Today’s office environment consists of a variety of high traffic, high touch spaces. As offices begin to reopen here in Canada and across North America, let’s consider the role antimicrobial surfaces may play in the short, mid and long term within workspaces.
Short-Term
In the short term (1-6 months), we are seeing more and more manufacturers apply materials and surfaces normally reserved for healthcare purposes to regular office products.
These surfaces include materials that are easy to clean and bleach cleanable. Surfaces that are hard, non-porous, antibacterial and antimicrobial.
Soft and porous materials will likely be used less as the world takes a safety-first approach.
Demountable wall systems with glass panels are a great option for hard, non-porous, and easily-cleanable surfaces.
Workplaces across all industries have been, and will continue to, integrate sanitation caddies into their work settings.
Caddies are used to hold standard antimicrobial and antibacterial cleaning products like wipes and hand sanitizers.
These caddies help make sanitization products more available – both helping to sanitize people’s hands, along with surfaces that may not already have antimicrobial treatments applied or included.
Mid-Term
In the mid-term (6-12 months), antimicrobial surfaces will play a much bigger role in office environments going forward.
Newly built furniture will come with these surfaces and materials installed – but what about existing furniture?
Metal drawer fronts have been an industry staple for a long time – but will they be much longer?
Metal drawer fronts offer durability in the long term – which is why they are worth the investment. But going forward, they may not be the best solution for a germ-free workplace.
Metal drawer fronts often have folds in them, along handles or seams, where things like dirt, germs, and bacteria can hide.
Due to COVID-19, there is a big shift towards removing anything that can harbor dirt and bacteria in the workplace.
Laminate drawer fronts, which are non-porous and easily disinfected, will become more and more popular as the world shifts to a much more health-conscious and antimicrobial approach to office furniture.
Along with replacing certain fixtures like drawers, the addition of antibacterial agents to existing materials and surfaces will be important and can be a viable solution for an existing workspace.
Long-Term
Looking forward, antimicrobial materials and surfaces will become standard across all workplaces and industries.
Tasks chairs will come standard with anti-bacterial and self-sanitizing textiles with fewer adjustment mechanisms and handles.
Height-adjustable furniture like standing desks will feature more hands-free adjustment mechanisms.
We may also see the addition of Silver Ion and Nanotechnology being integrated into high-touch products to kill bacteria automatically.
Conclusion
The landscape of the modern office has changed significantly in just a few short months. Stay ahead of the curve by working with Choice and our fantastic dealer and designer partners.
Get in touch with Choice today to learn more!