Work Life 2020 + What’s next?
There are 2 things that we can be certain about right now
Nothing is certain.
No one knew how to wash their hands properly before 2020 (!)
Supporting clients on both short & longer term design strategy and office refurbishment projects is what we have done, day in day out, for the last decade; but to formulate and design a ‘future proofed’ space in 2020 is an entirely different matter. The level of ‘unknowns’ are unprecedented. This is not the time for quick knee jerk reactions. This is a key moment in time to rethink what our workplace can be, what it needs to be and what it must facilitate.
The collective human experience around COVID-19 is going to reshape the way we live and work for the long term. This year we have all been part of a great work-life experiment & it is important that we all; employees, employers and workspace designers alike, take the time to pause and absorb what COVID-19 has taught us about how and where we need to work. We all need time to harness this new knowledge and insight, time to reimagine & redesign the kind of workplace that we all want to work from.
So let’s get into some of what we do know so far as the story of 2020 continues to unfold:
Businesses (and us all) need to acknowledge there has been a shift. There is a change; there is no ‘back to normal’ for the majority of people. Things are different. How this is communicated, discussed, processed and managed is key to ensuring employees feel supported and safe.
We get that ‘open plan’ as a concept has become somewhat flawed by cheap/poor design and fit outs in the last 10 years (don’t get us started on this), but with people now largely able to work in a focussed way at home the office of the new world will need to be open, to a degree. We must not underestimate the power of people coming together to build and share ideas, nurture new or junior members of staff and feel part of the culture and beating heart of the business.
We must not underestimate the great ability workspace has to facilitate communication. Offices will therefore need to allow for safe connection, collaboration and sociability; the sharing and receiving of ideas and information.
The next workspaces must be user-lead. They need to be designed with humanity and well being front of mind. Businesses must take the time up front to consult with workers. Diversity & Inclusion must be part of the workspace strategy.
No one size fits all: We have been a broken record on this topic for the last 10 years on this but it feels like now this is a reality that cannot be ignored. Don’t look at what google/ facebook /Barclays whoever are doing. What does your business/people/culture need from their workplace?
Working from Home support: Most architects believe that working from home will be the most significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the built environment. With huge swathes of office workers now gaining flexibility to their lives employees need to ensure that home working setups are ergonomic and supportive. (Watch this space as trifle* have something coming to support you on this front!).
Reengaging people back into the office is going to take time. Some will handle it better than others, some may never want to come out of their safety bubble. Experience and Engagement will need to be at the heart of your new workspace concept. How will the new world workspace become the honey pot that everyone wants to be part of?
Choice and flexibility must be core to your new workspace. We cannot wait to see how Products, Tech and furniture makers respond and innovate to this requirement for the new workspace. There has never been more greater need for innovation and ingenuity here; Bring it on!
We need to ensure that our buildings have ‘Healthy lungs’, there can be no excuses for ventilation and fresh air systems being outdated or substandard. A humid building is a breeding ground for germs. Businesses need to commit to assessing their systems which in turn will offer huge reassurance to workers reluctant to return.
We must acknowledge and debate the space between work and home. How do people travel to work, do they feel safe? Do we need to consider localised co-workspaces closer to home for people to utilise at least some of their week? Not everyone has a home conducive to productive working - how do we support these groups of people whilst avoiding the daily commute? Could local coworking spaces be that ‘inbetween’ space - a concept of pure functionality and working mode for those that cannot achieve positive work flow at home?
It is a time for experimentation and relearning. As with any other time of workplace revolution we should be exploring the potential scenarios; trialling ways of working with smaller groups of workers keen to get ‘back’ and mapping out and co-creating what the road to a successful workspace looks like.
Touchless tech and activation of spaces already exists but must continue to become part of the norm in our new world.
The HQ now has the opportunity to be a highly dynamic space. A ‘central hub’ that can facilitate events, workshops, connectivity and work life culture; How do we rethink what the Central office needs to be? There is so much that a space can be so flexible spaces are going to be critical.
Now more than ever we yearn for community. Let us keep our minds open to what all this might mean for our workspaces.
This year we have all learned so much; as we head ‘back to school’ this September we must remember this is a new era we are moving into; The time to recreate and reshape the new world workspace is right here right now.
Emma x
You can find me here to talk more about all things workspace design and work life. emma@triflecreative.com