Back when everyone was still in the office, did you have natural interactions with not only the members of your team, but also with people from the neighboring "islands" or departments? Even if you didn't have anything in particular to discuss, just seeing each other's faces "for some reason" would spark conversation, and you might even get an unexpected idea from such casual conversation or chat.

"Hey, hey, didn't you do that the other day? What was it like?"
"What kind of tool is that? It looks useful! Let's try it out."

The power of such small talk may be greater than you think.
In fact, there's data that shows that work performance actually comes from this kind of casual conversation.

A study on a call center defined the physical movement of members as "activity" and investigated what factors improve activity in the workplace and, in turn, affect productivity. The study found that activity in the workplace during breaks has a greater impact on productivity than during working hours. (*)

In other words, good communication creates a good workplace, but it is not just a matter of feeling. Conversely, it could even be said that communication is essential to achieving sufficient performance at work.

Some of you who have read this far may be saying, "I already know that."
That's right, we are now in the "age of COVID-19." Gathering everyone in the office means that there is a risk of the "three Cs"... In the end, we need to operate the office while taking measures to accept COVID-19.

So how do we make this happen?

In fact, ITOKI has produced a specific guidebook called the "Post Corona Workplace Guidebook" to help people think about how they will work after the coronavirus shock. This guidebook explains what kind of rules are necessary from two perspectives: "work style" and "workplace."

In terms of work style rules, the first thing we need to do is to avoid increasing the number of people in the office. The first step in limiting attendance is to identify the people who need to come to the office. From there, we can calculate the maximum number of people who can maintain a 2m distance to avoid overcrowding.
At the same time, don't forget to take care of your team members who are working from home. Discuss ways to ensure communication is not interrupted, such as setting up "welcome chat hours," to find a method that works for your team.

In terms of the physical rules for the "workplace," that is, the office, the seating arrangement should first be designed to ensure sufficient distance between people. After that, partitions should be installed to prevent droplets from spreading. After that, "cleaning stations" with disinfectant sprays should be set up, with consideration given to minimizing the sharing of equipment. And of course, the most important thing is to take thorough individual precautions, such as washing your hands and taking your temperature.

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The "Post Corona Workplace Guide Book" is packed with other immediately useful information, such as "specific office layout diagrams according to telework rates." Please feel free to download it and use it to run your office safely and comfortably!

【Download it here】
“Post Corona Workplace Guide Book”