Covid-19 could permanently change the work culture in companies. With the rise of the home office, the workforce will relish the comfort and flexibility of remote work and many companies will have to rethink their concept of physical office.
As a result of the decentralization of work, the office is no longer a place where you only go to meet a schedule. The daily and mechanical task can be carried out at home, thus, an interesting option for companies will be to adapt a space in homes or common areas in employees’ buildings to guarantee work with adequate furniture and tools, connectivity and all the comfort.
However, the real challenge for companies will be to seduce their workers and offer something more than comfort so that ‘going to work in the office’ is something that is appealing to everyone.
To do this, the central office becomes a meeting point, a place to hold meetings and set goals, meet colleagues and share experiences and knowledge in the offline world: here, socialization, personal presence and interaction are essential.
Eliminated the concept of fixed position, the old work areas become multipurpose, collaborative, digital, sustainable and modern spaces where to celebrate strategic events and meetings, make presentations or promotions and attend or co-create with clients.
This change should not miss the obvious: the design should be useful to the people who use it every day and all day. Offices must preserve the privacy and concentration of those who choose to work on site and also establish more informal wellness spaces, such as sofa areas, hallways or kitchens where they can take calls, chat or simply rest.
Personal well-being also involves surrounding yourself with more natural and friendly materials and incorporating sustainability criteria in the construction of the spaces. At the end of the day, design is not only the environment, but also integrates and reflects the value of the brand and the new work culture, something with which to identify and attract the hyperconnected worker of 2020.
Far from predicting the death of the office, this paradigm shift is the perfect opportunity to renew the coherence between business discourse, new ways of working and space design.
Lluís Saiz
Business & Development Manager
GrupIdea