peace of mind
Return to work safely
As always throughout the pandemic, our priority has been ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our Wizu Team and members.
You will have seen the Prime Minister’s recent announcement that those who can work from home should do so again, however, we note from speaking to our members that it is important for some of them to come to the workspace for client work, personal wellbeing reasons or because they work more productively from our workspace.
We confirm that our offices will remain open and COVID-secure.
These guidelines will be continually developed and updated in line with government guidance….
The short version: a recap of key measures
Cleaning enhancements
- 50% daytime cleaning
- Use of medical grade cleaning materials (Public Health England approved)
- All surfaces and high touch points are cleaned regularly throughout the day (light switches, door handles etc.)
- Free standing & hand sanitizer dispensers in all spaces (including meeting rooms)
- Disposable but recyclable paper cups and cutlery
Capacity management
- Online booking in system for our co-working members with allocated seat on arrival
- Limited capacity of co-working areas to stop them from being over-crowded & to comply with physical distancing.
- Close monitoring of the number of all people within the building at any one time
Social distancing
- Signage to manage the flow of communal spaces
- Social-distancing furniture layouts in co-working areas
Flexibility
- Longer reception hours to support you working outside of rush hour
- Enhanced bike and locker facilities
The longer version: full details of all measures
Many of you will be understandably anxious about transitioning back to the workspace and so we hope that the arrangements which we have implemented will give you some comfort that your safety and well-being remains a top priority for us. We will also need your proactive support to ensure that the measures we have implemented can have maximum benefit for all.
We have contacted each of our members to understand if our plans help to address your concerns and if there is anything more we can do to make your transition back to Wizu Workspace easier. We will continue to send updates on this document as we get more clarity on post lockdown rules for workspaces.
The core areas we have focused on to keep our members and team safe are below. These apply to all buildings and all clients big and small:
- Systems and processes
- Cleaning enhancements
- Building preparations
- Preparing the Wizu team
- Getting to and from work
- Environment
- Meeting rooms
Systems and processes supporting physical distancing
We have reviewed all our systems and processes and we have enhanced a number of them to help us prevent, monitor and react quickly to reduce any risks of transmission. This includes managing access to the workspace through the following enhanced protocols:
- We have are introduced a new online booking in system for our co-working members and they will be allocated a designated seat on arrival.
- We are asking all members to keep external visitors to a minimum. All visitors will be asked to complete an online screening questionnaire prior to visiting any of our workspaces. This includes confirmation that a temperature check has been conducted.
- Close monitoring of the number of people within the building at any one time to ensure social distancing measures can be safely implemented throughout the building.
- Our entry points will have social distancing markers and behaviour signage to remind all visitors about their role in helping to keep us all safe.
Cleaning enhancements
We will be maintaining and enhancing our cleaning regimes to ensure we adhere to the recommended guidance issued by the government and the NHS. Our enhanced protocol will include the following:
- A minimum 50% increase in our daytime cleaning across the portfolio with an increased focus on high traffic areas and toilets/showers.
- We will continue to use medical grade cleaning materials (Public Health England approved) and high frequency touch points in client offices will be thoroughly cleaned each evening (light switches, door handles etc.)
- Free standing touch-free hand sanitizer dispensers & wipe stations on every floor throughout the building.
- Hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial surface wipes provided in every office for first day back. These can be re-ordered from us at your cost going forward
- Disposable but recyclable cutlery and paper cups
- We have introduced ways to reduce touch points at the kitchen bar and coffee/tea workstations which includes the use of sachets and non-automatic dispensers
Getting to and from work
All our buildings are accessible 24/7 if you are renting an office. We recognize that working hours may change for many of our members. Members may wish to change their commuting patterns to avoid public transport, particularly at busy rush hour times. Members may also choose to implement shift patterns to rotate team members in the workspace and reduce density within their office space.
To accommodate potential changes to working patterns we have made the following adjustments:
- Reception hours may change so we can support people working outside of rush hours in our busiest city center locations but so far our members have requested member host support during normal business hours.
- Enhanced bike storage areas to make them more accessible and comfortable
- More lockers will be provided to minimize the number of belongings in offices or communal workspaces
- Partnerships developed with local retailers and delivery services to allow members to order breakfast, lunch and/or delivery services at discounted rates to reduce the need to leave the workspace.
