The potential of a great office

Over the past six months the world of employment has turned on its axis and working from home has become a widespread norm. While this has had many benefits in terms of accommodating the demands of COVID-safe spaces – and has offered advantages for businesses and staff with respect to flexibility and cost effectiveness – a great office still has a lot to offer. In fact, if you’ve created the right office environment this can be incredibly beneficial for your business, even if you’re doing it with COVID restrictions in mind.

 

Why a great office really works

 

The shift to working from home has had a lot to offer but there are some ways in which it just doesn’t compare to a great office environment.

 

  • Equality of space. Working from home in cramped conditions when you don’t have a home office and are sharing your space with others can be a difficult and frustrating experience. Offices provide equality of space – everyone has the same furniture and technology and this can be a levelling experience.
  • Collaboration and random interactions. A casual conversation in an office had while making coffee could lead to the organisation’s next big project – chance interactions and social collisions lead to more effective and enmeshed teams and this is only possible in a great office space.
  • Energy and aliveness. Working from home has proven to be beneficial for some people especially when it comes to avoiding the commute and increasing lifestyle flexibility. However, it can feel isolating and lonely, which is something that is never the case in an office, which is always alive with the buzz and ideas of those around you.

 

Creating a great office space post-COVID

 

A great office space has a lot to offer employers and staff as an alternative to the working from home lifestyle that many of us have adopted in recent months. However, this does need to be carefully thought through, not just with respect to keeping people safe but also ensuring that changes being made support greater productivity. These are a few of the considerations to bear in mind.

 

  • A focus on the staff journey. Key to creating a great office space today is focusing in on the journey that staff go on when using office buildings and ensuring that adjustments are being made. This could be something as simple as introducing a one way system to minimise contact or taking measures to avoid queues, for example by staggering start and leave times.
  • Be vocal about safety. Your staff need to be safe – and need to know that you’re taking steps to prioritise this. Whether via signs or briefings it’s important to provide peace of mind to those using your office space to avoid an impact on general productivity.
  • Be prepared for more change. Rather than buying in expensive products it’s preferable to focus on people, habits and what will keep everyone safe and productive. This necessarily means leaving space for short-term change and a long-term shift in behaviour patterns.

 

A great office space creates somewhere that teamwork and productivity can thrive. Get in contact with us to see how we can help your office fit out.

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