With businesses facing the new “normality” of returning to the office, many are planning how to make their workspace Covid-19 friendly. I’ve heard from many of our customers and suppliers that working from home is the new normal, although they will still need to accommodate safe space for face to face meetings or customer visits.
I am by no means an expert on virus control, but I have been working with customers to help them fund their “return to the office” projects. These involve making serious adjustments to their office space including:
Installing swing doors that do not involve pushing a handle
“Traffic Light” systems that let staff know when its safe to walk into a particular office space
Intercom Systems to allow the safe deliveries of goods and stock
Lunch friendly areas and equipment. Such as larger refrigerators with separate compartments for different teams as well as spacing out tables and eating areas
Converting outdoor space for meetings, and lunchtime breaks
Investing in new office furniture and desk space – such as long benches with marked meter distances
Perspex windows between desks
New flooring with marked spacing
We are getting used to seeing makeshift arrows in our local shops, some fashioned out of masking tape, or handwritten signs. Many businesses need professional signs that are in line with their brand, especially if they rely on footfall traffic or face to face meetings.
Unfortunately making your office Covid friendly may come at a cost depending on how many employees you need in at any given time, the amount of deliveries you receive or how well spaced your office currently is.
Have you got the cash flow to fund the necessary changes?
For many businesses cash-flow is already a concern without having to think about investing in physical changes to their office. However there options to turn these costs into a monthly payment via Asset Finance schemes or CBILS Loans which enables SME's to borrow up to £250,000 with no capital or interest payments due within the first 12 months. (Interest Paid by the British Business Bank).
Using a credible Finance Broker will help get you started - Reality Finance will provide you with advice and information to point you towards the right Lender. We have already successfully provided CBILS for both Loans and Asset Finance to a handful of customers and know what Lenders to approach, depending on your needs. Reality Finance will do all the hard work for you when applying for either CBILS Loans or Asset Finance, by approaching our panel of Lenders and coming back with the right set of options for your business.
