Behavioral Changes Necessary To Ensure Social Distancing In Offices

An early look at employee behavior as US offices began to reopen this spring illustrates that radical behavioral change is necessary to maintain effective social distancing, according to a recent report from workplace design consultants VergeSense.

Prior to the arrival of the coronavirus, the company used sensors to observe the mechanics of workplace collaboration. But it retooled as the infection’s spread disrupted routines, training an eye on social distancing. The new report is based on data from over 28 million sensor readings and 6.2 million occupancy events from Fortune 1000 office space in the months prior to the arrival of the coronavirus through the end of May.

VergeSense found that employees were embracing solo work before the implementation of stay-at-home mandates, and that those who have returned to the office have increased the amount of work they do on their own.

Offices emptied out before authorities stepped in and mandated their closure, while employees who did come in to work spent more time by themselves. And in April and May, single-person events, like spending time alone at a desk, in a phone booth, or in an alternative workspace, increased from 83% of recorded activities to 88%.

“Companies will want to consider ways to reassure their employees that it is safe to return to the office place,” VergeSense said in the report. “This may include making more solo working spaces available, providing greater visibility into available spaces, or limiting access to crowded spaces.”

The data also shows that when employees interact, they tend to cluster together within large spaces, rather than spread out. Historically, 97% of employee interactions occur under the recommended minimum distance, with the median distance between individuals averaging just 2.69 feet, less than half of the standard recommendation of six feet. Early data from offices that have reopened shows that in some cases, the distance between individuals has increased slightly and in others, it’s actually decreased.

“Simply closing small conference rooms and opening larger ones will not necessarily ensure proper social distancing,” the report said. “Large collaborative spaces (those built for 3+ people) account for the majority of in-person interactions. Hence, decision-makers should give more weight towards communicating policies around the usage of these spaces, as they will make the largest impact on overall social distancing.”

The data also showed that interactions at individual desks, while infrequent, were too close: less than two feet separating individuals, on average. VergeSense suggested that companies take temporary measures to discourage at-desk collaborations, like checkerboard seating or partitions.

The company also found that counting heads at entrances to workplaces is insufficient, as the number of workers in an office has little correlation to how they group themselves once inside. Specifically, the majority of inadequate social distancing occurs when there are only two people in a given space.