Identify places in the building where people tend to congregatesuch as cafeterias, kitchens, lobbies, and coffee barsand either plan around them or avoid them entirely. Understanding how to deploy COVID-19 control measures across all countries, where each one of them has a different rhythm of COVID-19 evolution, is key for a global policy to be effective. Terms apply. All rights reserved. Copyright 2022 WeWork. WeWork prioritises your health and safety first. This, together with our health and safety measures and response plans, gave us a very good starting point to present to Bureau Veritas for them to advise, recommend, and validate what we were doing. Get your office free until September 1, 2022 when you sign up with a three-month commitment.
Chret: For our team, nothing is more rewarding than hearing positive member experience feedback across the territory and this can no doubt be accredited to having one set of guidelines. Clean and disinfect surfaces: Wipe down desks and countertops after use. Some other actions you can take to maintain this rule: To help teams meet these new social distancing rules, WeWork has de-densified common spaces and meeting rooms to create more space per person.
We had to think creatively. Good air quality and the right level of humidity is important for a healthy building and the people inside it, and our brand new air handling system will increase its fresh air intake and reduce recirculation, whilst keeping humidity at tip top levels. Before you start moving desks, changing layouts, and positioning signage, you need a reliable idea of how many people will be inhabiting each part of the office at a given time. If you encounter areas in the office where you feel youre unable to safely socially distance, make a note of it and discuss the problem with your team and office manager. Heres how WeWork uses creative signage to remind us of practices that help keep everyone safe, Studies show being outdoors lowers the risk of disease transmission. Heres how to find a daily commute that works for you. We have implemented cleaning measures that prioritize the health of our members and employees. This could mean restructuring your teams usual workflow to eliminate the need for passing around printed documents. All rights reserved. In these moments, you should wear your mask and limit face-to-face contact as much as you can. If there were any gaps we addressed them and made sure that every building was compliant, so that our teams and members had the assurance that our spaces were as safe as possible. Lee: There were several changes implemented on the ground, including but not limited to: All of which would not have been possible without great teamwork from the local facilities operations managers, community teams, and most importantly, our community service associates! WeWork can help you find a solution that best fits your needs, How to practice social distancing at work, Navigating the new rules of personal space in the workplace, The top questions brokers ask about WeWorkanswered, Top three HVAC questions in the time of COVID-19, Top five questions about staying healthy in the workplace. Copyright 2022 WeWork. We all threw our best ideas out there, and it led to success. Adam Weinke, Northern California area director, in San Francisco: It really puts that stamp that we are putting health and safety first. Questions about your building? So we went through every building and called out any gaps or misses, and worked with our landlords in buildings where they maintained our HVAC systems to understand whether those locations were up to standard with the right filters, and whether were getting fresh intake and understanding what capacity of fresh air is going into the buildings. Lee: Striving to be better, together! McBride: What I would recommend is to have a deep understanding of local regulations. Our sales team will be able to sell the spaces with better leverage knowing that the operations and community teams have covered all the bases. Weve partnered with International SOS for strategic direction on medical considerations and quality assurance, and Bureau Veritas to audit and endorse our policies so we can constantly improve. Be flexible and ready to adjust your guidance as your team gets used to the new way of working. WeWork has introduced a range of new measures to make sure that your team can work in our coworking spaces that prioritize health and safety while observing proper social distancing rules. How were enhancing our spaces and services. All rights reserved. Chelsea Chret, director of operations, southern Europe, in Paris: Our facilities operation managers and community teams did a fantastic job auditing every single building across southern Europe to ensure that all policies were implemented correctly. Standalone, private conference rooms that can be booked by the hour. In Chicago, youll see signage in and around the space as a reminder to keep a safe distance from other members. And in common areas and meeting rooms, youll see colored decals that create buffer spaces between seats. As far as seating goes, well ask members to sit apart from each other, with some seats being off-limits so no one gets too cosy. Sanitising stations will be placed in key areas, with increased cleaning practices across high contact points like printers, door handles and phone booths. COVID-19 has changed how employees work. Weve also brought in experts to advise on best practices, and we continue to work with International SOS to provide strategic direction on health risk management, and Bureau Veritas to audit and certify our policies. Kirkbride: Its based around the concept that drives WeWork, which is flexibility. We spoke to teammates around the world who worked to achieve the certification to learn more. WeWorks community wellness guidelines include behavioural expectations in our Communities relating to Covid-19. For more information about local safety guidance, feel free to hit up the team in. Email your Community team or submit a support request via the member network or WeWork app. Our commitment to prioritizing health and safety. Prioritise your community: follow self-isolation, quarantine and case reporting guidelines as indicated by your local authorities. Give your team the flexibility to arrive