The New Norm

What effect has the pandemic had on the future of our industry?  Our offices? Industrial facilities? The multi-family world?Sentry Commercial offers a look. Changes in space? See below. Changes in the industry? Take a look at our “New Norm” series, featuring interviews with Curt Gemme and industry experts telling us what they are seeing in their respective fields.

Updated on June 29, 2020:

Best Practices:

• • This is primarily about employee health and wellness.
  • Stay apprised of governmental, WHO, CDC, etc. guidelines (See Resources below).
  • Communicate your plans to make your employees, tenants and visitors feel safe.
  • Determine maximum capacity of your workplace:
    • Min. 200-300 SF PP.
    • Remove any chairs and workstations not intended for use.
  • Require use of face-masks at all times (See Resources Page below).
  • Ensure employees wash their hands regularly.
  • Visitors:
    • Develop visitor policy (No visitors, screened visitors, electronic visitor logs. etc.).
  • Workforce:
    • Consider work-at-home.
    • Consider requiring high-risk groups and over the age of 65 should continue to stay home.
    • Consider phased-in, re-entry approach.
    • Rotate work staff (50% in office, 50% at home).
    • Increase number of shifts.
  • Sanitizing:
    • Strict cleaning and disinfectant protocols in all settings.
    • Constant, repetitive sanitizing of facilities, workstations, keyboards, phones, common areas, etc.
    • Eliminate as many phone handsets as possible.
    • Sanitize packages shipped and received.
  • Workflow:
    • One-way employee movement (i.e. clockwise or counterclockwise).
    • Branded social distancing floor decals.
    • Larger/increased space to move around the office.
    • Post floor plans showing 6’ distancing and sanitizing stations.
  • Janitorial:
    • Consider no outside cleaning services (each person responsible for taking their trash home).
  • Employee/Visitor Policy:
    • Determine if you will screen employees and/or visitors health status.
    • IF you decide to screen employees, determine if you want to outsource said screening to healthcare service.
    • Determine if you require employee and/or visitor questionnaire prior to entry.
    • Determine company policy in the event an employee or visitor tests positive.
      1. If you choose to screen:
         • Passive screening:
           1. Health questionnaire of all employees and visitors (see Sample Documents below).
         • Active screening (see Vendor Resources below):
           1. Thermal Cameras.
           2. Company health apps.
           3. Temperature upon entry (Max. 100.3).
    • Defined response plan for employee/visitor COVID infection.

Building/Space Entry:

• • Automatic/Touchless door entry (see Vendor Resource Information below)
  • No phone in the building/space lobby.
  • No-touch screen tenant directory.
  • Facial recognition technology (ability to track all movements in the building through facial recognition).
  • Microbial entry door mats to walk on.
  • Enter front door, leave through side door.

Building Common Areas:

• • Lobby:
    • Elevator:
      1. Voice activated or touchless elevator controls
      2. Encourage alternatives such as stairs.
      3. Hire attendant.
      4. Limited elevator capacity.
  • Bathrooms:
    • Touchless access to lavatories.
    • Touchless toilets/urinals, sinks and soap/towel dispensers.
    • Stairwells/Stairways:
    • Consider “one-way stairwells” (up only in one, down only in the other).

Office Space:

• • Enhance daylight to interior space.
  • Install numerous hand sanitizing stands for convenience and assurance.
    • Install more voice activated technology (see Vendor Resource Information below).
  • Air quality (See Resources Page below):
    • NOTE: Debate still exists on air circulation (i.e. increase vs. reduction of circulation)
    • Increase fresh air rates.
    • Enhance filtration/optimize air delivery
          method (make sure it gets to the breathing
          zone).
    • Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI).
    • Bipolar ionization.
    • Control humidification.
    • Pro-active maintenance program for HVAC.
    • Re-visit ASHRAE standards.
    • Sophisticated plug and go air purification systems with virus minimizing filters (such as a copper layer).
  • Private offices:
    • More of them.
    • PRIVATE MEANS PRIVATE – No one else may enter (possibly including the cleaning crew).
  • Open workstations:
    • Desks facing away from each other.
    • 6’ x 6’ high workstations with some version of vision panels to create the appearance of open space.
    • Acrylic safety shields minimize risk of transmission.
    • Consider alternating workstations usage (i.e. dormant workstations).
  • Lunchroom:
    • Consider closing lunchrooms.
    • Paper plates, cups, plastic/disposable utensils, etc.
    • Use of microwave/water cooler/toaster oven only when using masks/gloves.
    • No seating or seating spaced 6’ or more apart.
  • Conference Rooms:
    • No touch systems for doors.
    • Reduce existing conference room to accommodate 50% of previous capacity.
    • Engage “people counters” which indicate how many people enter the room and whether they maintained proper distance from each other when they entered.
    • Close entirely and move conferences to open, non-enclosed areas.
    • Outside conferences (i.e. Green open space (weather permitting)).
  • Hoteling:
    • Fully sanitized after EVERY use.

Office Space Common Areas:

1. • Copier Rooms:
     • No touch systems for doors.
     • Voice activated machines.
     • No touching copier/printer without protective gloves.
     • Assign one-person exclusive use of the room.
   • Bathrooms:
     • No touch systems for doors, plumbing fixtures and toilet stalls.
     • Increased and multiple times per day cleaning.

Warehouse/Manufacturing Space:

1. • Shipping Areas:
     • Signage and floor marking to create separation of functions and routes for shipping and receiving operations.
     • PPE for shipping and receiving employees.
     • Shipping and receiving area use limited to shipping and receiving employees only.
     • Route packages received via non-congested areas.

Related Articles:

• • This is the end of the office as we know it:
    
    • The pandemic already pushed millions to work from home. Many of them will likely go back to a very different office. Read inVox.

Resources:

• • WHO:
    • https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1
  • CDC:
    • https://www.usa.gov/coronavirus
  • Occupational Safety & Health Administration:
    • https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf
  • ISSA:
    • https://www.issa.com/
  • Hand Sanitizers, Cloth Masks, Cleaning Supplies:
    • https://portal.ct.gov/DECD/Content/Coronavirus-Business-Recovery/Suppliers-List/Hand-Sanitizer
  • Face Mask Guidelines:
    • https://portal.ct.gov/DECD/Content/Coronavirus-Business-Recovery/Suppliers-List/Hand-Sanitizer

Vendor Resources:

• • Touchless Entry:
    • Open Path: https://www.openpath.com/
  • Janitorial Services:
    • Patterson Maintenance Services: http://pattersoncleaning.com/
  • Air Purification:
    • Auraair – https://www.auraair.io/
  • Facial Recognition:
    • Vaango: https://vaango.co/

Sample Documents:

• • Employee/Visitor Prescreening Questionnaire
  • COVID Checklist