COVID-19 Social Distancing Layout Solutions

Social Distancing Guidelines in the Workplace

As people prepare to return to work, health and safety is of the utmost concern.

Here are recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for maintaining the health and safety of employees during this time:

• Enable flexible work (telework, working from home)

• Enable flexible hours (staggering work shifts)

• Enable flexible meeting options (teleconferencing)

• Increase physical space between employees in the office

• Increase physical space between employees and customers

• Increase ventilation rates

• Provide hand sanitizers in multiple locations

• Discourage handshaking

• Frequent cleaning of most used surfaces (door knobs, hand rails, elevator buttons, etc)

Example 1Benching Workstations & Surrounding Conferencing/Collab Areas

Follows 6’ diameter social distancing guidelines

Does not follow 6’ diameter social distancing

guidelines

Workstations

Usable Non-usable

Group Spaces

Usable Nonusable

For proper social distancing in the workplace, employees should have a clearance of 6’ in diameter from other employees both at their workstations and in group settings to reduce the spread of diseases.

As they exist today, some workstations and group settings (conference rooms, collab areas) do not follow social distancing guidelines.

Here are the amounts of usable space if the layout is left as is:

61%

(24 WS)

39%

(15 WS)

57%

(12 seats)

43%

(9 seats)

Example 1Conferencing/Collab Areas

Follows 6’ diameter social distancing guidelines

Does not follow 6’ diameter social distancing guidelines

With meetings and scrum sessions happening on a daily basis, the number of chairs allowed in a room should be minimized in order to continue to follow the 6’ social distancing guidelines.

By removing those seats that do not meet the guidelines, person to person transmission is reduced. To make up for those seats lost, video conferencing can be used.

Group Spaces

Usable Nonusable

57%

(12 seats)

43%

(9 seats)

Existing Layout

Proposed Layout

Example 1Solution 1 – Shift Usage of Workstations

Monday, Wednesday, Friday usage (plus

conferencing/collab areas to be used each day)

Tuesday, Thursday usage (plus

conferencing/collab areas to be used each day)

By using workstations in shifts, social distancing guidelines can be followed without making any changes to the existing workstations.

Groups would either alternate days of the week or hourly shifts in order to maintain a 6’ distance between each employee. Employees would sit at every other station per shift to maintain distance.

Workstations

M, W, F T, R

With shift usage, 100% of the workstations are used each week, while still maintaining social distancing.

51%

(20 WS)

49%

(19 WS)

Example 1Solution 2 – Move Orientation of Workstation Filing

Follows 6’ diameter social distancing guidelines

In order to gain the maximum capacity for the existing workstations, 15 credenzas can be moved to the opposite side of the workstation to follow social distancing guidelines.

By utilizing the reconfigurability of the existing workstations, this change will allow all workstations to be utilized at the same time while following social distancing guidelines.

Utilization After

Usable

100% (39 WS)

Utilization Before

Usable Non-usable

61%

(24 WS)

39%

(15 WS)

Example 2Perpendicular Workstations & Surrounding Conferencing/Collab Areas

Follows 6’ diameter social distancing guidelines

Does not follow 6’ diameter social distancing

guidelines

Workstations

Usable Non-usable

Group Spaces

Usable Nonusable

For proper social distancing in the workplace, employees should have a clearance of 6’ in diameter from other employees both at their workstations and in group settings to reduce spread of diseases.

As they exist today, the workstations and group settings (conference rooms, open collabareas) do not follow social distancing guidelines.

Here are the amounts of usable space if the layout is left as is:

61%

(21 WS)

39%

(14 WS)

57%

(24 seats)

43%

(15 seats)

Example 2Conferencing/Collab Areas

Follows 6’ diameter social distancing guidelines

Does not follow 6’ diameter social distancing guidelines

With meetings and scrum sessions happening on a daily basis, the number of chairs allowed in a room should be minimized in order to continue to follow the 6’ social distancing guidelines.

By removing those seats that do not meet the guidelines, person to person transmission is reduced. To make up for those seats lost, video conferencing can be used.

Existing Layouts Proposed Layouts

Group Spaces

Usable Nonusable

57%

(24 seats)

43%

(15 seats)

Example 2Solution 1 – Shift Usage of Workstations

Workstations

M, W, F T, R

With shift usage, 100% of the workstations are used each week, while maintaining social distancing.

51%

(18 WS)

49%

(17 WS)

Monday, Wednesday, Friday usage (plus conferencing/collab areas

to be used each day)

Tuesday, Thursday usage (plus conferencing/collab areas to be

used each day)

By using workstations in shifts, social distancing guidelines can be followed without making any changes to the existing workstations.

Groups would either alternate days of the week or hourly shifts in order to maintain a 6’ distance between each employee. Employees would sit at every other station per shift to maintain distance.

Example 2Solution 2 – Rotate Orientation of Workstation

Follows 6’ diameter social distancing guidelines

In order to gain the maximum capacity for the existing workstations, 14 workstations can be reoriented to follow social distancing guidelines.

By utilizing the reconfigurability of the existing workstations, this change will allow all workstations to be utilized at the same time while following social distancing guidelines.

Utilization Before

Usable Non-usable

61%

(24 WS)

39%

(15 WS)

Utilization After

Usable

100% (35 WS)