When will we go back to the office?
For many employees, the idea of getting back to the office is a light at the end of the tunnel. Return to office life represents getting back to some form of ‘normalcy’–whatever that means post-COVID. The proverbial light is shining brighter today than it has in some time. According to the CDC, as of March 1, 2021, nearly 77 million doses of a vaccine have been administered, representing 15.3% of the total U.S. population. Last week, a new vaccine was approved for emergency use, providing more options and expanded vaccinations.
States, provinces, and local governments are beginning to adjust local restrictions, expanding indoor dining capacity, allowing for larger public outdoor gatherings, and implementing plans to reopen schools. This is all exciting to see forward progress in rebuilding the economic engine and getting back to work.
Business Leaders are Challenged to Reopen the Office
Deciding to reopen is challenging for organization leaders to determine when, how, and to what degree they reopen their offices. Business leaders need help ensuring that they reopen their offices in a safe way for employees to return to work. Safely reopening not only means following health-safety guidelines but also ensuring that their employees feel confident that their work environment is safe to return.
Business leaders also must ensure they can comply with the local jurisdiction’s occupancy requirements which may vary from company location to location. For example, in Illinois, there is a statewide ban on gatherings of more than 50 people (or 50 percent of a building’s maximum occupancy if the occupancy limit is less than 50). This ban is in effect and will likely be in effect until June 2021. Other states, such as Georgia, do not have occupancy restrictions for meetings. In contrast, others have different mandates or have left capacity planning to county or city officials based on their COVID metrics.
Introducing Occupancy Tracking for Brivo Access
Occupancy Tracking for Brivo Access is a new feature released today as part of our Winter Update. This impactful feature allows security and facility managers to set occupancy limits by site based on corporate or local policy requirements and track the number of people inside a facility. The feature also gives them visibility into the current occupancy and understanding as they reach their occupancy limits to make decisions around access. The Occupancy Tracking feature supports organizations that need to ensure compliance with the corporate and local government requirements–especially where there are multiple sites in various jurisdictions.
How it Works:
- Administrators set occupancy limits per site within Brivo Access
- Brivo will count entrants and calculate approximate occupancy based on rules within Brivo Access
- Occupancy Management dashboard shows current occupancy levels for all sites
- Administrators can take actions based on the current occupancy levels
- Administrators can see a list of which users are currently on site
Brivo Facility Safety Features Support Reopening
Managing occupancy limits is a critical element in supporting the return to the office. That is why we believe the new Occupancy Tracking feature is a valuable extension to the Facility Safety Features that Brivo launched in June 2020 to support organizations during the pandemic. These features helped organizations navigate the uncertainty of managing facilities and access to them. Additionally, the features provide excellent resources today to support organizations as they plan to reopen offices to employees. These features, including User Contact Reporting, Visitor Screening, mobile access, and self-screening, allow organizations to provide a healthier and safer experience for employees, customers, students, and residents entering their facility.
These features provide additional layers of screening and protection without breaking the bank as they mostly leverage existing Brivo technology deployed on-site with added capabilities. The addition of Occupancy Tracking to these Facility Safety Features provides additional tools for business, security, and facility managers to build employee confidence in a safe return to work as we begin to rebound better.