Open office floor plans became increasingly prevalent during the 1990s with the thought that fewer physical barriers will increase co-worker productivity through increased collaboration. Coworker collaboration has looked increasingly different in 2020 due to the pandemic. Many workforces are working remotely and are utilizing video conferencing technology to collaborate. As the fall approaches, companies are planning what the remainder of the year will look like for their workforce. Companies looking to move essential employees back to the office or rotate employees’ days in the office in shifts may need to rethink their open floor plans. A typical collaborative office space has many workstations that are either shared or very closely situated in this environment employees cannot practice social distancing safely. Forward-facing workspaces can be made safer by adding screens or reconfiguring the office. Office reconfiguration allowing employees to face different directions and socially distance themselves decreases the chance of exposure. A new office configuration that allows for safe social distancing is more than new furniture or a new layout. This space must now be functional and safe for employees. Part of this office functionality includes optimal connectivity; the current voice and data cabling connections used by your computer or phone may not be compatible with a new office layout that allows for a minimum of 6 ft between workspaces. Additional cables may need to be run or moved in order to allow for social distancing and connectivity. Assurance Media’s experienced RCDDs (Registered Communications Distribution Designers) can help you plan for the future of your office by designing a new structured cabling infrastructure to accommodate a new office configuration or new furniture with increased barriers. Designers will utilize the existing infrastructure and data cabling in order to minimize the need for additional cabling whenever possible. In addition to meeting your structured cabling needs, our designers can help with commercial audiovisual and security solutions. Contact Assurance Media to schedule your Office Infrastructure Evaluation.

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About Assurance Media: Building relationships for over 20 years, Assurance Media has and continues to provide premise security, audiovisual, and structured cabling solutions to commercial businesses in the Mid-Atlantic region including Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey. We enable our clients to improve their operational efficiency and focus on growth by providing these inter-related services from a single vendor. We provide a full range of services, including planning, development, deployment, and testing as well as on-going maintenance and support. We combine these services with technology from the industry’s leading manufacturers to deliver solutions that solve many of today’s business challenges – connectivity, security, and communications.