The Hybrid Office
A recent survey found that in the UK alone, 90% of workers don’t want to return to working in the office full time (Eskenzi, 2020).
Despite mixed reviews on the success of at home workstations and the stresses of juggling family commitments, most employees are keen to retain the option to work from home for at least some of the week. So, what does that split look like and how will it affect the design of our office spaces?
Brook Green Hammersmith, image via WeWork
At the start of the pandemic many saw flourishing productivity results and began questioning the role of the office at all. If we can do everything the same or better in our own environment, then why retain costly offices with workstations of a past economic landscape?
It turns out workers are ‘craving social interaction, in-person teamwork and learning from real people’ says Ahriz of creative studio Space and Pepper. This is coupled with the fact that many employers have struggled to maintain company morale via virtual communications and work from home fatigue has set in. The office is certainly still highly valued and research by WeWork reports that 64% of employees would even pay out of their own pocket for access to an office space.
“The office offers an opportunity to change your perspective and the majority of people say they expect to spend more time working in the office than at home and do not expect to work from home every day.”
STEELCASE 2020
They do however expect greater flexibility from their employers going forward.
Previous office layouts were based around a high level of individual workstations peppered with enclosed meeting rooms, a kitchen and maybe a breakout space but over the last 18 months our needs and ideas on what the office should be have drastically changed.
The emerging hybrid model states that only 30% of the post-pandemic workforce will be fully in the office, 14% will be fully remote while the remaining 56% will be in the office anywhere between 1-4 days per week. (Knoll).
Illustration by Phoenix Wharf
Not only that but when they are in the office, they will be seeking out social interactions, collaborative, learning and brainstorming activities as well as the opportunity to mentor and be mentored by other members of staff.
With ‘hybrid’ working now a permanent fixture in newly evolved routines the office is set to become a place for collaboration and work that cannot be completed in isolation.
Research suggests that while workers like the flexibility and freedom of nomadic working they also feel that ‘having a space to work and collaborate is key’, and when studied they tend to gravitate towards certain areas within their facility (Knoll).
Giving people a dedicated space (or spaces) to work offers a sense of belonging and shared purpose that has only been heightened by the contrasting isolation felt during the pandemic.
While 38% of global employers can agree that the office will remain as important as it was pre pandemic it is also clear that we are returning to a different place. Health and well-being will extend beyond sanitizing stations and are much higher up the priority list now with access to fresh air and outdoor space a key consideration in office planning and design.
Physical changes to layouts for spatial fluidity, reducing the density of workstations and touchless service points are all features of the future workplace.
For some businesses, office real estate may not change dramatically but the amount of people per square metre will.
The addition of plants as dividers, increased natural light, considered ventilation systems and a feeling of open space support mental as well as physical health.
Informal meeting areas and collaboration zones will offer comfort and security while resembling hospitality spaces rather than corporate interiors.
Spaces’ Offices, Shanghai. Image via Office Lovin’
Consideration of materials will also be integral to successful office fit outs. A reduction of the use of soft textiles in favour of easy clean options such as pleather, plastic and wood as well as antimicrobial metals such as brass and copper are already being seen.
As the office becomes less about individual workstations and more about social collaboration the workspace itself takes on a more experiential, hospitality-based role. According to industry leaders Gensler ‘there is momentum to integrate service and hospitality in a new model that will bring amenities to employees.’
Taking cues from hospitality design will allow the office to support employee well-being and recreate the office as a destination.
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