ANTIMICROBIAL SEATING OPTIONS FOR OFFICES, CLASSROOMS, AND WAITING AREAS

| Eboni Franklin
Shop Easy to Clean & Antimicrobial Chairs, Stools, Bench Seating

We are all still grappling with how best to make sense of current COVID-19 projections. Newer models indicate that the virus could be here to stay.

Predictions based on recent studies include:

● In continued lockdown, COVID-19 infections will persist for at least two years.

● Infections, however, will rapidly rise (by an order of magnitude) if lockdown is lifted – peaking after two months – recurring yearly, similar to influenza.

● Repeated lockdowns and releases do not avoid an endemic infection, even following a White House release guideline of 14 days of declining cases, or even a stricter 28 days.

Since the effects of this virus on our daily lives seem as if they will be ongoing, the time has come to consider pivoting our offices, classrooms, and waiting areas to reflect this new reality.

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COVID-19 and Your Classroom: Teaching During the New Normal

| Eboni Franklin

With the threat of disease, many things have had to change, among them how we handle education. With many schools having been closed all spring, teachers and school administrators are having to consider what classrooms are going to look like come fall. Here are a few things to think about as we prepare for our “new normal.”

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SOCIAL DISTANCING

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Covid prevention hinges on social distancing, but how will that be possible in the classroom? Most models for what education will look like when we return to school in the fall is a socially distanced classroom, with desk positioned six feet apart. Desks and tables that are easily moved, such as the Shapes Desk by Mooreco, will make this easier. Virtual education may be utilized as well. So teachers will need to be flexible and adaptable when it comes to classroom management this fall.

DISINFECTION

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Cleanliness has always been an important part of disease management in the classroom. But with coronavirus, it’s more important than ever. Surfaces will need to be disinfected multiple times a day. It’ll also be important to furnish your classroom with surfaces that are easily wiped down. This doesn’t mean everything will have to be hard and uncomfortable, though. Classroom furnishings such as Smith System’s Soft Rocker or Oodle Stool provide flexible, comfortable seating options that can easily be disinfected between students.

HYGIENE

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Good student hygiene such as hand washing has always been emphasized in a school setting. but you may have to make new rules, such as regarding mask-wearing. Any teacher knows how quickly colds and the flu can spread throughout the classroom, and it’ll be especially important now. A strong emphasis on frequent hand washing and hand sanitizer use will be a common theme in classrooms this fall.

Classrooms in the era of covid may be different than what we are used to, but with preparation and planning, we can navigate this “new normal.”

Contact us to find out more about our sanitary classroom furnishings.

4 Questions to Answer Before Choosing Your Conference Room Furniture

| Eboni Franklin
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Are your meetings feeling a little stagnant lately? Are creative solutions hard to come by in those bi-monthly meetings, perhaps? Maybe it’s not the employees, and maybe it’s not that generic coffee you’re serving or the grocery store bagels. It just might be the conference room environment, including the furniture itself.

Although there are many options for redesigning a conference room, it’s the furniture in the room that will actually be used the most.

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To determine what furniture you need, the first step is to ask yourself these four questions:

  • What do you want to accomplish in your meetings? Is it to deliver routine news and updates, or brainstorm and collaborate on creative ideas and solutions?
  • How many people attend these meetings? This will determine how much space you need and also seating arrangements.
  • How long are these meetings? If your meetings are often an hour or more long, you will want to consider not only comfortability but also table and chair configurations to help keep all attendees interested and involved.
  • Do you want to stand out in your clients’ or customers’ eyes? If you meet with your clients or customers in your conference room, impressions matter. What impression do you want to give?

All four answers are important in deciding the best furniture to choose for your conference room. Here are a few options you may not have considered yet but could be just the answer you’re looking for.

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Multi-Media Tables. The world has become increasingly visually oriented, so consider including Multi-Media Tables. These tables are designed for co-working environments and have built-in electrical and USB power, along with monitor mounts. There are several table configurations for group viewing available.

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Stand up conference tables: Do you encourage participation in your meetings, and want everyone to stay involved? If so, stand up conference tables may be an option to explore. With these tables, add stools for those who wish to take a break and sit down as they listen.

Make an impression with your conference room furniture, to both your clients and customers, and your own employees. For help with this, contact Worthington Direct today to explore new furniture options.

It’s Time to Invest in a Portable Handwashing Sink

| Eboni Franklin

If there’s one thing the year 2020 has taught us, it’s that good hand hygiene is more important than ever. According to experts at the Cleveland Clinic, it’s one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep yourself and the people you love healthy.

Practicing good hand hygiene involves regular handwashing. Unless hands are visibly soiled, an alcohol-based hand rub is preferred over soap and water in most clinical situations due to evidence of better compliance compared to soap and water. Hand rubs are generally less irritating to hands and are effective in the absence of a sink…Hands should be washed with soap and water for at least 20 seconds when visibly soiled, before eating, and after using the restroom.  (CDC)

Which is all very well unless you do not have ready access to clean water.

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