Embracing the New 6 Foot Office Environment
In the past decade, the key corporate buzzwords were transparency, inclusion and authenticity; this led to an open office work environment. In a recent
INC magazine article
, the “death” of open office spaces is not as tragic an ending as you might imagine:
“If there is one possible silver lining to the tragic fallout of the global Covid-19 pandemic, it's the that the open office -- what my Inc.com colleague
Geoffrey James
has memorably dubbed "the dumbest management fad of all time"--might be
nearing its final days
.”
Work From Home Option
Even as the US opens again for business there appear to be a large portion of the work population that not only enjoyed working from home, but found they were more productive. In an article by
Jason Aten
, he breaks down the numbers:
“…as much as 70 percent of your workforce
wants remote working to remain an option
, and as many as 54 percent say they'd like it to be their primary way of work. This is no longer a trend. It's more like a permanent shift.”
There are some departments that lend themselves to working from home such as accounts payable/receivable, collections, customer service and human resources.
For those stay-at-home workers that continue to work with vendors and clients, the webcam backdrop it the perfect solution. Recently Jake Tapper was interviewed on late night television and had a professional CNN backdrop. When asked if he was actually filming from the studios, he admitted to being in his guest bedroom. However, it was important for his work and his integrity to hide his personal art, bookshelves and other paraphernalia in favor of a branded backdrop.
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We offer a variety of
affordable video call backdrops
for your team that are easy to assemble, quickly stored and even offer those with lighting. Check out our extensive options and give one of our sales team a call to talk more about what will work the best for those of your team that will continue to work from home and interact with customers.
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The New 6 Foot Office
While working from home can cut down on overhead, it also frees up square footage within your business location to accommodate the new 6 foot office design.
Many positions thrive on the interplay and creativity that come from in-person interactions; merchandising, marketing, operations and sales as examples. Enter the latest in office design; a combination of the old cubicle style and the open office concept.
E&E offers a variety of options to create safe distancing between employees:
- Sneeze guards on desks are a simple, inexpensive solution to provide protection without hindering communication.
- Floor signage can be used to direct traffic or show people where to stand in common areas to insure safe distancing.
- Touch-less hand sanitizer stations placed in strategic places around the office will reinforce the habit of keeping hands clean; entryways, restrooms, common areas, boardrooms, near water-coolers, etc.
Possibilities are Limitless
Each of the configurations for room/area division are designed for specific customer needs. If you need desk top sneeze guards, or full wall protection; customized solutions are available.
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Increasing Employee Satisfaction
In a 2018
Harvard Business Review
article, the focus was about how to help your employee's embrace the new "open concept." The change was so radical, leaders received push-back from employees and yet, the reason for adopting the new plan was to be viewed as a "great place to work." The authors,
Brandi Pearce
and
Pamela Hinds
, stressed the importance of "place identity."
"In our research, we discovered that success with open offices may have as much to do with how people feel about the space — something called
place identity
— as with the space itself. When place identity is higher, employees report more engagement in their work, more communication with their peers, and a stronger connection to the company."
Just two short years later, the time for office reconfiguration is here and perhaps the number one challenge for managers to improve employee satisfaction and to be considered a "great place to work" is
employee safety.
The new 6-foot office space design ensures employees safety while still fostering information sharing, transparency and the all important "open door" policy.
Pearce and Hinds conclude their article with the importance of understanding what is critical for employee's to feel part of their environment. Their insights are just as valuable today as we begin to reopen our business and encourage employees to return to work:
"Finding the perfect solution for the design of a new office space is complex. Our study reveals that while physical attributes matter, leaders need to pay attention to place identity as well. Place identity affects not only how people feel but also how they perceive the physical features of the space. When leaders communicate the value of the space beforehand, proactively help workers acclimate, and give employees leeway to adapt the space, organizations are much more likely to reap the benefits of the investment in redesigned work spaces."
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E&E Recently Featured on Fox News
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Fox News came to interview Daniel and Cynthia Chaddock about how they are re-purposing their products to help businesses during this pandemic. Check out the video.
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After almost 25 years in the trade show exhibit business, the founders and executive team of E&E Exhibit Solutions® announce a new direction for their business.
"We are no longer simply an exhibit display booth design and production firm," said Cynthia Chaddock CFO/Director of Marketing. "Over the years the marketplace has evolved, and decision makers now require us to partner with them on their
corporate event planning
, design, branding strategies, production and logistics.
As a result, E&E has answered the call by offering unique creative solutions that effectively supplement any themed or corporate event, meeting, product launch, or seminar. That's why E&E® now stands for Exhibits and Events."
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