5 Tips to Maintain a Socially Distant Waiting Room
Even as COVID-19 wanes, social distancing remains a common courtesy in many public spaces. Whether out in public or inside a private building, many individuals still derive peace of mind from avoiding proximity to strangers. As such, when you start welcoming visitors back into your office space, it’s vital that you have procedures in place to accommodate some customers’ needs. Here are our five tips to maintain a socially distant waiting room, which will help you keep your workplace safe and accommodate all your visitors’ sensibilities.
Implement Digital Registration and Check-In
One of the most effective methods of keeping a socially distant waiting room is to limit the number of individuals in that space at a time. Digital registration and check-in technologies are perfect for this as they allow visitors to make appointments and arrive without needing to interact with your waiting room at all. Whether you choose to allow check-ins from the safety of their cars or utilize a single touch check-in tablet, there are several ways to make this process your own.
Change Your Seating Layout
It also helps to rearrange your waiting area seating to promote better social distancing practices. Positioning chairs at least six feet apart and regulating how many occupied chairs there are at one time maximizes an individual’s personal space. This makes it easier for them to avoid encountering someone and helps them feel more comfortable while in that space. Keep in mind that adhering to these guidelines might mean reducing the number of chairs you have in this area. Consider purchasing chairs made from bacteria-resistant materials, like the polypropylene shell of our Herman Miller Eames side chairs, to improve safety.
Reupholster Waiting Area Seating
For extra sanitation and security, consider getting your waiting area seats reupholstered as well. Chairs with easy-to-clean materials allow you to maintain a sanitary environment. This is particularly important in medical waiting rooms since the risk for exposure is higher. At Rework, we have years of experience reupholstering seating to suit more sanitary means. In fact, health-care settings often use our services, making them the perfect option for maintaining safety in your office complex. You also want to add comfortable reception area chairs so that everyone can sit in comfort.
Mark Safe Traffic Flow
Another of our important tips to maintain a socially distant waiting room is to designate a safe traffic flow for those walking through the space. When several people navigate a space at once, the risk that they could come within an acceptable distance from each other is higher. As such, carefully marking your waiting room with signs effectively keeps everyone compliant.
Reduce Interactive Surfaces
Consider further reducing the number of interactive surfaces you have in your waiting room, too. The fewer things there are for visitors to touch, the less your team will need to worry about preventing unnecessary contact. Additionally, limiting these surfaces can make it easier to keep the area sanitized.
If you’re looking for help in designing the perfect socially distant waiting room for your business, call Rework. We offer a variety of quality waiting room and reception area chairs that are easy to maintain and position to suit your needs. We also offer superior interior design consultations to ensure your layout is everything you need it to be.
