Ergonomic Certification
PRACTICALITIES
75%
The Practicalities
But as anyone who’s lived the life of a ‘Digital Nomad’ for any length of time will tell you, it’s the practicalities of a space (or lack of), that make it appealing and somewhere they’d be happy to go back to.
Much of this is stuff you’d be doing for any visitor to your space – corporate or otherwise. But whilst the entrepreneurs and social visitors may well gloss over some of this stuff and not lose too much sleep over it, the corporate managers – Facilities Managers, Health & Safety Managers, HR Teams, and Office Managers, will all be asking whether these things are in place, and it will definitely make a difference as to whether they’re happy for their employees to spend time working there.
So we reckon we may as well get ahead of the game and do what we can to show them we’re prepared and give them the reassurances that they need to send their people your way.
WiFi
Probably number one on anyone’s list isn’t it. OK so there might be some that just want to pop in for a coffee and have brought some papers to read. But generally most people are going to have their laptop, or even their mobile to work on, and they’re going to want to use your wi-fi. Not only are they going to want to use it, they’re going to want to know that it’s decent speed and is going to cope with more than just 1 person using at a time
Electrics
Probably a very close second to WiFi. Have you got enough power points close to where people will want to sit and work? Or have you got some extension cables they can use if not? Just be careful not to have trailing or unsafe wires as nobody want to be tripping over these things
Chargers
It’s not a deal breaker, but it does make life so much easier if you know you don’t always have to carry your charger with you, because the place you’re working has one you can borrow when you’re there. You might even be able to make a small charge for this
Printers
We think this is a nice-to-have but not essential. Most people read off the screen these days, but if you have the ability to print the odd page here and there, then don’t hide it as some will definitely appreciate it. And they’ll expect to pay a little for the convenience too
Ergonomics
It’s a big word that is very much misunderstood, but for a corporate user the Ergonomic Regulations are very important. They mean that employers need to make sure that their employees are working in a way that isn’t going to cause them harm in the long term. Adjustable chairs, desks, and good lighting are all taken for granted in the standard office environment. But who is going to have stuff like that in a space that is normally used for hospitality? Well pretty much nobody. But there are simple things that you can do such as provide cushions so that people can get themselves comfy, and access to ergonomic kit such as laptop raisers, keyboard and mice – these will all make your space more attractive. Much more on this in future training. For now we just need you to know that it’s important, and be assured that there are simple things that you can do to make your space more attractive
Data Security
We all want to know that our data is safe – corporates in particular will get very nervous at the thought of employees working in a space where their technology and data are at risk. Anything you can do to address this will help. Even if it’s just a table booking system or cardboard notice that allows people to go to the loo (with their laptop in their bag), and know that their space will still be there for them when they get back. Time to get creative on this one
Slips, Trips and Falls
How is your housekeeping generally? Are your gangways and corridors clear? Do you have insurance and legals in place to deal with it if something happens?
Fire
Everyone’s worst nightmare, and certainly the thing that kept me up at night when we were negotiating on a previous space that had some questionable escape routes in the event of a fire. Thankfully we were sensible enough to duck out on that space and our fire safety issues were much more manageable in our eventual space. But wherever you are this is probably the most important thing to consider. Do you have a risk assessment in place? Is it a risk assessment that you have been involved in, and that you really understand and feel comfortable with? Have you implemented the risk assessment recommendations? Do all of your team, and members of the space know what to do in the event of a fire? Do visitors know what to do? This stuff is important
Insurance
It’s one of those boring things that we just have to have in place. And we doubt you’ll be running an establishment without public liability these days, but do just check that you’re fully covered – just in case
Coffee!
OK, may be a little too obvious, but it will be required. Other refreshments are available!
