COVID-19 – office work under new conditions

Safe work during the pandemic 

Despite the still-present COVID-19 threat, we slowly get back to a relatively normal life, even though many customs are a far cry from what we had known before the pandemic. Today, companies which wish to return to the stationary work system have to put special emphasis on observance of safety precautions. Among other things, it is required to provide appropriate protective equipment (e.g. disinfectants, gloves or face masks) and to ensure distances between workstations (at least 1.5 meter). 

In particular, teams which have hitherto performed their tasks in a free atmosphere must feel a considerable difference today. You should limit direct interactions and avoid large groups of people, which introduces quite serious changes in the work organization of many offices. At some companies, social rooms or chill rooms have been put out of use, or the possibility of their use was limited. It is recommended to give up on walks or meetings in favour of emails or telephone conversations. In some cases, communication zones and routes within which one can move are determined. All of this may pose considerable difficulties – especially that it is hard to ensure real social distance at some offices. Here is where the modern solutions by Hushoffice come to the rescue.

HushWork – a booth for individual work

Acoustic booths for individual or group work provide an excellent solution for an office in any circumstances, but they prove even more useful in the present reality. The hushWork model is intended for one person and ensures perfect isolation from the outside world. This is a space in which you can feel safe, and simultaneously an excellent place for focused work. The presence of power sockets, ventilation, a comfortable desk and a shelf acting as a container allows you to work comfortably at the booth all day, while enjoying intimacy and isolation from outside noises. HushWork makes office work during the pandemic not only safer but more comfortable, which may positively affect the team’s efficiency.

HushWork.sit&stand – a booth for focused work 

HushWork booths are a solution making safe individual work possible even at a small office. They are available in different variants and configurations, which makes them adaptable to the needs of your team. Do you need work in the standing position, favourable to the spine? It is possible with the hushWork.sit&stand model. It features a desk with an adjustable top. It only takes one move to adapt it to seated or standing work. This allows everyone to work under optimal, comfortable conditions.

Photo: HushWork.sit&stand is an acoustic booth which adapts itself to the employee’s needs. An adjustable desk allows for standing and seated work.

Close cooperation between the employee and the employer

Extraordinary conditions mean a necessity to take unusual actions. In this context, close cooperation between the employee and the employer is crucial. The office safety principles should be clearly determined and presented – e.g. during a training or at individual meetings. This, along with strict observance of the determined regime, may minimize the risk of spread of the virus.

Open-space work

Office work during the pandemic is not easy at open-space establishments. Due to the necessity of restriction of interactions, it is worth considering such measures as introduction of screens to help separate individual workstations from each other. Another good solution may be introduction of shift work, resulting in considerably fewer people occupying the building at any given time, and if one employee is stated to be infected, it will not be necessary to quarantine the entire team. A perfect solution would be replacement of the open space with individual offices, yet this would require time and considerable resources. Therefore, hushWork booths provide a perfect alternative, ensuring space for safe work and being mobile at the same time.

Work in smaller groups

Office work is very often based on cooperation of teams. Currently, however, it is recommended to replace personal meetings with virtual ones. In some cases, it turns out advantageous to divide the employees into smaller teams that work together. You should only ensure that individual groups are not seeing each other. Work may be organized in such a way that only one team works at the office on specific days, with the other ones working remotely. This is a very safe as well as convenient solution.

Individual work

The safest option under the present conditions is, of course, individual work. If it is to be performed at the office, it will be necessary to separate workstations from each other. The screens mentioned above may prove useful, along with spacing of desks by at least 1.5 meters from each other. An even better choice will be private and comfortable hushWork acoustic booths, enabling creation of convenient and safe individual offices for employees.