and leave earlier or later in the day to avoid peak travel times. If you cant avoid gathering the team in one place, consider hosting it somewhere outside or in a meeting room thats been properly adapted to allow for social distancing. Clean hands: Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and sanitize your hands regularly. It assured our members that our response was not only a corporate response to the global pandemic but an actual site-by-site implementation of that response. Many WeWork buildings also offer outdoor areas such as terraces and gardens, which provide plenty of wide-open space for our members to meet safely. Its good to be back. WeWork can help you find a solution that best fits your needs, Two universities giving students space wherever they are, How WeWork earned a certificate for COVID-19 response plans, How building operators can improve COVID-19 protocols, The role of new sensors in managing indoor air quality, Tips from experts for social distancing at work, A building operations team rallies to respond to COVID-19, How WeWork updated our global spaces amid COVID-19, The best way to clean your office desk during the coronavirus. Weve increased the frequency of our cleaning, upgraded to medical-grade sanitisers and implemented routine deep cleans. Clean hands: wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and sanitise your hands regularly. WeWork has a unique ability to flex, and we were set up to be able to move through the processes more quickly than a lot of other companies who are a little bit more rigid. But before we take a look at some of the ways you can begin to practice social distancing at work, lets talk about what social distancing means. Private, lockable, access-controlled office spaces with shared amenities, A monthly membership allowing you to access any of our 800+ locations, Furnished office space with shared amenities like conference rooms and private amenities via add-ons. The following safety practices are being implemented across all our WeWork facilities. Ensuring that every WeWork locationover 800 locations in 38 countriesis adhering to the strictest COVID-19 guidelines is a titanic task. Desk space with community, education and mentoring to help start-ups succeed, Day passes to access 40+ workspaces across 6 cities, starting at 450/day. Jimenez: First, the broad topics that the certification covered. The member app will display the new meeting room capacities, and signage on the doors and tables will remind attendees to maintain a healthy distance while using the room. At WeWork, the health and safety of our members and employees is our top priority.
A virtual address used for business registration with added perks like access to our spaces, mail handling, etc. 
All rights reserved. Our protocols are in line with international best practices including frequent sanitisation of high-touch points, social distancing, health and safety signage and more. In addition to prioritizing health and safety, WeWork gives you the flexibility to make space work for you. And I always feel the most comfortable when I walk into a WeWork because weve set the example. WeWork staff is on hand to provide advice on how to best redesign your workspace. WeWork prioritizes your health and safety first. The next evolution of commercial real estate. Try to reduce the frequency of in-person meetings as much as you reasonably can. We then did a secondary process, a Certificate of Implementation. Focus on the work and leave the rest to us, Revised seating layouts to ensure social distancing, Floor markers that ensure a 6-feet distance between two individuals, Optimum stock of hand sanitisers and soap dispensers refilled regularly, Touch free sanitiser dispensers installed throughout our buildings, Frequently used touch points are sanitised every 30 minutes, Food & package delivery restricted to main gate, Phone booths will be temporarily unavailable, Self-declaration of medical fitness is mandatory, A detailed manual outlining how we've adapted our spaces in response to COVID-19. Its recommended that you carry a mask with you wherever you go. WeWork has worked with landlords and property managers to implement new elevator guidelines and passenger limits. McBride: We did an internal audit phase. Through cleaning practices and sanitization, weve enhanced our health and safety standards for your well-being and peace of mind. Weve decreased capacity and identified safe to occupy seats where applicable. Members and vendors are able to have peace of mind knowing that we value their safety and well-being. At WeWork, weve reconfigured all of our meeting rooms by decreasing their maximum occupancy, removing chairs, and labeling which seats should be occupied. Where its been possible to do so, stairwells will have been made one-way, greatly reducing the chances of your passing another worker on your way to and from your desk. We hate spam too, so we promise to only send you good things. Weinke: It taught our communities to think long term as well. How to practice social distancing at work, Tips from experts for social distancing at work, Effective social distancing office layouts, The best way to clean your office desk during the coronavirus, Signs that reinforce social distancing in the office, Navigating the new rules of personal space in the workplace, Places other than home to study during COVID-19, How to craft a social distancing strategy for your team, businesses ensure theyre doing all they can, Improving airflow through the building using HVAC systems, especially important for the minority of people, COVID-19 linger on hard surfaces for hours or even days, displaying new guidance and clear instructions, Implementing more intensive and frequent cleaning regimes, Providing sanitization equipment such as soap dispensers and wipes, Mandating face coverings when social distancing cannot be maintained, Break the habit of introducing yourself with a handshake or a hug, Rearrange desks to prioritize personal space; organize, Give others plenty of elbow room when moving about the building. Weve also brought in experts, working with International SOS to provide strategic direction on medical considerations and quality assurance, and Bureau Veritas to audit and endorse our policies so we can constantly