Return to
Work Studio

Reopening the workplace
in the wake of COVID-19.

Newlab launched the Return to Work Studio in response to COVID-19 and the challenges it poses for the workplace.

The Studio is a live sandbox and pilot program for frontier technologies that help create a safe work environment for one and all. The Studio provides critical learnings for organizations across a range of sectors looking to responsibly let people return to work.

To pilot the studio program, Newlab worked with the 155+ CEOs in our community and city and state officials on a comprehensive approach to return to work. As a facility, Newlab shares common elements with many offices and warehouse environments, making it an apt venue for piloting and extrapolating findings to other high-traffic spaces. Read more about the pilot below.

Studio collaborators

Do you want Newlab to build a Return to Work program for your organization?

Toolkit

Sensing Products

- Social distancing feedback through proximity awareness and real-time feedback to encourage safe interactions
- Ambient monitoring to flag COVID-19 related symptoms and to provide insight into the flow of traffic throughout a space
- Specific area occupancy monitoring to follow operational guidelines and support space planning

Operational Protocols

- Health checkpoints at entries and exits through EMT services and/or sensors
- COVID-19 testing procedures and health certifications
- Space layout and cleaning protocols to ensure work zones are safe and disinfected
- Proper PPE usage through education and workplace policy

Custom Data Dashboard

- Actionable platform for cohesive data management, data analysis, reporting, and monitoring
- Dynamic planning and safety system for the operations team to make changes to physical space layout and cleaning protocols
- Contact tracing enabled through employee location data and rapid warning systems
- Notifications for operations teams, managers, and employees

Privacy

- Encryption and anonymization with technical tools and processes
- Data compliance and regulation based on legal and regulatory data policies across regions of operation
- Data governance and staff communication through best practices

Pilot location

Newlab HQ in the Brooklyn Navy Yard is home to more than 800 members. The 84,000 ft² space shares common elements with many offices and warehouse environments, making it an apt venue for extrapolating findings to other high-traffic spaces like airports, construction sites, or healthcare facilities.

Pilot Results

Results from a month-long pilot:

High Rating: A 4.4/5 overall program satisfaction rate from employees returning to work.
Speed and safety: Temperature screenings average less than 3 seconds per person, facilitating rapid entry process.
Proximity: Sensors and protocols decreased the time frame participants spent interacting with each other. In just 10 days, workers wearing the device limited their exposure by decreasing their interactions with other workers in the space by 95%.

Collaborating companies

StrongArm Technologies, Inc.

Assessing individual and environment risk profiles in real-time with IoT-enabled and machine learning-fueled sensors.

Norbert Health

Monitoring vital signs via passive and contactless ambient sensor systems—without the need for wearables.