Companies are selling $229 desktop shields, moveable partition walls, and screens, and it shows how office culture is bending a knee to the pandemic. Here's what the workplace could look like.

Katie CanalesJun 24, 2020, 19:04 IST

A rendering of Kirei's partitions.Kirei

Office supply companies are selling products to improve distancing in the workplace as some white-collar workers gear up to return.
Employers might have to install protective barriers in the form of desktop shields, partitioned walls, and screens.
When you go back to work, there will likely be screens separating you from your coworkers sitting in front of you, beside you, and also walls providing cover from hallways and passersby.
Here's what it could look like.

In the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the future remains uncertain, including how office employees will reenter the workplace — if they even do.

Companies are migrating to work-from-home policies, and a future of remote work is already having all sorts of implications, like an exodus of city dwellers to suburban and rural areas as proximity to corporate offices is no longer essential.

But that doesn't mean office culture is dead. Many white-collar workers will likely start returning to the office as reopening phases roll out across the US.

And when they do, experts say that employers will need quick solutions to implement healthy distancing protocols.

Office furniture and supply firms are offering products like $229 clear desktop shields, panels, and partitions as companies scramble to refashion their existing workplaces.

Here's what the office could look like.

The most effective way to prevent a respiratory virus like COVID-19 from spreading is by lowering the chance that a respiratory droplet from someone who is infected lands on someone else, which could in turn infect them.

A rendering of Poppin's desk shields. Poppin

The most effective way to prevent a respiratory virus like COVID-19 from spreading is by lowering the chance that a respiratory droplet from someone who is infected lands on someone else, which could in turn infect them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced new safety guidelines for employers as they begin reopening offices.

A rendering of Poppin's desk shields. Poppin

One company offering clear desk shields is Poppin, whose dividers range in price from $229 to $389 and come in various sizes.

A rendering of Poppin's desk shields. Poppin

According to the product description, the shields are easy to clean and disinfect, and are warrantied for 12 years.

A rendering of Poppin's desk shields. Poppin

Similar to the desktop clear shields are moveable partition walls, like those offered by Kirei, a firm offering workplace furniture and design solutions.

A rendering of Kirei's partitions. Kirei

Kirei President John Stein said in a statement shared with Business Insider that tall dividers and partitions will become more of a mainstay in the workplace moving forward.

A rendering of Kirei's partitions. Kirei

Kirei President John Stein said in a statement shared with Business Insider that tall dividers and partitions will become more of a mainstay in the workplace moving forward.