Staying healthy in co-working work environments

THE WAY we perceive workspaces and our preferences for where and how we work are evolving rapidly. Recent research has highlighted that 47% of workers now prefer hot-desking methods over traditional office environments, while the demand for flexible office spaces in the UK has risen up to 82%. The direct response from UK businesses comes as employers look to provide collaborative, co-working, and hot-desking spaces to facilitate the needs of their employees. 

However, whilst the improved flexibility and fluidity of workplace structure are helping meet worker demand, such ways of working can maximise the risk of infection spreading if not cleaned and maintained effectively. For many facility managers, that means a targeted overhaul of their hygiene strategies to help best protect their workforce in changing work environments.   

Setting a precedent 

In co-working spaces and collaboration-focused spaces, a host of different people may frequent the space throughout the week. What’s important is that, for whoever uses the space, a positive precedent of hygiene standards is set - this starts with the facility itself. Placing hand sanitiser stations in high-traffic areas such as entryways and kitchens. As well as having signage prevalent throughout the space encourages best practices from users. 

A regular cleaning schedule, clearly displayed for users to see, helps both ensure stock levels of items such as soap and toilet paper are maintained as well as leading by example in executing best hygiene practices. When a positive precedent is set, facility managers can put greater focus on other tasks, safe in the knowledge that users are taking important hygiene measures seriously. It helps establish a hivemind mentality where all users of the space will adopt best practices. 

Creating a fresh and clean environment

Often overlooked, air fresheners can be highly effective in making workspaces feel fresh and clean. By using air fresheners, facility managers can reinforce the positive precedent and encourage space users to follow suit. A pleasant-smelling environment enhances the overall experience and reinforces the notion that hygiene is a priority.

Minimising touch points 

In an age where desks are no longer solely assigned to an individual, the risk of infections spreading has risen. In fact, the UK sickness absence rate increased to 2.6% in 2022, the highest figure recorded since 2004. 

As such, minimising touchpoints across facilities, such as door handles and taps can act as an effective counter. In many cases, a multitude of people will encounter these objects throughout the working day. Research from Employment Studies has found that employers could be spending up to 16% of their annual wage bill on absent workers, so establishing touch-free technologies wherever possible can help foster more hygienic working spaces.  

Supplying workers with keycards for automated doors can provide effective results, whilst in washrooms there is great potential for improving processes. Everything from toilet flushes, taps and soap dispensers can benefit from touch-free technology. Motion sensor lights can help businesses reduce energy consumption and minimise contact with light switches. Towel dispensers where users only need to touch the towels they are going to use can eliminate a further touchpoint. Collectively, these changes help minimise the number of harmful bacteria that can be present across the surfaces of a washroom, making it easier to prevent infection. 

Sanitising workspaces

The communal use of the same spaces presents a natural problem when it comes to infection prevention. Co-working spaces equipped with digital systems to track user occupancy allow facility managers to highlight which spaces need sanitising before the next user comes along. This can dramatically decrease the risk of infection and visually represent to other users that the space that the facility is regularly maintained.  

Improving air quality 

Air pollution is responsible for six million sick days each year, coming at a cost of £1.6bn to businesses. These statistics highlight the vitality of ensuring workspaces benefit from improved air quality. Infections can spread through air as well as via surfaces and so air filtration systems, as well as bursts of biophilia to soak up harmful airborne elements, help facility managers go one step further in protecting the users of co-working.    

Sustainable strategies 

Revitalising hygiene strategies in co-working spaces also presents an opportunity for facility managers to implement sustainable practices. In fact, the impact that sustainable hygiene can have on a business’s overall net zero roadmaps is often underestimated. 

Assessing the sustainability credentials of suppliers and their products will help facility managers make more informed decisions. As new laws are implemented to help combat deforestation, where product materials are sourced has never been under more scrutiny. Yet hygiene products like toilet paper and kitchen rolls need not come from forests, with the rise of recycled paper products which keep valuable materials in the resource streams are offering a viable alternative. Moreover, alternative virgin fibres from plants such as bamboo and miscanthus offer products with the same level of quality and hygiene with a more sustainable edge. Today, the sustainable fibres market is greater than ever, with products suited for a range of budgets and businesses. 

For time-conscious facility managers, speaking to a hygiene consultant can allow them to tap into their in-depth knowledge of the sector and products available. They can then easily highlight the best solutions for a specific business in terms of delivering quality, robust hygiene strategies with environmental benefits.  

Understanding risk

Ultimately, for facility managers of co-working spaces, it’s important to understand where the risks of infection lie and what the solutions to those issues are. Workers should be assured that they are being protected, which is why visual displays of hygiene practices are so important across these spaces. If these hygiene strategies can be executed as sustainably as possible, then co-working and collaborative spaces will have the recipe for success when it comes to keeping all personnel safe from infection whilst harnessing workers’ full potential.  

Alasdair Sharp is the UKI head of sales AFH at hygiene specialist Satino by WEPA.

For more information visit www.satino-by-wepa.co.uk/