New Year, New Office:

Revamp your facility for a productive new year

new year office revamp

 

After the confetti and celebrations settle down, like clockwork, the New Year inspires a host of new resolutions. This holds true for today’s commercial facility managers, especially after the past two tumultuous years following the pandemic. A new year provides a valuable opportunity to take stock, to re-evaluate and grow. This is the time to address long sidelined issues, as well as course correct to prepare for the challenges ahead. Deciding where to begin, however, can feel overwhelming. With this in mind, we explore key areas to consider when planning your new year office revamp.

New Leaf:

Nothing establishes the new year like a clean slate — literally so for the office. Deep cleaning and maintenance is vital to creating an inviting workspace for occupants — especially for companies returning to in-person work for 2023. In addition to disinfecting high-touch surfaces, this is the time to deep vacuum upholstery and carpets, refinish hard floors, replace or update air filters and interior floor mats, as well as scour light fixtures, appliances, and interior windows. Our diverse cleaning and special building maintenance program at SparkleTeam provide such holistic options to refresh any facility.

Health Boost

The pandemic profoundly exposed the importance of promoting healthy working environments in the office. Facilities must now prioritize changes that support occupants’ health. High-return upgrades can be executed without major infrastructural interventions, such as regular disinfection in high-traffic areas, additional hand sanitizer dispensers in public areas, and upgraded air filters and air-duct purifiers with the highest rated particulate filtration. At SparkleTeam, we also prioritize green cleaning products and methods that exclude common pollutants that impact respiratory health.

Going Green:

The need for environmental sustainability remains more vital than ever. Commercial facilities can have a major environmental impact with thoughtful changes that improve the overall wellbeing of occupants while contributing to the public good. Accessible high-return initiatives range from waste reducing, to recycling programs, to automated energy-saving systems. Both new and existing buildings can also pursue LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, which sets industry benchmarks for the best environmental practices. SparkleTeam is proud to service several LEED-certified buildings in South Florida with eco-conscious cleaning practices that adhere to LEED standards.

Hybrid Model:

The office has forever changed following the pandemic, as more companies offer work-from-home options to their employees. Instead of designating individuals and whole departments in a specific area, offices may focus on hot desks shared between multiple workers around their different schedules. New “flex” spaces are designed to service multiple functions, shifting from a conference room, to an event space, to storage when needed. Co-working spaces — offices shared by multiple companies — have also grown in popularity.

The concentration of workers into a smaller footprint makes regular cleaning and maintenance more critical. Facilities may need to consider increasing the frequency of cleanings, especially navigating around new work schedules that go beyond the typical 9 to 5.