Our world is drastically different and businesses must now make a dramatic change in order to comply with strict new safety guidelines, as well as to care for the lives and health of their employees. While this can seem impossible to do in large or small offices, and service providing companies that tend to be packed with employees or customers, a great designer can help you transition to spaces that maximize the best use of your available footprint, while minimizing the the risk of contact with others.
Protecting your employees requires more than just removing every other chair in the breakroom or spacing desks six feet apart. For you, as an employer, you need to maintain a calming workplace that helps create a peaceful mental space for your workers. Not only are the aesthetics important; it is equally important that you create zones within the workplace that make them feel happy and detract from the pandemic, so they can be productive.
In retail establishments, it’s more than just adding lines to the floor at checkout and directional arrows so customers prevent themselves from crossing paths. Instead, thoughtful placement of your products and rethinking how customers shop for them is necessary to create a post-pandemic space that is harmonious and profitable. As our world begins to open back up, you have those customers ready to jump back into life head on and then you have those that are fearful of close contact with others and may very well pass over your establishment to opt for one that makes them feel that the owners truly care about their well being. Now more than ever, your new first impression will affect your bottom line.
As I consult with clients about how to reconfigure their restaurants and bars in order to keep their customers safe, I am enjoying the beautiful, creative ways that this can be done. I am already seeing so many businesses go the utilitarian route. Retail stores and banks have thrown up plexiglass partitions at checkouts, and many restaurants have removed every other table or chair at their dine in spaces, but that decreases your head count. There are other ways to achieve proper social distancing, while making the most of your square footage. If you are interested in a consultation with me on how to creatively and efficiently create social distance in the design of your business, please give me a call at 347-354-0443. Now is the time to prepare your business for success in this very new “normal”.