Understanding the Post Covid-19 Contactless Workplaces |   11 May, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has changed many aspects of human lives. Many people are now working from home. The post Covid-19 workplaces will not be the same conventional workplaces that people have been familiar with for years. Workplace safety will take priority over other matters.

The workplaces will undergo a radical shift from touch-based to touchless. Things like fingerprint-based biometric devices, touch-based screens for booking conference and meeting rooms, kiosks for guest check-in, handle-operated doors, etc. will have to be replaced with viable alternatives to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and ensure employee safety.

The contactless workplaces will make use of automation and touchless technology. Normal doors will be replaced by automatic doors, elevators will be voice-controlled, lighting system will adjust brightness automatically according to the time of the day, temperature control system will be adjusted by gestures or voice, and water dispensers will automatically pour water on keeping a bottle or glass below the tap.

The washrooms will have touchless automatic faucets, hand-free soap dispensers, and automatic flush powered by infrared technology. These products will not only reduce spread of germs, but also save water and soap. Along with touchless hand dryer, touchless paper towel dispenser will also be provided.

The contactless workplaces will make use of contactless attendance system powered by facial recognition technology in place of fingerprint-based biometric attendance system. A computer vision powered face-recognition-based attendance system can easily recognize the faces of employees for the purpose of attendance. Computer vision is an advanced field of artificial intelligence that enables computers to see like human beings and easily identify visual content in images and videos.

Besides powering the face recognition biometric systems, computer vision powered solutions can help employers ensure wearing of face masks by employees and enforce workplace social distancing and sanitization compliance. This technology can also bring into notice if an employee coughs or sneezes.

As an employee health and safety measure, workplaces will have to make use of touchless temperature recording technology. This technology will work by using thermal sensors for recording temperature of both employees and visitors. If any anomaly is detected, it will be instantly reported to the concerned department.

Post Covid-19 workplaces will not allow sharing of accessories such as headphones and each employee will be provided individual accessories along with laptops or desktops. Professional cleaning and sanitization protocols will be regularly implemented for workstations, devices, conference and meeting rooms, reception area, cafes, etc. Easy access to hand sanitizers will be provided throughout the workplace for both employees and visitors. The sensor-based touchless garbage bins will provide a safe way to dispose of garbage.

Workplaces will incorporate antimicrobial materials into interior design elements such as wall paints, door sheets, window shades, etc. Such materials will resist the growth of microbes, thus providing a cleaner surface. To ensure workplace social distancing, workplaces will follow a de-clustering approach by keeping individual employee desks wide apart from each other. This can be achieved by using a larger office area or by creating branch offices. Encasing individual desks will provide added protection from transmission through respiratory droplets. Post Covid-19 workplaces will require advanced air filtration technology in order to effectively filter out disease causing microorganisms.

The post Covid-19 contactless workplaces, by making use of advanced technologies, will help employers to carry out their business, while ensuring employee health and safety.