How Your Workplace Could Be Transformed By COVID-19

It initially started as an unplanned experiment tested under highly unusual circumstances.

The paradigm change in work styles and modalities across industries is only getting started, and it's going to become very pervasive. Businesses and organizations around the world are attempting to predict how this new mode of work will affect operations, performance, profitability, real estate, and future space needs. The future is flexible, to put it simply.?

Before the global pandemic, workers were fighting for more flexible work conditions. 70% of employees said that they still plan to work from home after the pandemic. Some people feel more in control of their time and more empowered; others feel alienated because they don't get direction or interaction from work.

DESIGN AFFECTS ON OFFICES

Nobody knows what the future holds, which makes it much more difficult to decide how to evaluate modifications to one's physical office. In favor of a solution motivated by what might be a transitory moment, clients are hesitant to give up the well-constructed strategic workplace norms, standards, or templates. Will the working methods simply revert to those used before the pandemic years from now?

We think that flexibility is key to the solution's evolution. Future workplaces must be able to quickly adapt to ad hoc limitations. A successful design must have flexible furniture options, adaptable floor plans and circulation routes, multi-use spaces that can be changed at a moment's notice, and other flexible solutions. Business owners and building owners could think about stacking various enhancements or components onto existing areas through trial initiatives. Employee buy-in will be greatly improved by introducing new solutions as trials that may be improved with feedback. For instance, a major technology business wants its workplaces to be perceived as modern and upscale, similar to the newest spaces that require membership.

It is crucial to take into account how physical spaces affect people and their wellness while thinking about work environments for the foreseeable future. Science is developing and becoming more widely available, and it offers a key to unlocking the potential of an organization's most important resource: its employees. We now comprehend and have the ability to measure the effects on people of having access to sights, daylight, clean air, and nutritious food. At a time when people most need it, there is a tremendous chance to boost engagement and creativity by making sure that this science is reflected in new design ideas.

Comet is currently exploring additional physical effects this paradigm shift is causing, such as:

-????????Communication

Whether in the office or working remotely, a workplace should be built to support successful communication and open up discourse amongst teams. Businesses can then begin to build a culture of trust and empower staff to embrace and nurture change after this has been accomplished

-?????????Technology & Transparency

Workers will expect more information availability. Information about the building systems can be shared by using dashboards and touchless technology. It will become commonplace to be able to monitor utilization rates, reserve desks, and spaces.

-????????Remote connectivity

During the pandemic, technology enabled us to operate remotely, but the shifting needs of business pushed the importance of technology even higher. To be ready for hybrid working, you must have the resources and technology to enable your individuals and teams, allowing them to work seamlessly from home offices, coworking spaces, and shared conference rooms - wherever they work.

-?????????Changes in Space Mix: The proportion of me-to-we spaces will reverse, there will be fewer open office workstations, more focus rooms, private video conferencing areas, and so on.

-?????????Collaboration will be improved and more equitable since there will be an increase in collaborative places that are open and virtually connected, as well as new methods of connecting digitally.

In order to fulfill your organization's specific objectives, Comet's thorough discovery approach will look at big-picture drivers, specify functional requirements, simply expose what is and is not working from the perspective of personnel, and assess future scenarios. Now is the time to fine-tune your organization's workplace needs for the near future while establishing a desired, albeit flexible, workplace real estate strategy that supports your organization's vision for the future.