Monday Musing: This Is What Peak Performance Looks Like!

You might know me.

You might know I work in an office.

You might know that said office is a very light & roomy, open plan office, with large crittall windows, cast iron beams, a real brick wall with framed words of motivation (including our own Mission Statement) and hanging plants, opposed by white walls exhibiting wonderful works of contemporary art... all of which is layered over a lovely light oak coloured, engineered real timber floor.

You might also know I work at Making Moves - a commercial property consultancy who advise businesses on office strategies, from finding (and negotiating) office space to space planning and design.

You might even know that in the many years I have worked in the industry I have visited an array of offices, from the dungeon-esque work spaces that lurk in the lower depths of London's basements that time has long forgotten (at the very least the landlord), to the cellular, cubicle offices most notably associated with the legal sector, through to the wonderfully large open plan 'fun-houses' synonymous with the Tech industry (which undoubtedly eschewed in the modern workplace as we know it).

Fast forward 6 months and the world is a far cry from what it once was. Offices lay empty, TFL is operating at 64% less capacity than normal and the streets which once were flooded are now sparse. The impact of C-19 has been far wider and deeper than anyone could ever have imagined.

Fortunately, it's not the proverbial 'end of days'. It is however the end of the 'rat-race' as we know it. No longer will we be working 50, 60 or 70 hour weeks (you know you're guilty of it). No longer will you be racing for that 6.55am train which you have made just in time, only to be sandwiched between a sweaty mass of bodies.

It's now time to recoup and rejuvenate and as we slowly ease restrictions to find our way back to a new 'normal', it's time to re-think.

As we prepare for the return to work - a daunting and exciting experience after 6 months (or longer) of furlough and no doubt a welcome respite from the 4 walls we call home - we need to re-imagine what the future of the office looks like. No longer will you be working in the office of yesteryear (for now at least).

For some, it may be working from home (WFH) for others, it may be a return to the office in some capacity.

Something you might not know is that over the last few months we've been hard at work to support London's businesses through the pandemic, advising on everything from workplace consultancy (staff surveys, market analysis and space planning and C-19 safeguarding etc), to cost mitigation exercises (i.e. rent reductions, deferred payments, stay versus leave analysis etc). Whilst the end result has been somewhat different for each business, there are some common take aways;

• Businesses are now taking 40-60% less space than before
• Businesses are taking a far more flexible approach to working
• Operational costs are reducing by 30-50%
• Working from home (WFH) is a pain in the ass

What!? Who said that ??

Whilst WFH has been a dream for some, it is clear that for many the allure is wearing off and we’re missing interaction with our colleagues (& friends) and what this brings, from collaboration to mentorship & learning, to the social hub and whilst technology has helped with connectivity, it’s no substitute.

That said, if you're really interested in WFH, I'd like to introduce to you Panasonic's new Komoru - currently only available in Japan but will no doubt make it's way across the ponds.

Whilst undeniably sexier than your current WFH setup, this $900 rig is made of wooden pegboards with a built in desk - clearly designed to integrate with your IKEA adorned living room house or flat setup.

The Komoru will give you c.10 sqft of contemporary, sectioned-off space, which will become your home office and hopefully stop your home and office life blurring into one finely tuned 'Hoffice'.

This could be you. Looking snazzy, scribbling notes, taking Zoom calls and eating at your desk, all while your pet or child respects the boundaries of your new zen zone. This is what peak performance looks like!

Now, back to reality...

Whilst WFH will need to be incorporated into any office strategy going forward (with the right set-up in place), it should not become the de facto standard - we spent far too much time in the workplace of 2019 and the many years before it, for it to now become one with our homes and personal life.

Enter 'The Hub';

• Limited fixed desks - to cater for staff who will be in the office more permanently
• Work benches - for flexible workers
• Larger breakout space - for social interaction and town hall meetings
• Phone pods - for taking calls away from agile working areas
• Private pods - for staff support and mentoring
• Scrum space and booth areas - for creativity and collaboration
• Bigger meeting rooms - for focussed working/discussion

All of which is topped off with a rotational working system, which we've dubbed 'The Bubble';

• Bubble 1 - Monday, Tuesday
• Bubble 2 - Thursday, Friday
• WFH - Wednesday

Of course all of this is subject to each individual business, but you get the point.

And there you have it... a glimpse into the future of home working, a glimpse into what peak performance could be, a glimpse of who you might become and a glimpse of what the future of the office will be.

Sometimes there's a necessity in division and the work-life balance is clearly the one place it's needed.

So, if you're thinking about your return to work and what you need to do, or you just want to throw shade or praise at my words, slide into my DM's or pop me an email to [email protected]... or if you want to get personal, call me on 020 3595 3121.

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