Slowly, but surely, businesses are emerging out of lockdown with the lights being turned back on in offices for the first time in months. In one sense, nothing has changed since before the pandemic, with everything in the same place as you left it at the beginning of the year. In another sense, things will never be the same again.
It has been a weird time for everyone and things don’t look like they will be getting quite back to normal any time soon. With that being said, now that more businesses and workplaces are beginning to open their doors once more, adhering to new COVID-secure guidelines, it does bring us a little closer back to the normality that we so badly crave. Having gone back into the office after months away, you might be feeling as though the place could benefit from a post-lockdown renovation
After all, what better way is there to kickstart the year than to breathe new life into the working area? To meet new safety guidelines, it’s likely your office requires a bit of a move-around anyway, so why not go the whole hog?
Distancing Between Work Spaces
In this so-called ‘new normal’, you will have to ensure that there is ample distancing between each individual’s workstation in the office. Rows of desks are a thing of the past for the time being, with segregation and dividers coming in to keep members of staff safe.
Before welcoming back your team, you will need to look at the layout of the office and look at how you can incorporate social distancing without causing too much of a maze being formed. You will need to consider how many members of staff you can house in the office at any one time (because if your office was becoming a little tight pre-COVID, you certainly won’t be able to have everyone in at once).
New Flooring?
As you are rearranging the office from top to bottom, might this be the perfect moment to rip up the old tired carpet in favour of something new? Changing carpet with furniture can be a nightmare without the right equipment, but as you are likely to be moving around desks anyway, you can use this as an opportunity to clear the room ready for a refitted carpet.
When you are moving furniture such as desks and filing cabinets around, the chances are that you will see the damage caused by a heavy object sitting in the same spot for a number of years. If you regularly welcome in clients and other visitors into the area, this isn’t going to make for a great first impression. A new carpet may be something your office requires without you even knowing about it.
A Fresh Lick of Paint
With a new layout and, perhaps, a new carpet installed, it may just highlight the need for a new lick of paint on the walls. You should redecorate the space every few years and, if your office was coming up to that time before lockdown it will certainly be ready now. Your members of staff will certainly appreciate a bright new working area to welcome them in, especially as they can’t all gather around the water cooler right now to catch up with one another.
You should do everything that you can to make the office as warm and welcoming as possible to ease your staff back in following months of uncertainty and, undoubtedly times of hardship. A happy office is a productive office, which makes for a performing office.
