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Earlier this year we were very excited to read about the new mobile working approach adopted by Siemens into their “new normal” work ethic moving forward post Covid-19. Their aim with this new permanent standard is to enable their worldwide employees to work remotely for up to 3 days every week. This new work model is structured on an improved leadership style, where the focus is rather placed on outcomes as opposed to time spent at the office. Their trust empowers and motivates their employees to shape their own work structure in order to achieve the best possible results.
Measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 led to many people working from the safety and comfort of their own homes. Working independently from a fixed location has proved to be beneficial on a much larger scale than could ever be imagined before. Employees have expressed their desire for greater flexibility and personalisation when deciding where they work from.
In light of this we have found that we as Avox Architects have also identified these benefits for our own company. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we were able to seamlessly transition from office to home when the lockdown was at its peak in level 5. Now that we are finally at level 2 lockdown we are ready to embrace a new improved office model focussed on productivity, flexibility and outcomes, allowing us to spend our time more efficiently and creatively.
We are very pleased that we will finally be returning to our offices with our new flexible work approach. We will also have strict new preventative protocols in place to limit our exposure to Covid-19. Here are some safety measures we will follow and advise other businesses to follow upon returning to the workplace:
Temperatures are measured every morning before access is granted to the building.
All employees will sign a register upon entrance of the building premises.
Sanitiser will also be distributed throughout the office and office building for employees and guests.
We encourage everyone to sanitise surfaces before and after use.
Face coverings are mandatory for employees and guests while in shared environments and in individual environments when the ability to stay at least 2m away from others cannot be achieved.
To create the necessary 2-meter distance and decrease density, furniture was pulled further away from each other.
Visual cues on walls and floors remind people to stay at a distance and to avoid physical contact.
Cleaning is a critical component for mitigating the spread of disease. It is important to identify spaces that are most used and more likely to require deeper and more frequent cleaning.
We understand how unusual it must feel to avoid the social customs we have been raised with, which is why it is very important to communicate behaviour changes to reinforce the necessity for distance and to ease the awkwardness associated with preventative protocols.
This pandemic has altered our perceptions in an instant but how we build our future in-office work model is entirely up to us.
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