From mid-March to the end of May, the Digital Starters Berlin hub has been closed and, like many companies around the world, our office life moved to the home. With the quarantine slowly lifting in Germany however, we recently (partially) opened our doors again, welcoming some familiar faces of the team back into the office.
The well-being of our employees is of the upmost importance and many measures have been put into place to ensure that a return to the office is both safe and comfortable for everyone.
The Coronavirus pandemic brought a lot of uncertainty with it and even with the government lifting some restrictions, we understand that for many it can feel daunting to return to the norm so soon. With this in mind, our office opens its doors to only nine members of the team per day and even with that, attendance is fully optional.
A welcome return to the new norm
One member of the team who was keen to return to the office is our content creator, Kseniia. Check out her day-in-the-life video below to see the full measures put in place to keep our team safe.
How the new set-up works:
Team members can request to work onsite each week. If their request is approved, they are then allocated one of the specific work-spaces that have been set up to ensure there is a minimum 2-meters distance between other onsite colleagues.
On entering the office, team members must disinfect their hands at the door before collecting their personal face mask and hygiene spray.
Face masks must be worn in all common areas, including the toilets, kitchen, and meeting room.
A maximum of two people can be in the kitchen at any given time.
A maximum of four people can be in the meeting room at any given time, but team members must sit at least 2-meters away from one another.
On leaving the office, each team member must use the hygiene spray to disinfect their desk and chair.
What it’s like to be back
“I am definitely happier working in the office, than from home. Onsite work helps me to establish a proper routine. It’s also nice to have a reason to change into your outdoor clothing from time to time. All this helps to draw a clear line between your work life and private life and to concentrate fully on work. Sometimes it gets too quiet, as there are only a few of us – I miss the “buzz” we had in the office before, when lots of people were talking. It was always lively and fun.” - Abdul
“Generally, I am enjoying talking with my colleagues in person, and now I can have a better work-life balance, because some days I can avoid working in my bedroom.” - Iuliia
“I feel comfortable in the office. When I arrive, I automatically disinfect my hands and grab a mask and, in the evenings, I disinfect my chair and my table. As for meetings, I don’t feel much difference to be honest, both online and in the office, they are quite productive. We talk with my project group very often, so I am well aware of what is going on and who is working on what. The good thing is that it is summer, so I started going to the office by foot, taking a long walk - it feels good and I have time to properly wake up.” - Misha
Comments