Where Do We Go Now - What is the Future of Offices?
by Kim Schroeder
Prior to Covid-19 offices saw a shift toward open, collaborative spaces. The trend was low panels, benching systems, wellness rooms, and large open collaborative areas. Our main focus was centered on improving the place where we spent most of our time, the office. We opened up spaces, added natural and biophilic elements; we all thought the more open the better. While this concept lent itself to beautifully imagined spaces, people had mixed feelings regarding privacy. Fast forward to today and we are now having to reimagine those spaces to make them safer in our new COVID-19 world.
By the end of March 2020, most people found themselves working from home. For various reasons, some companies saw a drop in productivity, while others stated there was an increase. The reasons for the discrepancies in productivity vary greatly, but we can all safely say that most of us needed time to “get used to” the drastic changes in our lives. Not having a “space” to work was a problem for some, coupled with family members, kids, pets etc. - lots of distractions going on at home that made it difficult to adjust to an at-home work environment. Just one look at social media and you can find many funny videos of people in some not-so-professional predicaments, video conferencing. But we are all past that now - at least we hope.
Now that working remotely is routinely falling into place for most, what does our work future hold? For some it is staying at home 100% of the time, for others it will look more like a hybrid work week, working at home a couple of days and going into the office a couple of days. Still others will go into their place of work every day.
For those working from home, a home office set-up is important. Getting a good fitting chair, and not the dining room chair, is essential. Having your own space to work will help to make the transition from office to home.
What will the post-COVID office look like for those that will be returning to the office? We are already seeing a trend in companies wanting to add on to their low panels. Cubicles are going from low to high again. Glass stack-ons for panel systems have been a hot commodity as have acrylic or glass screens that set atop desks or tables. Gallery panels and dividers are going in between work spaces that were once collaborative. Mostly, though, the changes that are being made can be reversed. The stack-ons, the screens, the panels all can be removed once this is over. Or will we want to remove them? That still remains to be seen.
One space that I believe will be relevant in the future is employee Wellness Rooms. Wellness Rooms have been utilized for various reasons such as:
Giving employees a place of refuge and relaxation
o Sometimes you just need a place to get away from the demands of work. A Wellness Room gives an employee that much needed break.
Meet Legal Requirements for Moms
o It is required to give nursing mothers a private space to nurse or pump milk, and helps moms transition back to the workplace after maternity leave.
Exercise or Yoga Room
o While rigorous exercising at work may not fit into our post COVID world, yoga or meditation may just be the answer to calming yourself down when you are having a stressful day. Having a quiet place to do it in is priceless.
Health Screening Room
o Your old Wellness Room may be turned into a health screening room with all the necessary measures (thermometers, masks, hand sanitizer) in ensuring a safe working environment for choosing to return.
Also, it is important to remember that adding some extra steps to keep these rooms safe and clean for employees is a very small price to pay for their happiness and well-being.
Let us know if we can help you with any post Covid workspaces! Call us at 877-795-2600 or shoot us an email at info@oexusa.com.
