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NEW YORK (AP) – Bergmeyer, a Boston-based design firm, has erected taller cubicles, tells employees to wear masks when they’re not at their desks, and built one-way aisles in the office that require people to walk along the path to get around. in the kitchen or in the bathroom.
“The one-way paths take me a bit off the path, but it was easy to get used to,” said Stephanie Jones, interior designer at the company. “It actually gives me the opportunity to see more people and say a little hello when I could have walked straight to my office before.”
Across the United States, office workers sent home when the coronavirus took hold in March are returning to the cubicle and boardroom world and facing some adjustments: masks, staggered shifts, spaced desks, daily questions about their health, closed rest rooms and disinfectant everywhere.
For some at least, there are benefits too, including the ability to re-share discussions with colleagues or the ability to do more work.
In some cases, employers require workers to come back to the office, but most, like Bergmeyer, let employees decide what to do, at least for now. Some companies say the risks and precautions are worth it to increase productivity and get closer to normal.
So far, the trend has been meager: Real estate trading group NAIOP Massachusetts has estimated the occupancy rate of many office towers in downtown Boston at around 5%, and 10% to 20% in the suburbs. It echoes what is happening in other cities. In New York City, real estate firm CBRE said the offices it manages have an occupancy rate of 7% in Manhattan and nearly 30% in the suburbs.
Bergmeyer began to bring people back in June in stages. He is now in phase three, with 60% of the staff returning to the office but divided into two groups: half come on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the other half on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Employees are encouraged to report any symptoms to a human resources manager who can work with them to get tested and quarantined.
Jones chose to return to the second wave at the end of June.
“I found that I was surprisingly more productive than I thought I would be working from home, but finally decided to come back. I live alone and I missed social interaction, ”she says.
She also missed the space in the office, its dual computer screens and other perks.
“I’m an interior designer and I’m used to choosing finishes and materials with a whole library of resources here that I didn’t have access to,” she said. “Suddenly, I had to order everything from my house, and he took over.”
At first, one-way aisles meant that those who were seated right after the toilet had to walk around the office to get to it. So Bergmeyer added another path in the middle. But if you go to the kitchen, Jones says, you have to keep walking around the circle to get back to your desk.
The natural light in the office was too bright for some Zoom calls. The company therefore experimented with audio, lighting, acoustics and backdrops in several new dedicated “Zoom rooms”.
Overall, Jones said, “It’s great to come back part time on my own terms.”
Stephan Meier, a business professor at Columbia University, has expressed skepticism of workers returning amid the outbreak, which has been blamed for more than 5 million confirmed infections and nearly 170,000 deaths in the United States Most companies have discovered that people can work effectively remotely. , he said.
“The safety of your workers must be the top priority,” he said.
As cases of the virus increase in many states, some companies have found that the reopening has led to a re-closure.
The Atlanta-based Blue Sky ad agency began reopening in May in stages, reconfiguring its open-plan workspace by spreading out tables, installing plastic partitions, and setting a limit of 10 people in the office at any time. a staff of 25, and caps on the number that could be in certain rooms.
But an upsurge in cases in Georgia led to another shutdown at the end of June. Now employees only come when they absolutely need to, said Dawn Evans, head of human resources.
Kippy Castillo, account manager at Blue Sky, worked in the office once a week before closing again. She arrived by car and brought her lunch. She said the precautions around the office made her feel safe.
“I really didn’t feel like we had missed a rhythm of working from home,” she said. “But it’s good to get back to the routine of being in the office.” Being there, she says, “helps if you need to focus on the job done or on a certain meeting.”
Steve Spinner, an accountant in Chicago, returned in June when his office started letting people come back. He takes a commuter train to work and has to take the elevator to the 27th floor. But he said it was the best option for him.
“First, I’m 51 and I’m not very good at working from home. I’m not used to it, ”he says. “We’re more productive when we’re all here together, and there haven’t been any problems or incidents, knock on wood.”
Only a quarter of the company’s 200 employees are allowed to return. Offices have been reconfigured so that no one sits next to someone else, and common areas like the kitchen are closed. There are hand sanitizing stations and mask requirements.
Only three or four people are allowed to board the elevator at a time, and construction workers press the corresponding button.
Spinner said the riskiest part of his day was the ride.
“Frankly, when I come to the office, I’m not worried once here. Everything is safe, ”he said. “Trains are a bit more basic, not everyone follows the rules for masks and the like.”
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