An uncertain future for open-plan offices.

What will the office look like that we will soon return to after a forced break? Will it be the same place that we left a while ago due to the health crisis? Many experts think that it won’t be, and they have a number of good reasons to support this belief.

Critics could already be heard before the pandemic: a disruptive, irritating environment, and today we can add the health risks of an open-plan workplace environment. For these reasons many are today predicting a rapid end to open-plan offices.

Time will tell whether the open-plan concept will really be swept aside. However, every firm must consider how their workplace environment can be adjusted as quickly as possible to the “return to normal", whether this is a change in layout, increased personal space for employees or stricter hygiene guidelines.

We offer several tips on how in the current situation to prepare your office to provide maximum safety for your employees and clients.

Start from the floor

Our specialists offer help with everything that you need for the safe return of your employees to their workplace.

Together we will ensure that your office is prepared for maintaining recommended safe distances. We can assess the current situation with you and come up with a new solution making use of your existing furniture. Our project managers will help you overcome all obstacles of a complex project from design to installation.

We can take care of everything from furnishing a single office to creating a completely new concept for your company HQ. Our specialists are well versed in the latest requirements and recommendations for health and safety.

More about our services

Partitions and screens

Will history repeat itself?

If you saw the superb vision of the future in the 1967 Franch film Playtime by Jacquese Tatiho or the more recent 1999 American film Office Space, then you can easily imagine what your office might soon look like.

Recently this model seemed dead as companies strived to squeeze as many employees as possible into open-plan offices. However, this trend may now be at an end. The last thing that your employees will want on their return to work will be to be densely packed in with their colleagues on one long table. Many of them have got used to the benefits of home office – greater privacy, better environment for concentration, and they will not lightly give up this comfort.

If you don’t have sufficient space to fully adjust your office to the recommended social distancing, you can, for example, separate workstations, taking advantage of screens with additional protection in the form of acrylic extensions.

One of the quickest solutions to today’s situation are attachments made from clear plexiglass. These help to reduce the risk of transmission of infections in open-plan offices, they enhance a feeling of privacy and improve productivity.

TECHO offers special attachments that are compatible with our standard office screens. To increase protection, we also offer freestanding screens to separate individual workstations.

In addition to our own products, you can also select from similar solutions developed by our parent company Ahrend.

Main advantages

• Complex installation not necessary – just attach to a screen or place on a desktop
• Fast delivery – we are able to deliver for a large office within a few days
• When the danger is over it is a simple task to remove them without leaving any permanent indication that they were ever there
• Plexiglass shields are easy to clean, they contain no harmful substances; in a fire they do not release any toxic fumes and they are easy to recycle

New covers for office chairs

The most cost-effective way to increase the level of hygiene of your seating furniture

Have you recently invested in high-quality office chairs and you are now wondering whether they meet the increased requirements for cleaning? An option is new seat covers made from an easy to maintain material.

Just order covers for your existing seating, which can easily be fitted at the workplace.

Main advantages

• Easy fit cover
• New covers can be cleaned with alcohol-based disinfectant
• Wide range of colours
• Velcro fastening – changed in 5 min
• Cost-effective solution
• The original cover can be replaced again in a matter of minutes

Work lounges

Business class for your open-plan office

In the future our "business trips" will more often than not be virtual using Microsoft Teams, or Zoom. In an open-plan office we will come across work lounges with high-end furnishings, which will have a comfort level of the airline industry "business class".

TECHO Multizones is a solution that corresponds to the new reality. Whether you require a quiet spot for important phone calls, private meetings, or for a moment of relaxation, or just a place to organise your thoughts, Multizones offer every comfort that you need.

TECHO Multizones are available in various versions depending on their intended purpose. The largest version “Share It” has an integrated monitor, to which a laptop can be connected. The basic version “Stand Up” is intended for short ad-hoc meetings and is fitted with a white board for taking notes. “Call Me” is used as a phone booth, “Copy It” includes a printer, “Rest On” provides space for relaxation and “Dress Me”, as the name suggests, acts as a small walk-in wardrobe.

Hygiene stations