The Future of Workspaces

Learn, Unlearn, and Re-Learn is the key for a successful business that both big and small businesses will be adapting post-COVID-19. Fear of recurrence of the disease and picking up loose threads of one’s businesses in a COVID-19 afterworld will pave way for a newer perspective on co-working spaces in the Corporate World.

It is high time for businesses to re-invent their visions and strategies. The world is limping slowly back to ‘normalcy'. Most parts of the world are still reeling under the burden of the global pandemic. The road ahead post COVID-19, may be wavering and dimly lit but is certainly not bleak.

A few experts predict that man being a social animal, would look forward to establishing emotional and intellectual ties with those around him. We have been under a lockdown far too long and it is people we will want to be with, albeit following all hygiene and safety norms. Industry leaders like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella have indicated that permanent work from home could lead to negative consequences for social interaction and mental health.

A collaborative workspace is instrumental for growth – both personal ties and professional success. Entrepreneurs will need their time to work on breathing life into their business and look for alternative business models. Cost optimization and capital reduction will have to be undertaken while also working on the expansion of the business and operations. While all this seems like the need of the hour, it was one of the reasons co-working spaces existed in the first place.

Rahim Somani, a management Consultant gives a wonderful insight, “The success and adoption of co-working spaces in the past decade have proven that they aren’t just a passing fad but demonstrates a permanent social and cultural change. Physical human interaction is in our DNA and co-working spaces are the future of how we operate.”

The essence of Co-working Spaces is to help companies focus on the core of their business. Since operational functions consume a good amount of time & effort in any organization, it would be wise to choose a co-working space that can look after the complete operations day-in, day-out maintaining a fully COVID-compliant and a safe workspace over a traditional private office space. Safety & hygiene is not an option or a choice but a necessity to be able to resume businesses back to life.

When it comes to safety, the booking becomes a critical aspect for both community members as well as coworking space operators. Proper sanitization of the space becomes a major point of focus. At such times, managing coworking spaces through an app becomes much easier as compared to traditional methods of operation.

There are software tools available that offer a seamless experience for both bookings and community management. For e.g., andcards. These tools are equipped with numerous features like online booking, bills and payment, etc. Enable the members to book space and use it on the go. While its features like events and community help coworking space managers to keep in touch with their members.

Throwing in an interesting perspective while sharing her own personal experience, Reena Nair, Content and Social Media Head of an NGO opines, “I had honestly considered a co-working space option when I first moved to Mumbai, since my work profile was of a consultant, and it was work from home profile. But I didn’t go ahead with it since it didn’t make sense in terms of the hours I had to put in, because they weren’t enough to justify the travel cost & the additional cost of renting the space. But on a general scale, I think if they genuinely go out of their way to sanitize and ensure ways to maintain social distancing, they could continue with business as usual.”

We at DevX, understand the importance of wealth creation as well as safeguarding lives. We have appointed various safety and social distancing practises to ensure workspace safety. We believe Co-working can be the new normal for a more productive work environment and a sensible alternative to crowded office floors.

There is a list of mandates and safe workspace tips which we believe every organization should appoint. A workspace that not just commands people to maintain social distancing but naturally inspires them to do so, needs to be developed to help the entire community come out of the grapples of these current circumstances.

Every Co-working Space provider is doing the best of their capacity to maintain a safe and healthy workspace for their community. These compliances don’t just fall true for Co-working Spaces but also for organizations that are willing to maintain a safe workspace for their employees while operating from private offices. Following steps will ensure a zero-spread environment:

1. It is fundamental to sanitize every corner that can remain a potential point of contact, from the entry to the exit, including the lobby or extended entrances. This is going to be a lengthy process, so ensure the essential maintenance of an adequate stock of antibacterial apparatus.
2. Besides visible surfaces, paramount safety should also be maintained when it comes to people. People means all those individuals who are, will be, or can be in attendance – clients and even support staff who assist in the functioning of the office.
3. Distribute PPE kits to all security personnel since they remain the first ones to most likely come in direct contact with a potential carrier of the infectious virus.
4. Use a Forehead Measurement Contactless Thermometer to monitor the temperature of everyone who enters the premises. This can be maintained efficiently by following a single point of entry into the office.
5. Anyone who tests positive for high body temperature should be relocated to an isolation ward/section until official authorities arrive and conduct necessary tests.
6. The entrance door should be kept open at all times and any biometric attendance machines should be deactivated to reduce unwanted touch to the minimum & alternative technology like Face Recognition Access Control should be considered.
7. It is also advisable to distribute entry passes to all entrants and accurately track their movement in and out of the office.
8. Restrict the entry of visitors and people above the age of 50.
9. We’ve come a long way since the beginning of the crises and are well aware of the significance and mandate of wearing a mask. Ensure your clients follow the same.
10. Encourage everyone to download the government-approved app, Aarogya Setu, for most recent updates on the virus and its possible spread.
11. Once inside the premise, it is also prudent to eliminate every possibility of a gathering by establishing distance ergonomically.

An extensive guide with useful resources for individuals & organizations has been developed by DevX as an effort to make the transition towards the new ways of working smooth. From an individual’s perspective the eBook contains list of must-read books, activities focusing on well-being, tools that help boost productivity, & a chart containing daily routine practices. Whereas from an organization’s perspective, it contains our formula of ‘The 3S’ that are a must-do for an organization – Safety at Workspace, Security for Employees, & Service for Clients. You can download the eBook here!

Hope we together sail through this Pandemic and work-around having a brighter tomorrow.