Coronavirus-safe workspaces
Taking your safety seriously in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Along with the rest of the world, this is a big thing for us. Big obviously in terms of safety and wellbeing for all of our members but also because we feel strongly that we want our spaces to feel comfortable and welcoming rather than institutional or just sterile. We’ve therefore made the following changes to the way we work and will continue to update alongside government guidance.
Policy
We have taken the Government guidance and done a full risk assessment for each of our sites. To save our clients having to read all 38 pages of the document, we have produced a summary for each site and each office, detailing measures we will take and areas we recommend our clients take action on. You can read the guidance relevant to each office here:
Coronavirus Safety Summary – Perch Coworking
Coronavirus Safety Guide – Perch Coworking
Distancing
One of the most important things we can do to stay safe is to respect social distancing. We have marked out 2m distances on the floor in all of our sites as a reminder – particularly around the higher traffic areas of entrances and tea-points. We have also marked out waiting points in these areas where appropriate to make it clear where it is best to stand to let others pass. We’ve stuck with the 2m marking as it’s the safest distance and provides increased protection so we believe it’s best to stick with that where you can.
Desk layout and screens
Wherever possible, we have reconfigured spaces to create a safe 2m distance between workspaces, including removing face to face working. Where we have desks which would be on the borders of this, we have provided perspex screens to protect people within workstations. We’re actually finding many people prefer these anyway as they have their own defined workspace but can still feel connected to others.
Sanitisation
We have hand sanitisers at the entrances to all sites and also at key points around the building. These are all stocked with high alcohol content sanitiser to meet WHO standards on virus elimination. Sanitising wipes are also available throughout for our members to use as they feel fit.
Cleaning
We have increased cleaning throughout our sites and added in specific criteria around high contact surfaces to be cleaned and chemicals to be used. All of our cleaning partners are professional commercial cleaners, using standardised procedures and cleaning products in line with HSE guidance.
Face coverings
This is a tricky one – many people feel quite strongly about it from both sides of the fence. The Government guidance is that masks are not required for offices – largely based on the fact that if people are in extended contact with others during a working day, then masks don’t provide protection anyway. We agree but also feel that in an office, if social distancing, desk screens and sanitisation are used, we can create a safe and less intrusive working environment. In the business sense, masks are also problematic for video / voice calls and and if worn all day. We therefore don’t mandate them (unless we’re told to) but have them available if you need them. We’re obviously more than happy if you want to wear one yourself. You should of course follow Government guidance about wearing them in public places when you’re not in the building.
Signage
We have placed floor and wall signs around our buildings to remind people of the key safety factors on Coronavirus. We’ve tried to strike a balance with floor signs to mark out the most important distances in key areas, without making our members feel they are in an institutional environment.
Safe workspaces and meeting rooms
Flexible working and face to face meetings in Coronavirus safe environments
So that’s it really. We will update this page as guidance changes and can go as deep as you like if you want to contact us for more information. We’re going to be living with Coronavirus for some time so our approach is to keep everyone as safe as possible whilst trying to retain the relaxed working environment we’ve tried so hard to create.
