Session 2 : Creative Design Solutions for the Workplace

This session focused on implementing creative solutions in the workplace, finding ways to communicate with your community and keeping morale up.

Session Overview

Start with Reconfiguring Physical Workspace

• Stagger shifts.
• Add protective barriers and return to “old cubicle” style.
• Keep density of office low, ideally 20%. At 50% or more it gets difficult to control and trace the virus.
• Create rooms with partitions if members from the community are entering; clean the hard surfaces frequently.
• Outdoor shared space like open lots, parks and sidewalks are great for spaced-out office/community meetings.
• Talk to your employees and community members to find out what they are comfortable with in regard to meeting in person.
• Implement signage with messages of mask wearing, physical distancing and hygiene.

Find New and Better Ways to Communicate with Your Community

• Think about the community’s access to the internet.
• Have meaningful conversations via phone call if members do not have internet or video call access.
• Think about your human capital capacity to reach the community: Do you have enough people to reach out? What supplies do you need? How time-consuming is the contact?

Keeping Morale Up

• Do check-ins regularly for work and offer fun non-work events such as a virtual happy hour, a Netflix watch party or a Zoom party.
• Have a flexible day for employees — one day a week to catch up on work and things at home and engage with customers/community members.
• Understand that a lot of employees are juggling home and work life in the same area.
• Remember to be flexible, since some employees have children and are home schooling them and/or are taking care of other family members.
• Provide what you can to employees to make the work from home environment better: keyboards, headsets, mouse, additional monitor.

Takeaways

• Talk with employees to find out what they are comfortable with for physical workspaces.
• Use barriers and partitions for separation; try to space out employees or let them work in individual offices.
• Offer other methods like staggered shifts and maintain low office density.
• Have meaningful conversations with community members via phone call, video chat or email, or use flyers.
• Keep morale up by being mindful of employees’ situations, such as having children and family members at home while they work full time.
• Do regular check-ins with employees about work.
• Consider having a flex day so employees can catch up on work and connect with others.