Due to COVID-19, the American workplace is changing now more than any other time in decades. Companies are doing whatever possible to ensure the safety of their employees and the future of their business. These measures include adapting their current work environment to better fit into the world of social distancing with PPE, physical barriers, and/or six feet of separation. For many office environments, this can require a complete reconfiguration of their workspace, moving away from the collaborative, open office design. Physical separation between employees with barriers is one of the engineering controls to reduce hazards associated with COVID-19 because they are effective without depending on workers to adapt their behavior like is required with proper PPE usage or personal sanitation.

As a provider of panelized wall systems for 25 years, Panel Built, Inc. has had the opportunity to outfit modular office systems into facilities of all types, working in warehouses, commercial offices, school systems, government buildings, and more. In each of these applications, modular office systems are used over traditional methods because of their inherent advantages in speed, convenience, and flexibility. And, with the rapidly changing workplace, these modular benefits provide a great advantage to businesses looking to separate and protect their employees with COVID demising walls.

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What are the Benefits of Modular?

With prefabricated wall systems, businesses see a fast turn-around time from the project’s beginning to end. As a turn-key provider, Panel Built can promptly manufacture, deliver, and install modular office walls into a wide range of settings. As companies start returning to full capacity, fast project times allow helps ensure the new, safer environment is ready for employees returning. Underutilized spaces quickly can be turned into effective, personal offices with demising walls or creating a fully-enclosed office space.

With the panels pre-cut in Panel Built’s modular construction facility, the offices are installed with minimal disruption on-site. Oftentimes, facilities opt to have their new modular wall systems installed over the weekend with employees coming in on Monday to a completely new workspace. A panelized wall system greatly reduces the amount of waste both at the job site and for the project as a whole with less clean-up required after installation is complete. Plus, full modular office installation services are offered across the United States, ensuring professional assembly for each project.

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Additionally, modular office systems are a semi-permanent office solution. This means the office space can be removed, relocated, or expanded at a later date if needed. With the rapid changes companies are seeing due to COVID-19, flexibility for the future can be vital, especially for those who are currently renting their space.

Companies looking to adapt an unused portion of their facility may later decide to repurpose the space; these modular wall units can easily be uninstalled or adapted to fit the new application. Or, if additional space is needed, walls can be added on to an existing space to create a longer row of offices.

Utilizing rapidly deployed modular office systems allows companies and organizations to quickly adapt to this changing situation at a moment’s notice. With convenient installation and quick project times, an office, classroom, manufacturing plant, medical facility, and other spaces can provide a safer area for all those inside.

While everyone should follow proper social distancing, PPE usage, and personal sanitation, installing a physical barrier into the workspace is a hazard control that can provide safety without relying on others to follow the guidelines. As a custom panelized structure, the wall layouts are tailored to each project’s unique needs. Panel customization includes a variety of wall facings, insulation types, increase sound dampening, and boosted fire ratings to fit into environments ranging from heavy manufacturing to corporate headquarters.

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Why Choose Wall Panels Over Thin Plastic Barriers?

As seen in many public workspaces, like banks, supermarkets, schools, and fast-food restaurants, thin, see-through plastic shields have been frequently used as a sort of sneeze guard between employees and customers (or teachers and students). This solution works in service industry settings because it allows for easy communication between the two parties. 

Additionally, Panel Built's wall system not only provides privacy visually but also includes sound deadening properties to create a calmer, more controlled work environment.

As we've mentioned in previous posts (Open vs Closed Offices), a great deal of research has been put into determining the "benefits" of an open, collaborative office environment.

Ultimately, noise pollution and distractions from other employees has become such a concern that these office spaces are no longer renowned for their benefits to productivity. Essentially, adding personal office spaces can provide additional benefits to overall employee well-being beyond that of COVID-19 protection, allowing them to work relaxed in a more private space.

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Overall, Panel Built Modular Office systems can be used to completely overhaul an office environment trying to adapt to the everchanging pandemic landscape.  With a variety of social distancing, PPE, and personal hygiene protocols in place, physically implementing a barrier between employees helps to promote safety even if others do not take the appropriate measures. This solution serves as an active way for workplaces to support the health and safety of their employees, while also protecting the future of the business. 

If you have any questions about Panel Built's modular wall systems or how they could help your business, let us know! You can give us a call at 800.636.3873, send us an email to info@Panelbuilt.com, or ask us in our LiveChat feature in the bottom-right of the page.  We're always more than happy to help with any questions or concerns that you may have.    

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Founded in 1995 by brother Pat and Michael Kiernan, Panel Built operates under one mission, To Solve Our Customers’ Space Needs with Excellence and Great Customer Service. Beginning as a provider of panelized office buildings, Panel Built now also provides a full line of cleanrooms, welded steel buildings, ballistic rated booths, guard shacks, mezzanines, prefabricated towers, and more. Panel Built provides “A Better Way to Create Space” for industrial and commercial building projects.