How To Make Your Commercial Office Spaces Safer After Covid-19

As businesses move their focus towards safely accommodating employees and customers in this new version of normalcy, interesting commercial building designs and space requirements are beginning to emerge.  

Bringing employees back into the workplace after COVID-19 has become a great concern for many companies, facilities managers, and commercial real estate owners. The physical distancing rule of 6 ft between people has made the office, which was once ideal, suddenly outdated.  

But we are aware that not all organizations have the luxury of moving to a more spacious facility to allow for the required social distancing between workers. Actually, for the past few months, many commercial building owners are struggling to find ways on how to create more space in order to continue functioning effectively and at full capacity.

To get up to code with social distancing requirements in typical commercial spaces, many business owners have come to appreciate that some kind of post-COVID remodeling and redesign of their buildings is essential. To keep employees healthy and remain in compliance, changes in maintenance procedures are in order, as well.  

Increasing square footage requirements

Again, with all this talk regarding employees no longer working from the office, one may think that this could add up to a reduction in square footage. However, in rethinking commercial spaces to accommodate for that new nature of work going forward, bigger work areas may likely be required.

This goes beyond the need for hot-desking or collaborative workspaces but facilitates physical distancing as people now are afraid of contracting COVID-19. Establishing more amenity space may be required, whether it is for common rooms or additional office space.  

No matter which of these concerns has the biggest impact on the current workplace, it is becoming clear that 2021 commercial space planning will look different from what many were initially used to.

Changes that may necessitate additional space in commercial buildings  

You might need to consider (if you haven’t already done so) the following approaches during this post-COVID period:

1.      Private spaces and cubicles

Before the pandemic, commercial building owners were reducing office spaces in order to accommodate more workers into a smaller footprint. However, things are changing. As is the case now, you might need to create personal offices or private spaces for employees. Desks arrangement might also need to be reconfigured to create enough physical separation between workers.

This could also mean the return of cubicles and barriers between desks in order to block the trajectory of germs – something that might be tricky given the popularity of standing desk options.  

2.      Increase in number and size of conference rooms

With the need for people in a meeting to be physically apart from one another, the current small meeting or conference rooms might need to be enlarged. Additionally, the number of meeting rooms might need to be increased since group chitchats that used to happen at the employees’ desks, pantry, aisle, and other common areas are shifting to conference rooms to adhere to physical distancing requirements.

3.      Create separate rooms for visitors and deliveries

What’s more, you may need to create designated spaces for visitors, deliveries, packages; thus, your employees can minimize contact with people coming into your commercial building.

4.      Add outdoor spaces

There might also be a need to create outdoor spaces. These uncovered spaces provide fresh air and, again, enough room for social distancing. For instance, adding outdoor terraces and roof decks will give your employees an ideal indoor-outdoor connection and experience that they will forever be grateful for this COVID-19 period. 

Simply stated, for your commercial building to function better during and after COVID-19, you need to consider altering the workspace by either changing the floor plan or adding square footage. And this might not be an easy thing for you, considering all the hassle that comes with that.

To see how your business can thrive post COVID-19 get in touch with a reliable commercial construction company like us. Here at RCL Construction Co., we are ready to help you assess your expansion or renovation needs and professionally handle all the logistics associated with commercial building remodel. All mechanical, electrical, architectural, structural, and design issues will be considered in line with post-COVID guidelines. Together we can also come up with a realistic budget and timeline that allows for any unforeseen situations.

As the top provider of commercial construction services in Michigan, we are the trusted drivers for this once-in-a-generation shift to change commercial spaces in new ways. Give us a call today!