FEATURE
to successfully pass on the benefits of pandemic-proof buildings, to their employees:
Safety and hygiene: It goes without saying that a safety plan is at the forefront of all the things the buildings should have before they reopen. It is necessary to introduce measures like frequent disinfection, air quality monitoring and social distancing, to instil trust among occupants.
“73% of working professionals express feeling more fatigued in April, compared to 61% in mid-February.”
A contactless environment: As people move through buildings, the more touch-points you can remove, the lower the risk. Automatic doors and contactless sign- ins could help do this, as would adding mobile-enabled controls to comfort settings like lighting and HVAC.
Resize the footprint: Creative ways to resize the onsite footprint, such as rotating days and strategic relocation of offices, will be required to ensure social distancing. Facilitating remote working, or a staggered return of employees, can help implement optimal workplace health and safety.
What are the top reasons for this exhaustion? For 27%, it was the lack of work-life balance, followed by unmanageable workload (20.5%), and job security concerns (nearly 19%).
The way forward In spite of having shifted some of their services to digital platforms, many businesses still require a physical presence, for a number of their functions. The early enthusiasm among employees seems to have been tempered with time as well. According to a survey conducted by
Digital.com, 70% of US employees, who worked from home during the pandemic, want to return to their offices, but with some critical changes.
Moving forward, workspaces will continue to focus on traditional objectives, like improving productivity and building company culture, but the COVID-19 disruption will likely leave its mark. The returning workforce will expect their employers to bring them back to work safely and they will want the safety efforts to be clearly communicated.
Here are some of the primary factors, which facility managers will need to address, if tenant organisations are
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Re-consider BAS operations: To improve efficiency and trim operating costs, rethinking building operations plans will be an essential plan in 2021. Technology can be leveraged to eliminate health and safety issues even before they appear by remotely making changes to HVAC schedules and sequences based on dynamic occupancy and compliance. Having condition-based and predictive maintenance measures on building systems will help building owners and operators stay compliant to indoor air quality, HVAC regulations, and changing operational hours.
Adapting to the new normal Regardless of the recent surge in remote work, physical work environments are still the future. Well-defined office spaces offer key advantages to occupants and operators alike.
The lessons we learned from the global pandemic will shape the way that future buildings are designed, maintained, and operated. Property operators and building managers will need to toss out old methods and move forward with agile data-driven operating models. There is no single strategy that can address rebuilding a safe and comfortable post-COVID-19 office environment. CRE businesses and stakeholders will need to proactively assess feedback from both employers, as well as employees, to help create a frictionless and secure workplace experience, for their occupants.
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