How Co-Working Spaces Can Fight Against Corona Virus

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The pandemic of the new decade is the cause of severe distress globally. Covid-19, commonly known as coronavirus, has affected many in India and is consistently straining daily functioning. The spread has disrupted the business, as many companies located in the alleged hotspots of the virus have issued work from home.

In the era of panic and anxiety, it is essential to take pragmatic steps to curb the spread and keep life as normal as possible. As co-working spaces witness many members daily, it is essential to follow some protective measures for every accommodated being and for the society at large.

Clean Hands
When talking about containing the spread, washing hands is the most prominent practice which is widely advertised as well. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organization, launched #safehands challenge and has nominated many celebrities to promote the right way of washing hands. Co-working spaces should also constantly remind their occupants to wash hands every two hours for 20 seconds.

To take this step further, the management can provide sanitizers at desks and avoid the case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Pump bottles of hand disinfectants should be kept in common areas, reception, and kitchen.

Disinfecting Shared Spaces
While co-working spaces can only advise unfit occupants to work from home, the management has no control over who enters the space. Therefore, shared spaces should be cleaned daily, if not every six hours. The team of Nukleus coworking space deserves an applause, as they set an example for every shared space. The management cleans the area, including door handles, tables, glasses, and others every few hours with diluted disinfected spray. The sprays should be provided to private cabins for occupants to help themselves.

Digital Service
Occupants should avoid in-person meetings to a great extent and rather conduct the meetings through video calls or conference calls. The co-working space management can be great assistance while providing easy to use devices and support whenever necessary. The avoidance of personal meetings and excessive travel

will not only be beneficial for the members, but for the community as well. The objective is to keep everyone safe and avoid the loss of business.

Physical Distance
Physical distance is the most challenging part of the co-working spaces. However, nothing is impossible. Shared workspaces should ask people to sit a meter away. Common Desk, a Texasbased co-working space, took the initiative and removed chairs to create a meter distance. The management should consistently advice the occupants to work from home even if they have mild flu, as they’re immunity is quite vulnerable. Co-working spaces can also offer unbooked cabins to the occupants. Here, everyone can mold their policies a bit for the sake of humanity.

Occupants who want to work from home and rent the space on a daily basis or monthly should be met with efficient assistance by the co-working space

Flexible Cancellation Policy
Cancellation, if witnessing illness, should be encouraged by the management. People should not feel a need to turn-up in the fear of losing money. Occupants who want to work from home and rent the space on a daily basis or monthly should be met with efficient assistance by the co-working spaces. For people with leases, a mutually beneficial solution should be discussed to balance-out the lost period in the booked coworking space.

Factual Information
We live in an era where everyone is connected 24/7 through social media channels. This has proven to be beneficial in terms of the quick spread of protective measures, but is a con when pseudo-facts come to the surface. For people who choose to sit out of a co-working space, the culture of factual information should be promoted. The occupants should be asked to refrain from invalid and sensational news, as the false spread of information can increase the panic. The management should share quick inspirational updates from sound sources like WHO and Indian Medical Research Council. The facts will keep the spirits up and anxiety at bay.

Safe Culture
In the changing weather, mild flu is quite common in India. Due to general unawareness and a state of upheaval is influencing an individual’s behavior to stigmatize people even with the common cold. The world is stressed, and hence, this is the time to stand together in solidarity and fight the situation. Co-working spaces can conduct small seminars with no more than 20 people and educate them regarding symptoms and adaptable measures.

Having Said That
There hasn’t been a single day when the general public hasn‘t heard the word ‘coronavirus’. The constant consumption of news of virus is becoming overwhelming. People who are in a quarantine period can use this time to catchup with the family, reflect, and do things that they usually don’t have time for.