If you are an employer waking-up to this new reality, take comfort from the fact that there are tools and technologies here to support you.

Post-COVID workplace paradigm

Employers would be wise to watch some specific trends that’ll define the “new order” workplace. These include: 

• Fewer employees working at the office, with more of them teleworking from home
• More need for social distancing between colleagues on the office floor
• Reduced work capacity for the foreseeable future fueling the need for fewer permanent desks    and cubicles
• Greater need to plan limited workspace, with more flexibility for impromptu work

Employers could institute simplistic procedures, like sign-in logs, online spreadsheets etc., to manage life in the “new order” workplace. However, these solutions are likely to get quickly out of sync with reality on the office floor. There’s got to be a better way?

Thankfully, there is – the DeskFlex way!

Hoteling and Workspace Scheduling

The “new order” will require employers to be a lot smarter in their use of existing (limited) workspace facilities:

• If only half your staff work from the office, why open-up the entire floor?
• Most of the 1^st floor staff are working from home, why power it up and make it available?
• If John from B1, Sally from F7, Marge from M3 and Zack from M4 are collaborating on a project, why not put them in non-contiguous cubes – B1, B3, B5 and B7 – and shut-down all cubes from Area F and M?
• Why not move the handful of staff from the West Wing into the East Wing, and schedule the West end for routine cleaning and disinfection?

With DeskFlex Room Scheduling software, people and facilities managers will be able to make data-driven decisions on these – and many other! – aspects of the new workplace paradigm. Easy and flexible room and asset scheduling means more efficient use of company facilities. And, integration with corporate systems, like Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange, allows added flexibility to change and update schedules on a dime!

Desk and Cubicle Status Management

Technology-driven devices, like FlexCube, are a great way to help “new order” staff navigate the world of desk and workspace assignments. Color coded, the cube immediately lets staff, searching for vacant workspace, know what the status of nearby desks, pods and workstations is.

Bluetooth-enabled, WiFi-driven and QR-code supported, staff can use this device to de-stress their workspace hunt. These features are especially helpful when impromptu and ad-hoc situations “just happen!”.

Social Distancing Management

Until there’s clear-cut evidence that COVID-19 is no longer a threat, social distancing in the workplace is here to stay. Unfortunately, with the hum-drum of a busy workplace to contend with, working together while staying apart is a challenge. And that’s where technology-equipped DeskFlex beacons can help.

The beacons allow the Bluetooth devices to send and capture information with short distances. Mobile devices connected to a beacon will quickly get alerts, signaling their proximity to the signal.  The Beacons can do more than just send out alerts. Use them to broadcast availability/in-use status of nearby assets, like Team boards, Audio-visual equipment and even desks and workstations.