improve. Download our COVID-19 handbook for more details. Just as youll find in large stores and indoor public spaces, offices will be decorated with various signs to help guide people around the building using a one-way system. Weinke: Strive to be better, together. In London, though social distancing rules have eased, we ask you to still be mindful of other members and staff personal space. Because they feel physically healthy, they are more likely to engage in their usual social activities, such as visiting friends at home. In order to earn it, WeWork team members rolled out and monitored processes that examined HVAC systems in individual buildings, ensured a steady supply of hygiene equipment, standardized global approaches to physical distancing, and more. The benefits of remote working are numerous and varied, but there are limitations to what can be achieved over a video call. And I dont think as an organization, we were afraid to do that. We are continuing to monitor the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak closely and adhering to guidance from the government as well as global and local health authorities regarding the proper prevention and management of this issue. Were committed to prioritizing the health and safety of all members and employees in our spaces. Cooperation is really important here. We needed to gather all the policies, protocols, and standards related to COVID-19 in one place and coordinate with multiple stakeholders cross-functionally to ensure we were globally aligned. Members in private offices are encouraged to retrofit their workspace to meet social distancing guidelines by introducing physical features such as transparent partitions, as well as organizational changes, like rotational staffing models. I walk in and out of building lobbies every single day. It shows our members and employees that we are best in classnot just among other flexible space providers but among really any workplace. And dont forget those masks! Weve also brought in experts to advise on best practices, and we continue to work with International SOS to provide strategic direction on health risk management, and Bureau Veritas to audit and certify our policies. While some people will continue to work from home at least part of the time, many employees are eager to get back to the office. It was heartening to see how this was even more prominent during this whole audit process. Inevitably there will be places and situations where its simply not possible to stay more than six feet apart, such as in a confined corridor or elevator. Game rooms, pool tables, and barista bars are regularly cleaned to our new and enhanced standards, while signage clearly communicates each rooms unique distancing guidelines and maximum capacity. Steve Hogarty is a writer and journalist based in London. In many WeWork spaces, secure phone booths are an ideal way to attend video calls while remaining socially distanced from others around you. He is the travel editor of City AM newspaper and the deputy editor of City AM Magazine, where his work focuses on technology, travel, and entertainment.
And its about being able to pivot, to go through challenging situations, to give and take. If youre able, consider getting into the habit of taking the stairs instead. Lee: This pandemic is going to be around for some time, whether we like it or not. Keep a lookout for us in your inbox and dont let us fall in the trash. We had to understand every single HVAC unit in the building and what it was able to deliver. One thing you may want to consider is if they, or someone in their family, have health conditions that might put them at risk of severe illness if they were to contract COVID-19. Heres what to look out for in WeWork coworking spaces. WeWorks community wellness guidelines include behavioral expectations in our Communities relating to Covid-19. We are a global company, and the importance of being accurate where general policy applies and where local regulation applies is fundamental to being compliant. Email your Community team or submit a support request via the member network or WeWork app. Signage placed throughout common areas will help us prioritize our health, together. Bureau Veritas looked at our consolidated approach and issued a Certificate of Policy Assurance based on our approach being in line with the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Youll notice improvements like buffer zones and stickers that indicate which seats in lounges and pantries can be occupied, floor signage to indicate one-way travel, and reduced capacity in elevators. We ask all our members to support us by practicing good hygiene and staying home if you have any symptoms or have traveled from a high risk area. Questions about your building? To adhere to physical distancing protocols, weve de-densified common spaces by removing seats or identifying 'safe to occupy' seats in our lounges and pantries. Precautions to take in the office during the pandemic, A multistory sanctuary rises in the center of Boston, Three best coworking spaces in Minneapolis. Government mandates for commercial spaces varied from market to market, so in order for us to be able to move as swiftly as we did, we always had to have a constant connection to what local legislation was rolling out in order to make sure that we were compliant. Once youve evaluated how many socially distanced workers your office can comfortably contain, you can start to design crowd control measures to help them move safely between areas. Consider wearing a face covering: consider wearing a face covering when in close contact with others. And then second, Id say, is be entrepreneurial. What the world can learn from Chinas return to work. Weve kept the amenity areas in WeWork spaces open where possible. We cannot be complacent and should strive to ensure consistency throughout all buildings at all times. awarded a Global Certificate of Conformity, Implementing higher-frequency wipe-downs for high-touchpoint areas, Sourcing contingency suppliers locally and stocking up on alcohol-based sanitizers, wet wipes, masks, gloves, and more, Aligning cleaning options with the different stakeholders, Aligning HVAC enhancements and air management with building management, The extent of consideration of HVAC