The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has forever changed daily life and social interactions. It’s also expected to alter work environments, as offices phase in reopenings and welcome back employees and customers.

Despite the easing of lockdowns, precautionary measures must still be adhered to. Personal protective equipment (PPE) will be required in all workplaces, regardless of industry. Social distancing will also remain a daily protocol, at least into the foreseeable future.

How can organizations implement the necessary safeguards continuing to foster creativity and collaboration among team members?

Glass dividersare safe, secure, transparent, and easily adjustable.

Here’s a helpful breakdown of several workplace challenges presented by COVID-19, and possible remedies.

Current Challenges

Project managers and architects must reconfigure offices with PPE while still facilitating collaboration.

An article titled “From ‘officles’ to giant sneeze guards: How COVID-19 will change your open office” published in business magazineFast Companyasks a very important question: “Open offices will need to change for us to go back to work, but how drastically?”

据报道,许多建筑师和设计师“already been working with companies to adjust floor plans and practices in anticipation of bringing employees back to work.”

Open offices facilitate easy access, collaborative meetings, and one-to-one conversations between employees. Yet, Primo Orpilla, co-founder of interior design company Studio O+A, notes in the piece it’s rare for them all to be at workstations simultaneously.

“Anytime you look at a well-designed open plan, there’s only about 30% of people sitting at the desk,” he says. “The rest are using other parts of the office space, thereby exercising social distancing on demand in their own way.”

“That being said, the target has been painted,” adds Orpilla. “Over the last five years, there’s been a push for the open plan model to densify. That’s where you’re seeing the problems. Some places were designed without the additional open areas, meeting spaces, or the right ratio of meeting spaces to headcount. They were not well thought-out.”

New Protocols

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) guidelines for dealing with COVID-19 now recommend“stay[ing] at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people.”

The agency also recommends avoiding group gatherings and crowded places, both of which can be challenging.

Glass dividers andoffice partitionscan help, by creating protective barriers between workspaces and common meeting areas, such as conference and break rooms.

These feature, among other benefits:

• Clear, Easy-to-Clean, Non-Porous Materials, Such as Tempered Glass &Stainless Steel
• Products That Can Be Shipped Easily & Quickly
• Functional Social Distancing Barriers With Feature-Rich Elements
• Retrofitting While Still Adhering to Safety & Sanitary Measures

Tempered Glass: Quality & Protection

Many organizations want a quick, short-term solution, such as temporary, plexiglass or acrylic dividers. This will deem counterproductive for the post-COVID-19 office environment, since health publications such asMedical News Today, for example, report social distancing protocols “to remain from the next 6-18 months.”

To implement permanent, protective glass dividers or partitions, consider a strong, durable material such astempered glass. It’s transparent, easy to clean, and can incorporate decorative glass for long-term branding elements.

These aforementioned qualities position tempered glass as a longer term, affordable solution. Even with minimal price increases, its durability and overall cost pay for itself over time.

COVID-19 also lives shorter on tempered glass and stainless steel than other surfaces, such as plexiglass.

Strength

Glass dividersandoffice partitionscan help, by creating protective barriers between workspaces and common meeting areas, such as conference and break rooms.

Tempered glass checks all the boxes. A specialized heating and cooling process calledtemperingincreases its strength—also improving its safety.

Durability

Strong and shatterproof, tempered glass is also resistant to scratches from daily usage. If breakage does occur, it creates small, pebble-like pieces, rather than sharp, dangerous shards.

Low-Iron Glass Transparency

Theiron contentof tempered glass can be lowered to minimize tinting, while increasing natural light flow.

Cleanliness

Unlike plexiglass, tempered glass dividers and partitions won’t scratch or cloud from cleaning products and cloths.

Capabilities

A tempered glass fabricator can combine form and function via:

• Custom Cutting & Shaping:Specialized, finely tuned machinerycan achieve any shape or glass configuration.
• Edgework & Polishing:Precision equipment operated by skilled professionals ensures perfectedgeson pencil polish, flat polish, miter or bevel cuts.
• UV Bonding:Pre-curing and final curingoccurs in a clean room environment for a smooth, transparent, and flawless appearance.

Tempered glass checks all the boxes. A specialized heating and cooling process calledtemperingincreases its strength—also improving its safety.

Customized Projects

If you’re preparing your commercial workplace for COVID-19 requirements, it’s best to work with an experienced fabricator who can provide a customized solution based on current safety and sanitary measures, such as Dillmeier Glass Company.

Contact usto learn more about our full line of tempered glass dividers and partitions.