Considering Joining a Coworking Space During the Pandemic?

​The pandemic came out of nowhere. People across the workforce were challenged to make changes. Workers were challenged with balancing working from home, education, and getting a few minutes to their darned selves. Organizations were faced with accelerating digital transformation. They needed to ensure that the internal infrastructure was capable of supporting this new “work anywhere” reality. 

Of course, there are offices opening in certain parts of the country, but even those companies have found it hard to justify maintaining their previous office space capacity. Cuts were inevitable. Some have been forced to eliminate their physical locations, however, employees and business owners aren’t going to be satisfied with being at home forever. 

How Coworking Can Help Keep Productivity Up

​Luckily for us and them, coworking fills the void. Coworking offers business owners and employees from different organizations the ability to share one office space allowing convenience and cost-sharing by sharing custodial services, equipment, receptionists, and utilities. 

It serves work-at-home employees or people who travel a lot because it eliminates isolation and distractions that you might find at a coffee shop or in a busy household. Studies show that 30% of the companies will be using flexible workspaces instead of conventional workspaces. 

University of Iowa Healthcare

8 COVID-19 Protocols You Should See from Your Coworking Space

​Of course, for it to work effectively during this time, the strictest COVID-19 safety protocols must be followed. It might seem like overkill, but each layer of protection lowers the risk of infection by a percentage, creating an overall safer environment for workers. 

1. Masks Required - They come in all shapes and sizes, but well-fitting masks that filter breath going in and out of your mouth is a key starting point. For instance, at Spark Commons, masks are required when you’re not at your seat. If you forget your mask, we have extras to keep you and your colleagues safe.
2. Non Permeable Barriers - To keep the pace of business flowing, it’s Zoom calls all day (amirite?). Keeping a mask on during the calls is tricky, and that’s why keeping some sort of barrier to help reduce the transmission of airborne germs that come out of your mouth is a great way to help keep people doing business without having to be masked on calls. 
3. Proper Spacing Between Seating - This might go without saying, but there should be at least 6 feet between the work stations. At Spark Commons, we have a 10 worker-cap for our members so we can have plenty of space between the workstations to keep people safe. 
4. Sanitation Kits - Make sure there are ample cleaning supplies on each desk to ensure easy cleanup. Having a kit on each station means there isn’t a need to share cleaning supplies reducing the transmission of germs via hands. 
5. High Quality Air Filters - HVAC systems deliver heated and cooled air, but they can also be an amazing way to filter particulates. Ask your space about the quality of their air filter to ensure it’s helping, not hindering the safety of the workspace. Make sure they keep them running on a fan to continually filter the air if the air is too cool for the windows to be open. 
6. Member Responsibility - It may seem odd to ask your members to be responsible for helping keep the space clean, but when you have a regular flow of members in and out, unless you have an on-call maid, it’s a critical piece of the puzzle. For instance, at Spark, the sanitation kits are designed to not only keep them safe (hand sanitizer, single serving snacks, and tissues) but to keep the workspace clean (bleach water, paper towels). We also ask that members keep their pods as small as possible, get COVID tests if they feel ill or if they get on a plane. 
7. Regular Deep Cleaning - This should be happening anyway, but make sure the space has a professional coming in to take care of the things like light switches, deep clean the surfaces, and vacuum to keep particles out of the air. We went so far as to get a treatment done on the surfaces of our space to ensure that they continue to fight the transfer of germs (it’s called PermaSafe, so cool!). 
8. New Member COVID-19 Orientation - Make sure that the coworking space is walking new members through each step of the requirements to be a good citizen at your space. During tours, you should hear them talk about what’s expected from members and how they are actively working towards keeping their members safe. 

Alright! Now you’re a pro! Well, I mean, you were already a pro because you’re a professional doing professional things, but now you’re also a coworking pandemic evaluation pro too! Don’t be afraid to ask hard questions. Keeping your family safe is a top priority and your coworking space should feel the same way too.

How does Spark Commons Handle COVID-19?

If you’re curious what we do to keep our members safe, we recommend you take a look at our COVID-19 page. It has tons of information about what we are doing to actively reduce the spread. 

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