as a COVID-19 control measure, The great resources on well-being found on the employee Intranet site, The clarity of the COVID-19 Space Solutions: Implementation Guide, particularly the diagrammatic approach, The clarity of the guidance for our internal COVID-19 audits, The openness, transparency, friendliness, and proactiveness our team showed during the assessment. New information about COVID-19 is being discovered all the time, but one thing that experts agree on is that social distancing works. Whenever possible, well keep doors open to help with airflow and work towards a low-touch policy. If you can, use videoconferencing as an alternative to in-person meetings with clients, to link up with colleagues who continue to work remotely, or even to speak with colleagues working in the same building. As more and more people are returning to the office, tools like Zoom, Google Hangouts Meet, and Skype will continue to play an important role in how teams communicate and collaborate, not just internally but also with clients and customers they would previously have met with face-to-face. Rentable, customisable spaces for your events and shoots, Dedicated studio space to record high-quality podcasts, and shoot videos with a green-screen background, A full suite of business services including HR, IT, Admin, Marketing and Finance solutions, under one roof, Our spaces are ISO 45001 certified for occupational health and safety. We hate spam too, so we promise to only send you good things. For more information on how WeWork collects, uses, discloses, and otherwise processes personal information in connection with our response to COVID-19, please see theWeWork COVID-19 Privacy Notice. Copyright 2022 WeWork. This is not something that we wanted to look at as, All right, I want to do this one time, and then were done. This is something were now auditing every day were open. Collaboration, culture, innovation, and mentorship can flourish when teams share the same physical workspace. Your social distancing strategy extends beyond the office doors. In most cases, the capacity of elevators will have been reduced by at least 50 percent, so observe social distancing while waiting in the lobby by maintaining a distance of at least six feet between you and your fellow passengers. These institutions provide students who crave connection a collaborative and distanced experience, Bureau Veritas awarded WeWork a Global Certificate of Conformity after a thorough audit of global buildings, Healthcare operations expert Dr Mark Parrish shares how to make buildings safer, ASAP, With miniaturised, low-cost sensors, it is possible to visualise indoor air quality at a unprecedented scale, Two metres is good, but three metres is better and other pieces of advice from leading experts, They oversaw the largest shipment of protective equipment ever made to WeWork buildings, The design team considered much more than just furniture placement when it revamped over 800 offices, As we return to the office we left months ago, here are some helpful tips on cleaning those workstations. Cover your mouth: While coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, sleeve, or elbow. It may be a lengthy process, but once we get the essential checklist and key pointers in place, these best practices should be a part of daily operations and not something that we only look out for during an audit. The success of its implementation was made possible by our One Team culture. They may be able to provide you with a one-time-use, disposable face covering. It requires teams from different departments such as facilities, operations, and communitylocated in places around the worldto work in lockstep. If your internal stopwatch isnt very accurate, thats about the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice. Below are the most current updates on our buildings, including the health and safety measures we have in place across the world. Maintain a distance of six feet (two meters) from your coworkers whenever you can. We are happy to provide COVID-19 signage upon request. Scientists are still learning about how the coronavirus functions, but research by global health organizations suggests that the rapid speed at which COVID-19 spreads is in part due to the behavior of people who show mild symptoms of the disease or no symptoms at all. Below are the most current updates on our buildings, including the health and safety measures we have in place across the world. Prioritize your community: Follow self-isolation, quarantine, and case reporting guidelines as indicated by your local authorities. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. Jordan McBride, director of facilities management, in New York City: From an operational lens, we had to roll out things across hundreds of buildings simultaneously, so we built a program that we could implement systematically. Six feet is good, but 10 feet is betterand other pieces of advice from leading experts. On the floors and walls, youll spot vinyl decals indicating one-way traffic flow systems, usually spaced exactly six feet apart to help you measure out a safe distance. Copyright 2022 WeWork. Break up your emails with the odd update from us.
So how can businesses ensure theyre doing all they can to protect the health and safety of their teams when theyre ready to return to the office? In addition to prioritising health and safety, WeWork gives you the flexibility to make space work for you. And after months of coordination across many teams, WeWork was recognized for our health and safety efforts and awarded a Global Certificate of Conformity from Bureau Veritas, the internationally renowned testing, inspection, and certification organization. Break up your emails with the odd update from us. Avoid a full office by splitting your team into one or more groups and staggering their attendance. We appreciate all members wearing them to keep fellow members and our WF_ team safe. This is primarily achieved by avoiding crowded spaces, maintaining a distance of at least six feet (two meters) between individuals, and avoiding social interactions such as hugs and handshakes. And dont forget those masks! Pay attention to any advisories issued by your citys local transport authority and incorporate its guidance into your policies.