When the country locked down to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, more than half of the American workforce transitioned to remote work. Now, as companies consider bringing employees back to their offices, Atlanta-based startup Maptician hopes to offer them tools for safe paths forward.
“Companies face new challenges coming out of lockdown,” said John Wichmann, co-founder and COO of Maptician, a workplace management software company. While many business owners and managers long for a return to normal, companies must “prioritize employee safety,” he said.
Through Maptician Flex, a platform that offers interactive floor plans of workspaces, including desks, offices, tables and walls, Wichmann thinks companies can strategize safe and efficient return-to-work plans. The idea is to improve communication between companies and employees about the reopening process and ensure that returning to work will not jeopardize the health and safety of those involved.
“Hopefully this will give employees a high degree of comfort that the company has taken the right precautions,” Wichmann said.
The platform offers four key features. It allows companies to perform social distancing analyses, create alternating work schedules, provide mobile accessible seating maps and plan for contact tracing based on seating proximity if a person in the office tests positive for COVID-19.
“If an employee ends up testing positive [for COVID-19], the company is able to see who was sitting within a certain distance and who may be at risk,” Wichmann said. Companies can also use the platform to determine what areas need to be receive additional cleaning to prevent the spread of the virus.
“One of the great elements of having a visible solution is you get an eye on the floor plan,” Wichmann said, which allows managers to plan seating charts that ensure adequate distance between employees and identify high-traffic areas to be more closely monitored.
Beyond promoting a safer office space, Maptician co-founder Paul Eurek said the platform could help show workers that their employer is taking the appropriate precautions before bringing staff back into the office.
“From a culture standpoint, getting people into the office is a beneficial thing to do,” he said. “If management is showing they’re using this type of tool, [employees] will be more likely to come back."
Launched in 2017, Maptician has 15 employees, most of whom are part-time. The company uses a tiered pricing model that starts at $110 per month for companies that have up to 100 employees and goes up to $1,999 per month for companies with up to 2,000 employees.
After the dust of the pandemic has settled, Wichmann thinks Maptician will be able to offer companies the insight needed to plan for more efficient workspace, possibly translating into reduced workspace costs.
“With the ability to be flexible with their space, there’s a huge opportunity for savings with companies,” he said. “We would love to see [companies] use their offices more flexibility and efficiently.”
