured, one-way corridors could be introduced with floor markings clearly stating the direction and recommended distance. Similarly, separate entrances and exits are an important consideration in avoiding congestion of people upon arrival and departure. Lifts pose an additional issue, with many lifts only being able to accommodate 1-2 people if staff are to be able to maintain social distancing.
Staff will also need to be informed about the updated layout of the offices and all supporting spaces. This will prevent gatherings of people, confusion and unnecessary interpersonal contact.
The UK government (11th May) has highly recommended that onsite meeting spaces are not used. However in situations where meetings are required, social distancing should be enforced. This will be difficult to guarantee for this type of space, therefore other than reducing the space capacity guidelines on entry, usage and exit could be provided in the form of diagrams or seat numbering. Prior to each meeting all staff could also be informed about the order in which seats should be taken and who should leave the room first to provide clarity. All helping to minimise the risk of staff needing to break social distancing guidelines.
Staff traffic throughout the day must be carefully considered given these challenges. A multi-storey building with large numbers of office spaces above the ground floor could experience traffic bottle necks at lift entrances. Staggering staff working times, encouraging the use of stairwells (if safe to do so) and maximising the use of ground floor office spaces may all need to be considered in order to limit lift traffic.
Preparing the estate – scenario testing
Social distancing guidelines will cause your institution’s office capacity to reduce and it is therefore very likely that accommodating all staff onsite will no longer be feasible. Those responsible for the estate will need to work with senior management and all departments to test different office workplace scenarios, accounting for those staff that can safely return to work onsite.
Each office workspace scenario should ideally look to determine whether and how the planned staff can return onto site. These types of scenario should consider each member of staff’s working day requirements, with workplace designs created to confirm the chosen scenario can be successfully accommodated. Solutions will likely require creative thinking, with staff moved to different office spaces in order to ensure a safe working environment can be provided.
During the risk evaluation stage, it may be highlighted that certain spaces can no longer be used for their original purpose. One-on-one meeting rooms or small breakout areas are the types of spaces where social distancing might not be feasible. Instead of closing off these areas completely, we recommend considering re-purposing these areas to adhoc offices. In this way temporary, single or double occupancy offices can be created to accommodate more staff whilst maintaining social distancing.
Preparing the estate – cleaning
Before opening any part of your estate, a deep cleaning daily regime should be considered. The initial cleaning of all surfaces, floors, walls and furniture is absolutely essential to ensure the health and safety of your employees. In addition, cleaning sprays and wipes should be available for areas with shared equipment such as printers, lockers or sanitary facilities.
The UK government has published the following cleaning advice on 11 May:
• Frequent cleaning of work areas and equipment between uses, using your usual cleaning products.
• Frequent cleaning of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, such as door handles and keyboards, and making sure there are adequate disposal arrangements.
• Clearing workspaces and removing waste and belongings from the work area at the end of a shift.
• Limiting or restricting use of high-touch items and equipment, for example, printers or whiteboards.
• If you are cleaning after a known or suspected case of COVID-19 then you should refer to the specific guidance.
Preparing staff – phased return
Given that during the estate preparation stage the total office capacity will have been reduced, we recommend a phased return to work for all staff. Current UK government advice (11th May 2020) is that only the following staff should return onto site:
• Workers in roles critical for business and operational continuity, safe facility management, or regulatory requirements and which cannot be performed remotely.
• Workers in critical roles which might be performed remotely, but who are unable to work remotely due to home circumstances or the unavailability of safe enabling equipment.
Discussions should be had with all staff to determine who can continue to effectively work from home, those who would benefit from some onsite time during each week and those who do require to be onsite in order to work effectively. This information can be gathered by discussing each member of staff’s current productivity, wellbeing, and their situation at home. For example, two employees carrying out a similar role may have a very different living situation and therefore their ability to carry out this role whilst working from home may differ from each other. It is important to identify vulnerable individuals who might prefer to carry on working from home for health or care reasons. Where working from home is not a feasible option, high risk employees should be given the safest workstations possible if they are to return onto site.
This information should ideally be built into the office workplace strategy for your institution, allowing for a staggered return to work for staff (based on their requirement and at a later, yet to be determined date, preference to be onsite) whilst ensuring your institution complies with government advice and offers a safe working environment for your staff.
Preparing staff – clear communication
In order to maintain a clear line of communication and to avoid confusion over the newly introduced rules, providing clear guidance in the form of posters, infographics or newsletters would be beneficial. Such a fundamental change of rules requires an update of the office policy, clearly outlining what is expected from staff. Possible communication material could include behaviour whilst on site, procedures in place for suspected cases of COVID 19 and steps that should be taken if a member of staff has been exposed.
All staff should be discouraged from forming group gatherings without the appropriate social distancing in place. Moreover, in order to avoid congestion at entrances and exits, all staff should be discouraged from starting and finishing at the same time. Lunch time slots should also be spread out over 2-3 hours, instead of the traditional 12:00-13:00 lunch hour. This might require the introduction of staggered working hours.
The arrival of staff onto site for the first time poses the greatest risk of staff accidentally coming into close contact with another person, due to their unfamiliarity with the new estate plan. Where feasible, staff should therefore be sent workplace and floorplan designs. Clear guidance should also be included that explains how they can safely travel throughout the building and locate their workspace. This type of communication will reduce the risks noted and also help to ensure that all staff feel confident that their safety when onsite has been carefully considered.
Preparing staff – staff feedback
Tracking your staff’s concerns and suggestions poses an ideal opportunity to help update any gaps in new guidelines and policies. Additionally, this can serve as a tool to keep track of staff wellbeing, which is key in securing effectiveness and efficiency of work.
How we can help
All institutions must carefully plan how their staff can return to the workplace if they are to provide an effective and safe working environment. Our ‘return to work strategy‘ service will provide you with a detailed strategy for accommodating social distancing guidelines, staff working requirements, as well as estate and financial constraints.
Why create a return to work strategy?
- Social distancing guidelines will require an office capacity reduction.
- Ensure you provide your staff with a safe and effective working environment.
- Provide clear individual guidance detailing how staff can safely and effectively return onsite.
What our service offers you:
- Our team’s extensive space management experience within the education sector.
- A return to work strategy for all departments, offices and staff.
- Virtual key stakeholder workshops that gather staff working requirements and preference data.
- Workplace designs that accommodate social distancing guidelines.
- An office workplace database that details department and staff requirements.
Let’s start planning a safe and effective return to work for your staff, contact us today
Next Time
Next time
For our next article, we will be exploring how social distancing will impact on circulation, building entrances and lifts and how this will effect an institution’s ability to accommodate teaching and office space demand. If you have missed any of the articles in this series you can find them by clicking on the links below:
The Impact of Social Distancing On Student Contact Hours
The Impact of Social Distancing on Teaching Delivery
The Education Space Consultancy Teamwww.educationspaceconsultancy.com
Email: enquiries@educationspaceconsultancy.com
Phone Number: +44 1172 303468
