With unlock strategies being put in place, the time isn’t too far when corporates reach their office desks again. So how does the future of workplaces look like? Is it time to reimagine spaces? By Team Viva
Has work from home really turned out to be as helpful as you had thought it to be? Or has it become even more tiresome? How will the work patterns transform once you reach your office desks again?
A report compiled by a real estate consultancy firm explored how the office, as we know it today, will transform into a greener, healthier and sustainable place to re-welcome its employees post COVID-19. It indicated that around 30 per cent Indian working population feels that the lockdown has given them an enhanced opportunity to balance their work and life. However, while 66 per cent employees immediately shifted to working from home after the outbreak of the pandemic, around 41 per cent employees miss a professional environment while working. And for many, health and wellness are the key motivators to re-enter office spaces.
Also, considering that safety awareness has emerged as top priority in a post-pandemic world, over 76 per cent millennials will be cross-checking a company’s social and environmental commitments before deciding to work there, ensuring that workplaces witness new techniques and ways of operations, collaborations and engagements.
Key to transformation: Spacing
As the country unlocks and “working from office” gains back the momentum, many companies are looking forward to making necessary changes for adaptability. New COVID-19 protocols will require greater physical separation in workplaces via spatial, physical and temporal means. Workstations will be spaced further apart. Experts suggest that conference rooms will be majorly de-populated, space-dividing partitions erected and staff-issued rotating schedules will be religiously followed for some time now. The collaboration seating will have to be spread out so people are further apart from each other.
However, as much as de-densifying workstations are important, this might also be a challenge in areas where desk spacing is tight. In situations where existing desk spacing is less than six feet apart, every other desk can be used as a buffer for each person. This could be achieved by assigning some people to work from home or temporarily locating them in some other areas. Leading companies across the globe are already embracing flexible workplace arrangements and taking preventive measures to ensure social distancing and good hygiene.
The digital drive: Telecommuting & other advancements
Companies will start investing in contactless technologies to reduce disease transmission. Standalone technology will be replaced by integral solutions that connect building facilities with the occupier’s premise. People will have to be encouraged to collaborate virtually whenever possible. And telecommuting will become more mainstream.
Also, to avoid transmission, technological accessories such as a mouse, keyboard, or headset will be provided to each individual. These devices are touched throughout the day and hence, would be best if not shared without disinfecting between users.
Sustainable & hygienic practices
Companies will continue to focus on greener spaces and sustainable building will continue to be in vogue. Use of smarter materials, flexible arrangement of furniture, hub and club model, employee experience, digital ecosystems and a more holistic environment will be the focus of the future workplaces. Health and wellness are going to be key motivation for employees to re-enter the office spaces and organisations. Hence, reinforcing good hygiene practices with well-stocked restrooms that have touchless soap and anti-viral cleaning supplies is crucial. Workplaces will also have to install plenty of hands-free dispensers, disinfectant machines and sanitisers that contain high alcohol content in lobbies, conference rooms and lounges.
New touchless features in interior design elements, including touchless faucets, automated window shades and motion-sensor or voice-activated door hardware, will see a surge. Such features, experts suggest, could also be added to other spaces such as building lobbies, reception desks and common areas. Sustainable practices such as utilising materials which are smooth, easy to wipe down and hold up to frequent deep cleanings, especially in high-traffic areas, will be followed.
Empowering employees
The impact an organisation casts on its people is beyond its tangible domains, as it results in larger face-to-face engagement, professional empowerment and a sense of fulfillment and personal confidence.
“While work from home is an interim solution in the current situation, it has its own drawbacks too, including challenges like the feeling of isolation and lack of personal connectivity with colleagues. It is very difficult to replicate an office environment and the collaboration opportunities in a WFH model. Hence, workplace design will be increasingly gaining importance in the current context and will be influenced by the fact that people shape the spaces they occupy, with focus on human experience, innovation in technology, wellness and sustainability,” says Ramesh Nair, CEO and country head, India, JLL.
It will become important to consider how employees are feeling when they prepare to return to the office. Instead of issuing a mandate for everyone to come back together, offering the option for people to do it alternatively will be a safer option.
“Most space planners, architects and product providers are proactively thinking ahead of time to bring in new concepts and technologies to provide a healthier and more sustainable workplace for the future. Occupiers have embraced the preliminary phase to accelerate the short-term transition and have started partnering with certain organisations to plan a safer and informed re-entry at the workplace to ensure social distancing and workplace wellness,” says MV Harish, managing director, PDS.
What’s next?
There will be a new phase of acceptance where employees will be introduced to new norms of work and ethics such as flexible designed spaces, 90-degree rotation of desks and workstations, wide agile practices, health and well-being packages for employees and installation of contact-free spaces.
The post-COVID world is not simply about measures that focus on employee wellness. It is also about efficiency, speed and cost-effectiveness. Organisations need to optimise the existing spaces by making meaningful moves. Ultimately, the time spent optimising space will have the most powerful impact.