Environment
Our environment within Wizu Workspace has always been designed with the health and well-being of our members in mind. We have adapted our physical space and are asking our members to adhere to new behavioural protocols to allow us to maintain to social distancing and to prioritise personal space. In particular, in the co-working areas and kitchen bar area we have implemented the following:
- New furniture layouts in co-working areas to ensure each member is able to social distance comfortably from other co-workers
- We have created behavioural signage reminding people to socially distance
- We have enhanced way-finding, managing the flow of people in communal areas so that everyone goes in the same direction and reduces chance of hot spots or traffic jams
- We have introduced enhanced cleaning of the phone booths
- Systems and protocols are now in place for washing hands in addition to hand sanitisers particularly in communal areas
- Measures implemented to improve air quality
Meeting Rooms
We are introducing a client portal which will allow members to book their meeting rooms online without the need for contact with our member hosts. We will also be introducing the following changes to keep meeting room users safe:
- Hand sanitizers and antibacterial wipes in all meeting rooms
- We are ensuring a 15 minute break between each new meeting so that we can clean and sanitise the room between each new client
- Our meeting rooms and event spaces have windows which we can open to allow for ventilation in the space
- Behavioural signage to support social distancing
- Expanded bandwidth in meeting rooms to facilitate better online meetings
- Web cameras and microphones available
- Zoom technology installed to encourage you to keep meeting sizes down and limit in-person interaction.
Tours and Visits
If you have booked a tour or are planning to visit one of our workspaces, we would be grateful if you would complete a brief health questionnaire in advance of your visit, which can be found here. When you arrive we will walk you through our social distancing policy and health and safety guidelines. We are only able to offer viewings of our space to two people at a time. If you intend to bring a larger group, please let us know in advance and we can split you into smaller groups. Whilst you wait you can enjoy a cup of our North Star coffee in one of our beautiful meeting rooms or co-working space.
We have been working hard behind the scenes to make sure that the transition from lockdown back to work is a smooth one for our members. The success of many of the protocols and enhancements we have introduced will rely on the cooperation and commitment from our members that we will all comply with the behavioural recommendations we are making to keep us all safe.
We would be grateful for your continued support in keeping our Wizu Workspace safe and we would really value your feedback on our planned actions to give our members peace of mind when returning back to work.
Keep safe and well and we look forward to seeing you all again.
The Wizu Workspace Team
FAQs
What if there’s a suspected or confirmed case?
How do I access the building after lockdown – is my fob still active?
How do I access the building out of hours?
What if there’s an emergency out of hours?
Call our emergency number on 0113 4334 324
Will your team be manning reception?
Our building teams will be on hand, in person, via phone and on email to help you.
Please note we will be adhering to social distancing practices and our staff may be wearing PPE.
How will you improve air quality?
All of our buildings have been newly refurbished within the last 3 years. This includes brand new fully independent and individually controlled 3-pipe Inverter VRF air conditioning systems.
This means you may choose at the same time heating for some rooms of a building and cooling for some others. There are no shared vents or controls between offices.
So, in combination with the DC Inverter compressors and the electronic control of the installation, this will create the best air and comfort in each of the rooms.
We have recently changed our service providers, introduced additional maintenance visits and increased our engineering resource to deliver improved standards of air quality to our members.
How will you make sure co-working space is not too busy?
In order to better control the number of people in our buildings and make physical distancing more effective, spaces in hot desking areas will have to be pre booked online, and subject to availability based on lower density.
How will you manage showers and bathrooms?
We are undertaking flushing in line with legislative guidance and will fully flush the buildings prior to members returning. The toilets are ready for use on day one.
We anticipate showers being busier due to people wanting to cycle/run to work to avoid public transport. As such we are advising members to bring and use their own flip flops when using our showers. We will ensure there is an appropriate cleaning regime in place. Additionally, we are increasing the availability of lockers to store kit.
Can I have visitors?
Will you be protecting the Wizu team?
Can you help with our office? What are other companies doing to ensure safe return to work that you know of?
We will be contacting all our office members individually to explore how we can assist.
Generally, throughout our buildings we will be providing signage for you to display in your office advising of best practice.
You may wish to consider returning your staff to work in phases or introducing shift patterns and looking to alternate seating in your offices, increasing the space in-between desks or introducing panels between desks.
We will provide some ‘welcome back’ cleaning materials to our clients but not on an ongoing basis. It is highly recommended that you provide hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes for your office so your staff can sanitise keyboards, desks and phones regularly.
We have invited our members to complete a survey and we will share the findings from this soon. We’re aiming gather all the concerns and priorities to make the right decisions regarding how we manage our buildings going forward and everyone within them can feel reassured, safe and secure.
How will it work with lifts?
How will you manage suppliers and contractors?
All contractors have been made aware of the need to work in a manner that takes into consideration enhanced safety and hygiene protocols.
What about post and deliveries?
Normal royal mail post to all the buildings will be running.
PLEASE TAKE OUR ONLINE SURVEY HERE TO HELP US UNDERSTAND YOUR VIEWS AND CONCERNS