Many parts of the world are now witnessing a flattening of COVID-19 curve, and also it is now the high time to revive economy, so many countries have started opening their offices. But a question arises here, will our offices remain same like pre covid-19 time?
The answer is a no, this Pandemic has given many lessons to mankind which will definitely affect our lives in many ways and workspaces is among one of them. In current scenario there would be stringent screening processes will take place like physical temperature screening before entry in office, offices might get installed with thermal cameras, people are now equipped with apps which will give a alert when they come in close contact. People might not share their foods and also they will keep hygiene on high priority from now.
Coen van Oostrom, the founder of the real-estate firm that built ‘ Edge’ one the most smart and sustainable building of our times, talked to BBC and shared his views on the possible upcoming changes in office spaces. He told that those working in the premises of Edge have an app which tell them about the air quality inside building. That thing might work for other offices as well because people are now afraid of contagious air. He told that currently for opening doors people have to use their hands, but with a little modification these doors can be controlled through voice or an app which will make them contactless. He further shared that there are cameras which can detect the number of persons in frame and with certain addition in software it can also detect the distance between them and send these people an alert.
Some firms are using thermal cameras to screen their employees, these cameras detect the area near tear glands and get the temperature of the person. Also offices are going to get fitted with UV blasters which will disinfect the office by emitting UV rays.
On the other hand a new development took place during the lockdown phase, which is working from home. Barclays Bank’s chief executive Jes says that people are doing great job from their homes, so working of thousands of workers in big city offices “may be a thing of the past”. But that is unlikely to happen, may be a more hybrid model could work for people where some people require to come to office while others can do their jobs from home.