Working from home & social distancing in the office?
2020 has seen many of you now working from home due to these unprecedented times. Leaving the world of open-plan office behind….
Whilst for some, working from home is a welcome break from the daily commute and like the solitude and the peace to focus on work without distraction, others also like the social aspects of the office. We are social, we like the company of others, no more so than in the office. We thrive on discussion, exchanging ideas and collaborating, however now we have to bring what we have learnt from social distancing in our day to day life during the Covid19 lockdown into the office. Perhaps for some of us this will be the new normal – a balance between working from home and in the office.
Whether we can achieve this balance or whether we want or need to return to the office full time, we will need to feel as safe in the office as we do at home. How can we make that happen?
Working from home and returning to the office after the Covid19 lockdown
Now is the time to rethink the office, to ensure the workplace is productive and safe for staff and customers. Here at Amos Beech we were either working from home or have been furloughed just like most of you. However, the design and fit-out team have been thinking about short, medium and long term solutions for after the Covid19 lockdown, to help you with the preparation for staff returning to the office.
Office layout and occupancy levels
Social distancing in the office follows the same guidelines as out of the office – to avoid unnecessary closeness with others by allowing employees to remain 2m apart. This may mean reducing the number of employees in the office at any given time, so some of your staff need to continue working from home.
Assigned desk social distancing layout return to the office after Covid19 lockdown
To organise this the iotspot ESD desk booking system can be an outcome. The smart workplace platform can be utilised to help with social distancing in anticipation for people returning to work.
Screens between desks and office dividers
In the office we need to minimise disruption by using alternate desks with individuals not directly facing each other and introduce high clear perspex screens between the desks.
Samuel Bruce desk dividing perpex screen solutions
Contact the design team for help with your office layout:
Hygiene
In addition to the above, hygiene becomes even more important than it already was. You may for instance need to introduce a clear desk policy, allowing surfaces to be properly cleaned on a daily basis. Also introduce hand wash facilities in tea preps and break rooms and provide hand sanitisers throughout the office, especially at high touch point areas such as near printers, in tea prep and break out rooms, at lifts and entry and exit doors.
Hand sanitiser stations
NanoSeptic Antimicrobial Surface Wraps for Touchpoints
Contact the operations team for more details about hygiene products:
Returning to the office after the Covid 19 lockdown is very much work in progress
For us at Amos Beech the current situation is just as new for us as it is to you, but we are committed to help you return to the office in a safe and pleasant way. Our design team is keeping up to speed as much as possible by attending webinars of the world leading office specialists and operations follow all the latest developments from the office and facilities industry.
In addition to that we have taken the initiative to set up a sharing platform where all involved in the office interiors, facilities and fit-out sector can share ideas and solutions. We advise you to follow this initiative to keep up to date:
280 trees planted in the Scottish Highlands thanks to Plexus!
As part of Amos Beech’s Corporate Social Responsibility we plant 13 trees per 1000 Sq.Ft. of fit out and refurbished office space. In the case of Plexus’ new 21,528 Sq.Ft. offices that equates to 280 trees!
When Product Realisation Company Plexus, were looking to renovate their Livingston site they turned to Amos Beech as their partner for the design and construction work of this industrial office fit out.
280 trees planted in the Scottish Highlands thanks to Plexus!
Just like Amos Beech, Plexus have adopted a global environmental management system that helps to guide and monitor their progress. They combine the international environmental management standard ISO 14001 with their corporate policies and initiatives. On the social impact page on the Plexus website we learn this:
Caring for employees. Supporting communities. Doing business responsibly.
Responsible employer.
Plexus is committed to being a responsible business and employer. That means operating with the highest ethical standards in all corners of the globe.
Community stewardship.
Plexus believes in strengthening the communities in which we live and work. Because that’s how everyone shares in a better tomorrow.
Responsible global citizenship.
Plexus is dedicated to protecting the health, safety and rights of all people. And we take responsibility for leaving the world a little better than we found it.
