As politicians and business leaders scramble to imagine life in the post-pandemic world, large tech companies like Apple and Facebook are actively assembling their back-to-work strategies. Apple’s secretive product strategy makes it difficult for workers to maintain security while working remotely. What does a return to work look like, while protecting the health and safety of employees? Companies will be implementing different strategies to balance the need for corporations to resume profitability and yet be responsible to employees. Some are changing floorplans: separating desks and walling in workstations. Others are implementing staggered shifts. New measures in sanitization and hand washing may become the norm. BBC Future asks what “normal” really is. They challenged their readers to define normal and abnormal in psychological terms. As people grow increasingly nervous about the spread of germs, the definition of normal continues to shift.
Perceptions of what is considered normal behavior pre-pandemic may shift dramatically in the future. Technology as a reflection of the needs and habits of the populous will change as well. How many companies will be utilizing technology as a way to facilitate a new normal? Workers are already using technology in unique ways to facilitate current needs. Business communication apps are being widely adopted. Remote data exchange and collaboration tools such as Dropbox and Google Docs are gaining traction. Will this continue as people return to office life? What other technologies will help facilities cope, as we enter the next chapter?
The building automation industry is positioned to see drastic changes to help facilitate a healthy workplace. Standards for fresh air and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) will certainly come to the forefront. How a space is utilized and how people interact with their environment is equally important. ASHRAE defines a minimum range of 15-20 cfm of fresh air per person in an office environment. This does not take into account all of the other factors in ASHRAE standards 62.1 and 62.2 that pertain to ventilation requirements. Total volume of space, expected activity requirements and total utilization of the space are all factored into the minimums. But fresh air won’t mitigate infection points. Door handles, AV remotes and common-use appliances are all at play when it comes to transmitting disease. Building automation will have to expand in scope if it is going to contribute to a safer work environment. Likewise, increases to filtering and ventilation requirements won’t be enough to prevent or mitigate the next pandemic. The industry will need to embrace the need for a touchless office environment to help workers re-gain the confidence of working at a desk with hundreds of other people in cubicles nearby.