MarxModa’s Return-To-Work Guide : Updated with Space Planning & Product Solutions
Based on insights from customer conversations, best practices put forward by industry partners, and the guidance of the WHO and CDC we have developed a plan to reintroduce our team to our physical offices in Detroit and Lansing.
We've updated our Return-To-Work Guide to include space planning and furniture solutions that have been developed by our vendor partners. These are meant to serve as thought-starters as you think about how to update your space.
In March when most of our employees were asked to work remotely in compliance with the Governor’s “Stay Home” order a “New Normal” taskforce was developed. This team was created to consult with our clients and partners and brainstorm how office spaces would need to change and evolve in response to the pandemic.
As the rate of spread in Michigan began to decrease, conversations were started about returning to the physical office. Based on collaborative working sessions with over 100 different businesses in our region, our New Normal taskforce was able to begin to understand what the many challenges companies were facing and the different strategies they were considering implementing. Every organization our team spoke with agreed on one thing: it would not be possible to simply return to business as usual in the wake of the pandemic.
Across many industries and at companies both large and small common insights began to emerge. Every business needed to create a return-to-work strategy that employed both physical and protocol changes. And every company understood the importance of not simply supporting their staff’s physical needs, but addressing psychological needs as well.
Using these insights as suggestions from partners including Herman Miller, SmithGroup, and Gensler our taskforce created MarxModa’s own strategy for returning to the office, which is being rolled out this week.
Our team decided against moving or rearranging any of our furniture, but instead designating some seats as usable and some as prohibited to help our team remain 6 feet apart. Additionally, we are using a small number of clear screens throughout the office to serve as boundaries and reminders to maintain the proper distance.
We also updated our office protocols for both staff and visitors to help mitigate the risk of infection in the office. These included new procedures for office access, personal hygiene, workstation and facility sanitation, and physical distancing. In addition, based on their role, some employees will remain working remotely either full or part-time.
We’ve made our return to work plan including customer and partner insights and all of our new protocols available for download below in the hopes that it can serve as a guideline or thought starter as other companies return to the office. We will continue to update this living document as guidelines from our local government and health organizations such as the CDC evolve and change.
