‘The return to the office must be well planned’

Dominik Dräyer, how has the pandemic changed the world of work?

Working from home and hybrid work models are here to stay, both now and in the future. When employees return to the office, it will primarily be for personal and creative interaction. Employees must therefore have access to appropriate interaction zones where they can work together and meet. With the pandemic, health, safety, and well-being have also become significantly more important. Employees expect employers to do everything possible to protect them in the workplace.

Companies worldwide are rethinking how they will work in the future. How will this affect the use of office space?

Flexible work models will remain in place. We anticipate that employees will work from home one to two days a week and spend the remaining days in the office. Companies are naturally now wondering how they can make economical use of their existing building portfolios and space. Digital building data is therefore playing an increasingly important role. For example, sensors can be used to measure actual occupancy in rooms and calculate space requirements. This information provides companies with the basis for making decisions to manage the cost-effectiveness of their building portfolios.

After months of working from home, employees are returning to the office. How can ISS help companies guide their employees safely into the new normal of work?

First and foremost, the “return to the office” must be well-planned and carefully thought out. To safely reintroduce employees to the work environment, they must be well-informed, welcomed, and supported from the very beginning. Our Wellbeing Assistants handle these tasks on-site and help everyone involved get off to a successful start. In the long term, we can help companies identify and understand their employees’ needs. We can then develop appropriate solutions - both in terms of basic space requirements and the use and design of rooms and workstations.

Safety and trust are keyto ensuring that employees can work productively. How can ISS contribute to this?

The work environment must be designed so that employees feel comfortable and safe. For example, social distancing at workstations and in common areas should be carefully planned and implemented. Clear signage and labeling enable employees to easily orient themselves and find their way around quickly. On the building systems level, we focus on optimal ventilation settings, and thanks to appropriate technologies and the IoT, we can improve indoor comfort by adjusting air quality based on room occupancy. It’s also important to ensure hygiene is visible through appropriate cleaning and disinfection measures. For personal protection, we provide hygiene products and masks for both employees and customers. We also offer services such as visitor registration and body temperature checks.

What other aspects do companies need to keep in mind?

Employee motivation and engagement should be nurtured, regardless of where they work. Given the ongoing shift to working from home, managers must find ways to maintain a sense of belonging to the company. This poses challenges for leadership and communication. Here, ISS can offer workplace management solutions that create both virtual and in-person experiences, thereby bringing employee communities closer together.

Our Services

Workspace

‍Workplace usage concepts, safety protocols (social distancing signage, communication), IoT solutions, support from Wellbeing Assistants‍

Hygiene

‍Disinfection of contact surfaces by hygiene stewards, reactive workplace disinfection or decontamination, cleaning service levels tailored to needs, hygiene products, and personal protective equipment‍

Technology

‍Consulting and implementation of measures to improve indoor air quality, consulting and support for the reopening of buildings‍

Support

‍Visitor registration, temperature checks, digitization of mail services, and document scanning

Further information: info@iss.ch