OIQ_091521

Page 12 — Office & Industrial Quarterly — September 2021 www.crej.com OFFICE — WORKPLACE TRENDS T he concept of working remote- ly has been creeping into the office environment for years. Some employers just couldn’t get comfortable with the idea of work being accomplished without seeing the work being done. Intro- duce a pandemic, and we had very little choice but to accept that a lot of work could be done outside an office. Assuming you had the internet infra- structure, and computers at home, the staff could work independently or with little interaction – it was possible to keep the office clicking away with- out physically being in the office. With the introduction of a workable vaccine, social distancing and some hygienic measures, it is becoming possible to create a new hybrid work environment: one that allows people to quarantine when required or work remotely to accommodate personal schedules or to avoid unhealthy situ- ations. The question becomes: How do we meld the two environments of remote and on-site working into an efficient and flexible office environ- ment that offers safety and neces- sary collaboration? One method is to introduce zones within the office for: information, focus, communication and collaboration. First, recognize that the internet of your office is the primary “informa- tion zone.” If you have not estab- lished a state-of-the-art internet system with cloud-based backup, apps and the required platforms for remote working, then the flexibility of remote and on-site work will not run smoothly. It may be necessary to rework your internet capabilities to provide the highest level of security and internet speed pos- sible. Unfortunately, employees who have poor internet service at home soon become a liability to the work product and easily become frustrated when the technol- ogy doesn’t cooper- ate. It also is impor- tant to invest in training the staff to use new software, such as Bluebeam, Teams, Zoom or other industry-specif- ic applications. Second, in all office areas, is it criti- cal to establish physical and acousti- cal zones within the office. These are not unlike the privacy zones that we have in our homes: the quiet zones for focused activities, the slightly more occupied zones for conversa- tion, and the highly occupied zones for group interaction and communica- tions. Quiet focus zones require concen- tration and minimal noise or visual distraction, especially for “heads down” and private tasks. The standard office workstation still can provide this area – but to provide some protec- tion from germs and to minimize the visual and auditory distraction, clear or solid dividers work best. These panel dividers provide protection and block distraction at seated heights (about 45-52 inches) or higher.While private offices provide the most social distancing benefits, some private workstations can be effective tools to provide the necessary isolation. The acoustical and auditory benefits of the higher panels are added bonuses to the work areas that still are smaller than private offices. Communication zones are estab- lished for video or telephone con- ferencing. This type of conferencing zone is not limited to outside clients; it also works well for traveling staff, remote workers, part-time workers or independent contractors who don’t require a full-time workstation. The best environment for this activity is an individual room that provides a work surface, controlled lighting and, in some cases, a wall or table- mounted video monitor. The acousti- cal insulation of the walls is critical, as is a door to this room. Glass panels in the door or sidelight glass will make the room seem less confined and alert others that the room is in use. Another excellent strategy is to vary the size of these “Zoom rooms” to allow for one, two or four people to use the rooms. Most of these rooms are placed in the office interiors for better light control, with the added benefit of allowing other zones to be located in the daylighted areas. Collaboration zones are more ad hoc, as they tend to be noisier and have more energy for group meetings. These are the areas that we miss most Zoning an office space for hybrid worker success Tia Jenkins President, Kieding Fred Winter, Shadow From The Sky Collaboration zones are more ad hoc, as they tend to be noisier and have more energy for group meetings. These are the areas that many miss most when working remotely. Please see Jenkins, Page 18