Our economy and society are built on shared spaces and infrastructures that we all use. That's why almost all office buildings that have a lot of people working in them have things like stairs, lifts, air conditioning, printers, kitchens, coffee areas, waiting areas, meeting rooms, or toilets, just to name a few things.
So dedicated solutions, such as set-up offices, don't usually offer better virus protection than more flexible space or open areas. Spreading factors are more complicated and don't just depend on the type of workspace. For the same reason, the same rules apply to all types of workplaces.
A lot of other businesses have been working on new legal guidelines for a while now, but coworking spaces have been working on them for a long time. They are now focusing more on moving furniture and picturing how their behaviour will change than on major rebuilding.
A few examples are shown here. Rules and recommendations can change based on the situation, so be sure to check back! However, they're usually based on three simple questions, like this:
a. What can be done to cut down on the number of viruses?
According to current research, infections are more likely to spread through the air than through contact with surfaces. This means that closed indoor spaces are more likely to get infected than open spaces.
Fresh air does not get rid of the virus. However, it is the best way to lower the potential viral load, which lowers the risk of infection a lot.
The easiest way to bring in fresh air into a workspace is to open the windows. This makes things easier when the weather isn't hot or cold. A fan that is facing outside can draw more air out of the room, which will help cut down on the chances of getting sick.
There are also air-conditioning systems and air purifiers with Hepa filters that can help cut down on the number of viruses in the air, but they need to be kept up. Systems that just move air are more likely to spread viruses than make them less. Cold rooms can help spread the virus, too.
There will be more cleaning, especially in areas that are more frequently used. if masks are required, operators say that extra masks should be kept on hand for people who forget their own.
b. Physical contact and close interaction that isn't necessary can be cut down on.
It's one way to do this: You can use reservation systems to do this. It's not just that you can better distribute meeting rooms; you can also manage the desk capacity of work spaces during the day in a better way. This is something that many management apps can do. The customer counters, which can be set up online or in front of the entrance, are another way to keep the capacity of the store in check.
It's easy to make space by leaving each table and chair alone. People are likely to fill empty seats, which can lead to a lot of long talks. You can stop this from happening by using tables and chairs for other things, like putting plants and other things there, pulling the tables apart, or taking them all down.
Distancing rules mean that even a lot of reconstruction work can't make up for the space that was lost because of them. In general, reducing the number of people in each room or changing a room's purpose is a good way to avoid costly changes. There are a lot of ways that small meeting rooms could be temporarily renamed as video conference rooms for one person only.
In areas that are more popular, you can use one-way or roundabout systems to cut down on unnecessary interaction. When the coworking space has a lot of different entrances, it's easier for them to work together. You can tell them apart by having an entrance and an exit.
Some also put direction or distance signs on the floor and walls, as well as more information signs in a space. You can get the right balance here by using more friendly signs instead of warning or caution signs.
By having more high-demand products, like disinfectants, in the coworking space, you can avoid having to walk more.
c. How can one avoid direct contact with surfaces?
Surfaces that are often touched can be replaced by ones that don't need to be touched at all. Motion detectors can make bathrooms flush when there is movement. Office and bathroom doors can be opened with smartphone key systems, which can be used to open them. Keep them open if that isn't possible. Most of the time, it's a good idea to give your space a technical update before you open it back up again.
Yes, guidelines are being obeyed.
When you make plans, that's one thing; when you follow them is another.
More people won't think the virus is a threat because there aren't as many new infections anymore. They'll ignore or forget virus-related rules. Others aren't sure, even though there is still a chance of something bad happening. People who work for the government, on the other hand, want to stop more people from getting sick, so they might punish people very harshly for breaking the rules even though things are more relaxed.
Because of this difference, there may be even more problems to deal with. So, think about how to deal with this possible problem, defuse it in a friendly way, or take steps to avoid it in the first place.
When you're in a private area, you're more likely to have to make sure you follow the rules. It's the job of the coworking space to clean up communal areas. Some operators have thought about changing the rules for how much time you can use. It doesn't matter if there's a pandemic or not. People are putting more emphasis on more general goals.
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