Due the ongoing pandemic, keeping workplaces, employees and customers safe is a major concern, even more so now that lockdown measures are being relaxed.
Basic Measures
Local governments are releasing guidelines for workplaces organized by industries. General measures include staggering work hours to avoid crowds when accessing/leaving the premises, keeping distances between employees (e.g. by rearranging desks), providing PPE/sanitizing equipment and promoting frequent handwashing.
What more can I do?
Following the above-mentioned guidelines is certainly a good start, but much more can be done to guarantee the wellbeing of both employees and customers. Technology can lend a big hand, whether it is about choosing certain materials over others or taking advantages of automation and monitoring solutions.
Work from home is here to stay
If during lockdown on average 51% of the workforce was working remotely, with higher peaks depending on the industry, for many companies remote or flexible working will be the “new normal”. Giants like Amazon and Microsoft will keep remote working arrangements until at least October, while Facebook and Google are extending it until the end of the year and Twitter offered its employees the opportunity to work remotely permanently (source: BBC).
In this environment, adopting solutions that can facilitate communication and collaboration between all-remote or hybrid teams is paramount. With this aim, at the beginning of last month Crestron partnered with Logitech to launch Crestron Home Time, which allow professional conferencing at home even without a laptop. The system offers conference cameras, built-in speakers and professional microphones. Moreover, since it is completely integrated into Crestron technology, Zoom meetings can be easily controlled from the same touchscreen remotes used to control lights, blinds etc.
For hybrid teams or live meetings, Crestron Air Media 2.0 also comes in handy. Air Media is a wireless presentation platform that enables employees to bring their personal devices to meeting rooms and share content collaboratively. It works with major systems like Windows®, Mac®, iOS®, Android™, and Chrome OS™ and allows virtually touchless meetings. Moreover, it can be integrated with other software to provide even more functions (e.g. room availability checks, ambient messaging etc.). The same technology is also supported by the newly released Crestron Flex-R series, a mobile Unified Communications (UC) conference technology that allows quick and easy deployment with only two cables (it comes with retractable Ethernet and power cables).
Contactless is king
The Novel Coronavirus can stick on surfaces and spread among co-workers, so it’s important to limit equipment handling to the smallest number of people possible. This is one of the aspects where automation can help: for example, installing motion activated lights that are only on at certain hours can limit the number of people touching keypads (not to mention energy saving). This is even more relevant for hotels, where entire routines can be automated or voice-controlled in order to bypass keypad touching entirely.
Another aspect that could greatly reduce the spreading of the virus is temperature checking. Thanks to thermal scanning, this can be performed from a safe distance and partially (abnormal temperatures trigger an alarm to alert the security service) or completely automated (e.g. by installing gates that grant or deny access). Additional criteria can also be implemented: head counts for customer flow control, mask checks, ID scanning etc. All that’s needed is that the subject looks at the camera to get an instant (within 0.2 seconds) temperature reading. Infrared sensors can detect temperatures within a ±0.5°C range of accuracy from a distance of 0.3 to 1.8 meters. As a further bonus, thermal cameras ensure better coverage compared to normal cameras in adverse weather or lighting conditions, for improved security.
Environment enhancements
For venues where crowds of people are involved, taking further precautions is advisable. Luckily, many manufacturers are catering to these needs with dedicated products that bridge safety and functionality. For example, Artnovion recently released a range of acoustic panels specially designed for healthcare facilities but also suitable for other public spaces like meeting rooms, auditoriums etc. The range includes panels made from hospital-grade anti-bacterial coatings, as well as extremely hard-wearing, washable, anti-odour finishes (source: Artnovion). Some models endure regular cleaning with sanitizing solutions like alcohol, bleach and sterilizing spray and wipes, for a Covid-safe environment. Moreover, by reducing noise and excessive reverberation, they ensure improved speech intelligibility (crucial in settings like hospital receptions).
Another important aspect is air filtering. Advanced integration offers a wide range of commercial automation solutions, including integration with pre-existing Building Management Systems (BMS). In this way, the whole system can be easily controlled from the same bespoke interface, for simplified operations and management.
The next step
Is your workplace ready for the post-Covid19 era? Contact us to discuss your needs and explore the more suitable solutions.
