Assess, Manage & Design for the Future
Posted on 5th June 2020 at 15:15
Assess, Manage & Design for the Future
So where has the last 2 months gone and how have we all managed or coped?
Businesses change and they change all of the time but in general that change is gradual with small incremental steps. We are all aware of the Peter Drucker quote “You can’t manage what you don’t measure” which is the normal way to change a business practice. So, let’s be honest most companies found themselves, with the onset of Covid-19, in a position where they had no opportunity to measure just try and manage the situation as best, they could.
With all the changes that have occurred you now have an opportunity to review the last few months and plan your future. At Blue Goose we have identified 3 steps to take that process forward, assess, manage and design.
Step 1 Assess:
This is the bit where we need to assess our existing environment and measure our staff. It’s the time to look at the office space and work out the pinch points such as lifts, toilets and breakout spaces. Can you make the office directional with up and down stairs or designated entrances and exits? The sudden change will have impacted on the staff, so a simple survey to gauge that impact and will help you shape the direction of travel.
We would suggest 3 areas to base your questions around
1) How did the transaction to remote working go?
2) How is working from home going?
3) What do you expect from the work place after Covid-19?
Step 2 Manage:
Is all about putting in place what has been measured from the Assess stage. Signage, cleaning programmers, location of existing furniture to allow for social distancing, introduction of IT, telecommunications and AV equipment to allow for home working, all need to be considered in conjunction with your staff survey. What tasks can be done remotely, do we need everyone in the office every day or time or at all? Do you have staff who are or are not comfortable with home working?
Step 3 Design:
This falls into two categories. First off is the immediate impact and how to have a phased return, second is the big picture, is your office fit for purpose?
Looking at the immediate impact which might include introduction of screens, workstation sizes, storage requirements and home working furniture. It should be noted that the health & safety of employees working from home is still the responsibility of the employer. We can also look at the space in the office and calculate the numbers of staff that can return, all of the above can be introduced quickly.
The bigger picture will involve a full building and cost evaluation, it will require you to look at your clients’ needs as well as your own to achieve a people centric building. The existing building may not be the way forward, flexible working and hub centres might be a solution. Design will pay a key part with careful selection of furniture, workspace detail and procedures. Check out interface’s designing for distance.
As Peter Drucker said “the best way to predict your future is to create it”
The Blue Goose team are able to assist with all aspects of this process, we have been working with a number of clients so they can return to work safely and in a managed way. Where employees are working from home and in some cases will continue to do so we are able to offer home working packages.
You might also like to check out our working from home blog and our cleaning fabric brochure. For cleaning of flooring take a look at either LVT flooring or Carpet cleaning
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