It was therefore no surprise that they were really pleased when we handed over the tree planting certificate:
Douglas McGregor, Director – Project Management
It is quite impressive if you walk through the ample space @ Plexus and then realise how big a forest of 280 trees actually is! And with these trees come the other plants and wildlife, as well as C02 reduction.
The Plexus trees pushed our grove up to 754 !
And you know what:
You can plant trees yourself!
We encourage you to plant trees yourself. You can add trees to our grove via the button below or you can start your own grove. Why not consider giving somebody a dedicated tree? Planting a tree is a special gift for any occasion. It's the perfect way to celebrate an event or remember a loved one.
Amos Beech – improving every environment we touch
Highlights Clerkenwell Design Week 2019
Another year, another Clerkenwell design week – Here are a few highlights!
Amongst the bustle of the Clerkenwell buzz, a 360 approach was taken by Lintex realised by Lotta Agaton, a renowned interior stylist from Sweden, where she carefully considered each material and object in the curation of the showroom. The Lintex products stood proud in the warm and calm environment. The glass paired beside long-standing natural materials such as wood, clay and leather created a great mellowness to the overall space. The essence of biophilia was present, without the littering of plants, by the thoughtful use of the natural materials and neutral colour palettes. In the rise of well being in the workplace, this design approach lends itself to being more mindful, allowing us to take a step back to rest and think. Also highlighting, to never to undervalue the importance of curating spaces with well-chosen objects. In terms of new products, Lintex manages to take a fresh look at the ‘analogue’ with the A01 designed by studio Afteroom. The product had geometric shapes sandwiched between glass and framed within a square. It performed a floating illusion with quite a magical effect.
Lintex Showroom – Styled by Lotta Agaton
The geometric composition continues on to the Spacestor showroom, notably the reinvention of the storage wall and shelving unit. This development, in the current flood of grid shelving, is warmly welcomed. The elongated structure formed of cuboids rather than cubes provides an elegant silhouette, especially when finished in brass. The matte panelled shelving units paired with the large round mirror adds a sense of sophistication, complimenting the storage wall newest addition of the arched alcove. The choice of colour and finishes was inspiring. The matte materials produced a soft and slightly retro look, in rich solid tints added drama and allure.
Modulyss made a statement in the Project Pavillion by focusing on the carpet tile FLUID& in the dark green tone and pairing it with Velvet&, a great example of the &-Collection. The tiles curved up to the top of the back wall, and the two mirrored sides reflected the carpet into infinity. The reflections were reminiscent of the Rorschach test, and Fluid& is appropriately tagged ‘Perfectly Imperfect’.
Modulyss – Fluid
Workplace environments shift to more emotive and wellness-centric
As the workplace environments shift to be more emotive and wellness-centric, there is a growth in creating a softer and more comfortable working landscape with essences of home. Many pieces of furniture showcased had plumper silhouettes, accentuate curves and the awakening of fluid draperies forming partitions as similarly observed in Milan 2018, yet to a less exaggerated extent.
Frovi’s latest product ‘Home’ is precisely that. It is available in various typologies that include most of the setting you could want for an informal meeting from the booth seating, a high media bench, screens and even a single seated armchair with an integrated laptop table. This product certainly makes it easy to implement the feeling of ‘Home’ in all senses.
Another product with similar effect was a Verco meeting booth. The screen was formed by an acoustic sheer delicately ruched around a wooden frame, which created rhythmic ripples. The screen cocooned around the loose furniture pieces perfectly formed inside, which produced a very dreamy ambience, a perfect retreat for when stress and anxiety levels are high.
Frovi
Verco
As employees explore how and where to achieve a greater work-life balance with genuine well-being initiatives. The design pieces released are a reflection of our time and where we are heading. A workplace has to produce a sense of belonging, where we are comfortable enough to reflect, recharge and grow without being stunted.
And this is just the start of things to come!
Text & images: interior design department