Whether you’re planning your return to the office soon or are already there, the workspace lives on with new changes to keep us safe! Safety signage tells us where to go and how to use our new spaces, and reconfiguring furniture and areas helps us keep 6-foot distances, but what about larger changes? In these rapidly changing times, spending the time and money to construct permanent walls and other fixtures turns into an expensive decision that will likely have to change again as time goes on, so what can you do that will help your space (and team) both now and in the future?

“6-Foot Physical Distancing” – we’ve heard the term plenty of times, but it’s more important now than ever! Our Return-to-Work plans are evolving, and we’re placing a greater emphasis on carefully controlling and cleaning the workspace to keep our teams as healthy as possible.

For many of us, working from home is a new concept. Perhaps we were occasionally allowed a day here and there to work remotely, but the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a major shift in attitude surrounding working from home.

There isn’t one business or industry that’s been unaffected by COVID-19. Though some of us are already going back to the workplace and have adopted a bevy of new guidelines, others are still waiting and working remotely, and many are somewhere in between. To help our clients plan for their own returns and see first-hand just how this pandemic has affected workplace attitudes and work conditions, we launched a Return to Work Survey of working professionals, spanning all industries, sizes, and in multiple states, and the results are in!

As restrictions are easing, and workplaces, schools, government facilities, and even retail begin to reopen to some degree, we're all learning how best to adhere to governmental mandates and CDC guidelines so we can reopen. We all know it's not business as usual, but it is getting back to business. So, we're asking ourselves, how do we do that while making our spaces safe in this new reality?

COVID-19 has turned the traditional workplace on its head. As organizations around the world return to work, they’re seeing and planning changes for nearly every area of their space; from desk and workstation reconfigurations to common rooms, restrooms, and more, organizations are finding new ways to keep employees healthy, safe, and at least six feet apart from each other throughout the day.

Many of us have been working from home for the past couple of months. As states begin to open up and local governments release plans to return to the office environment, a lot of us have questions about what that looks like and what we need to do to get back into our spaces safely.

There’s no denying it: these trying times have put a serious strain on company cultures. Working from home and self-isolation have created a naturally anti-social environment, and while many organizations are working hard to keep employees connected and engaged, more efforts than ever are necessary to bridge the gaps and try to give our teams the same culture they had previously experienced.

Here are five of our tactics to try and keep our company engaged and our culture consistent, and here’s how they’re working:

Educational buildings are more than learning spaces. They are a space in which to spark imagination, inquiry, and creativity. That’s why the physical space can play such a critical role in learning and development by encouraging curiosity. In fact, many academics and researchers say supporting more questioning by young minds is more imperative than ever.

For Berlin–based designers at Studio 7.5, their latest chair for Herman Miller represents something of a holy grail. It’s a design that creates a new reference point for instant, personalized comfort. Cosm’s new Auto– Harmonic Tilt is a goal they’ve worked toward for years. And if that’s not enough, it looks pretty amazing too!