Are Offices Obsolete? Not So Fast.

Before March of 2020, about 7% of all US employees, in all fields, worked from home. By the end of the year, however, 64% of American employees were working from home. But is this the new norm? Has the pandemic made offices obsolete? Not so fast.

In a report by the Pew Research Center based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’, remote workers were polled whether or not they would prefer to go back to the office full-time or stay at home full-time. While those results were mixed, almost all of them (99%) said they would prefer a mixture of both remote and office work. Interesting.

Before COVID-19, working remotely was a coveted benefit and more than half of the US employees polled said they would leave their current employer for another if they could work remotely. Now, after working remotely for a year, they want to come back to the office - at least part of the time.

The pandemic has taken a psychological toll on the population for a broad range of reasons. One of the many has been forced isolationism. In addition to working remotely, workers have gone a year without happy hours, dinner get-togethers with co-workers, and lunches together at the park. The office, once taken for granted as “the coal mine” where we do “the daily grind” now is remembered nostalgically for the camaraderie shared there and the feeling of belonging it gave us.

But times continue to change; we see the vaccines coming. The hope is that by the end of this year, we’ll see some semblance of normalcy return. But what will constitute normalcy in the office space?

Savvy companies are figuring out how to offer safe office space that also enhances morale, teamwork, and a sense of belonging. The assumption is that their employees will no longer have assigned desks in an office, and that they will work primarily from home. But a couple times a week, or month, employees will have an opportunity to come into the office. The first thought might be cubicles, with high partitions, keeping everyone safe. But that would defeat the purpose of the trip into the office. Companies preparing for this new normal, instead, would offer different surroundings.

Re-imagine the office. Imagine a place where some of these cubicles exist, but in addition, there are small well-ventilated rooms built for two where the employees can sit more than 8 feet apart. Conference rooms with a table six feet wide, large open spaces with bean bags and hammocks and seats, all socially distanced, and when the weather allows, outdoor conferencing. All of these options are together in the same building. Employees who choose to come into the office can choose a space that makes them feel safe. Maybe that open room is just what they were looking for. Maybe it’s a more confined space, but still within the office.

Additionally, these companies are working from the knowledge that employees are coming into the office to avoid further isolation. So the spaces are designed with wall graphics, mirrors, and art that are fun, inclusive, convey the values of the company and invite that employee in. This environment offers a place for employees to reconnect with other teammates, with their company.

Finally, in these newly designed workplaces, employees still want to feel safe. It’s important to them to know that their company values their safety and wellness and is taking every precaution. COVID signage reminding employees to stay six feet apart, wash hands, and wear a mask serves as a good reminder for employees, but it also conveys how important these precautions are to the company itself. It conveys a trust that the company is doing what it can to keep employees safe. Additionally, these signs don’t have to be stark or generic, but can be branded by a designer to convey these messages within the color scheme and branding of your company.