Prior to COVID-19, Steelcase found that 70% of people work in some form of an open plan. With new health and safety concerns rising as employees return to that same type of open floor plan, office screen dividers can help combat fear and reduce the risk of spreading illness.
Mainly used for creating privacy, office screen dividers are taking on a new responsibility of safeguarding employees and fighting off the coronavirus. While open office plans are being adjusted, there’s still no denying the importance of going into the physical space.
According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 71% of people are struggling to adjust to remote work and according to additional research, people working from home are reporting mental health challenges. Since our proximity will need to be social distanced pre-vaccine, workplace leaders must create a safe space with adequate screen dividers for those re-entering, in addition to following various other CDC guidelines.
How to choose
Selecting office screen dividers can be overwhelming. To help, we created a Screen Divider Lookbook that serves as an inspirational resource as you explore screens to divide personal space, open spaces, and reception areas.
The Lookbook features products from over 35 brands and is color coded by lead time. We’re breaking it down even further to help you quickly determine which type of divider is needed for your space.
Here’s a few examples for each different category including questions to ask yourself:
Personal
Questions to consider:
- Are you adding to / modifying existing furniture?
- Does the individual space division happen beside the user, in front of the user, or both?
- What width and height?
- What material? Acrylic, fabric, metal, specialty?
- Permanent installation or temporary attachment?
Space
Questions to consider:
- Are you looking for a free-standing unit or fixed partitions?
- Are you looking for a solid divider or perforated?
- What material? Acrylic, fabric, wood, metal, whiteboard, specialty?
- Do you want the space division to be mobile?
Reception
Questions to consider:
- Do you want to provide division on top of a reception station or in front of?
- Should the installation be permanent or freestanding?
- What material? Clear acrylic, etc.?
- Should the divider have a cutout to allow for voice transfer?
What’s next?
We want to be your partner in helping you select, procure, and deliver these solutions. Please reach out to us with any questions, and for pricing.
