Commercial real estate – How can the workplace evolve in the new normal?

Given the fluidity of the COVID-19 situation; the way we will live, work and play in the future is likely to undergo unprecedented transformation. However, this could be viewed as an opportunity to influence the future and undergo focused innovation.

The commercial real estate sector too is likely to see the emergence and expansion of new trends, with health and safety taking the centre stage. As the government has lifted restrictions on returning to work in some zones and workplaces have started reopening / are planning to reopen; occupiers as well as developers need to prepare themselves to ensure that the office is a safe space for their employees. It would involve heightened focus on sanitisation, development and review of business continuity plans, enhanced deployment of technology to support daily tasks and workplace designs that amalgamate both social distancing and productivity.

The following workspace themes are expected to become prominent in the new normal:

Pre-assessment of workplace

Before employees return to work, companies would need to formulate a sanitisation strategy that involves regular deep cleaning of office premises, especially common areas; disinfection of shared machinery and equipment; and provision of sanitizers at all stoppage points such as reception and lobby areas. In addition, they would need to enable staggered working hours and breaks, demarcate safe physical distances, put in queue management systems, develop procedures for daily temperature and health monitoring of employees and visitors, and install decals in shared spaces and high-efficiency air filters in the workplace.

Growing fluidity of workforce

Work from home (WFH) has had to become a practice in most organisations in the wake of the pandemic. In these uncertain times, several occupiers may have to continue this practice – depending on business operations, travel restrictions and employee locations. In the long run, the widespread adoption of this practice would largely depend on its psychological impact, auditory restrictions, network, infrastructure, bonding, wellness, productivity and other issues.

Evolution of workspace designs

We anticipate that short-term measures to adhere to social distancing norms such as those prescribed by the WHO would be incorporated while commencing operations. This includes phased reopening, rotational workforce, one-way mapping, plotting routes (public / own), high sanitation standards and deployment of other contact tracing measures. One long-term change we may see in space design is that common areas such as elevators and meeting rooms would be enabled for social distancing.

Technological advancements likely to abound

Given the growing requirement for limited human touchpoints, companies would have to take a relook at their digitisation strategy. Adoption of touchless technology is expected to be a focus area. For instance, corporates in China have deployed technologies such as holographic projection elevator controls; temperature scans; mask scans; infrared thermal scanners at entry and exit points; UV sterilization devices in elevators and escalator handrails; and facial recognition access control to limit human interface.

Business continuity plans (BCP) to undergo a sea change

While most corporates have always had BCPs, a pandemic of this proportion requires re-alignment. As a result, this is likely to lead to a review and in most cases, redrawing of existing BCPs from the bottom. Corporates would need to take a relook at the animate and inanimate variables of their business and draw up contingency plans in case any of the variable undergoes a shift. This might result in a change in working strategies (for instance decentralisation of workforce), upskilling and reskilling a portion of the workforce (for instance, the Facilities Management and IT teams), etc.

Outlook

Employee wellness and sustainability are likely to become more centrestage at a pace quicker than anticipated. The employee would remain the focus area of business strategies, and all leadership decisions would increasingly be taken keeping employee wellness as a focus area, with greater emphasis on workplace hygiene and remote working polices. This will also lead to increased focus on installation of collaborative tech and PropTech for business and FM operations.