The social-distancing office is coming. How can we make it feel friendly?
Most of us are straining to understand what's happening now, but Armen Vartanian is already trying to figure out the future.
Vartanian is head of global workplace services at Okta, a San Francisco software company. It's his job to redesign the modern-day office so the high expectations of the pre-Covid-19 era -- comfort, professional focus and team energy -- can still exist within a drastically new set of safety constraints.
Thousands of employers around the world are wrestling with the same challenges, as companies prepare to reopen offices. What does the social-distancing workplace even look like? What will it cost and how quickly can it take shape? Most tellingly: is there any way to embrace a pandemic-fighting mentality and still create a setting where humans would want to work?
Architects and workplace experts are rising to the challenge. They're creating artistic renderings of airier interiors, with more space between employees. They're also modeling much greater freedom for employees to work at home. Some scenarios even envision a drop, at least temporarily, in office buildings' daily headcount to as little as 25% of last year's norms.
One such approach emerges in the Okta illustration above, showing how the company's 24th floor common space is being reconfigured. Chairs are farther apart. Walkways are wider. A few table-and-chair pairings invite impromptu business chats, but they aren't tightly nestled together. It adds up to an overall feel that's more like a first-class airport lounge -- or an Apple store -- than a hospital isolation ward.
What's important to realize, Vartanian says, is the power of flexibility. He has become a champion of "dynamic work," in which improved technologies make it much easier for employees to allocate their work time to whatever blend of home, office and other off-site locations make the most sense. "The old reasons for coming into the office are no longer the case," he observes.
In a recent company blog post, Vartarian and Kristina Johnson, Okta's chief people officer, observed that even before Covid-19 struck, more than 30% of Okta's workforce was working remotely. That's led them to think harder about "empower[ing] employees to be their most productive and successful selves from anywhere, whether it’s in the office or from home."
(Okta's redesign, from a different angle)
Each industry is its own story, of course. Issues such as elevator access and lunch-hall hygiene pose gnarly challenges. Also, what makes sense for tech companies, consulting firms, banks, law firms and other professional-services firms is a far cry from the on-the-job realities of restaurants, long-haul trucking or pro sports teams.
Even so, we at LinkedIn are interested in all aspects of the global return to the traditional workplace -- and the adjustments that everyone is making. If you've got ideas to share, or concerns that you'd like to address, it would be great to hear from you in the comments below.
And if you can make your point even better by including a photo of your workspace in its new or emerging form, please do so!
Montecito Consulting Group | Salesforce and Cisco alum | Founding Chief Member | Advisor to Startup Companies | Board Member | Chief Event Officer | Chief Experience Officer
4 年For us at Salesforce, the timing of when we bring employees back into our offices will be unique to each location—we’ll make those decisions on a city-by-city basis, in a way that's consistent with local government guidelines and in line with the advice of our medical experts. We’re not all going to be streaming back into our buildings at one time. Think of our return to our offices as turning up the dimmer switch slowly and thoughtfully. It won’t be like flipping a switch and all being back at once.? Here's a blog post that we recently shared with some of the considerations that we're exploring as part of this next chapter: https://www.salesforce.com/company/news-press/stories/2020/5/salesforce-work-update/
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Relocation Strategies + Relo Design, NAWBO Woman Business Owner 2024, Keynote Speaker ?? How to connect your passion to your strengths to Love your career
4 å¹´I am currently surveying my team, clients and anyone who wants to participate on #productivity in the office and at home. Giving your team a voice is the most important solution moving forward George Anders Once the feedback is gathered, develop a customized plan to implement. I am seeing a common trend in the #newnormal of flexibility. I have staff with Children who have stated a loss of over 25% productivity at home and they prefer to be in the office every day, I have staff that have 100% been productive from home. Develop a balance of being in the office AND working form home. I reassigned all seats in my office based on feedback and obviously #physicaldistancing . I am giving Flexibility and Structure at the same time moving forward. #DailyHuddles have been most valuable to boost moral and #culture I am beyond pleased with my team moving forward and hope others can benefit from my over 25+ years of expertise in raising #employeeengagement and #Productivity in the office. https://www.relocationstrategies.com/ideal-panel-height-for-post-global-pandemic/
I was an NCO for 20 years, which required me to master that age-old skill of turning on a dime and giving you nine cents change.
CEO Conduit Consulting ? Business Strategist, Corporate Development Specialist & Management Consultant ? Strategic Planning, Organization Design, Licensing, Joint Venture, M&A expert ? Innovation Catalyst ? Board Advisor
4 å¹´It's interesting that it took #covid19 #pandemic to ignite #mindfulness among many those responsible for #organizationaldesign . My clients all operate "essential businesses." The tangible product manufacturers had to make production team spacing accommodations in one day and immediately determine who would work from home. The intangible product creators immediately determined their entire workforces would work from home then had to activate how to connect everyone and maintain corporate culture while mitigating cyber-security threats. Several friends have mentioned the challenges of working from home life #wfhlife due to not previously having dedicated space to do so, not having the furniture to be comfortable all day long, missing second or larger screens, poor internet connectivity, and interruptions by other household members. The extroverts are longing for engagement with their co-workers, while the introverts are longing to not be interrupted when working. Management should keep these differences in mind. Another thing Management should keep in mind is that most workers productivity is higher when they have a specific work area preset with their work tools every day. That doesn't mean they need a huge space, just one big enough to facilitate concentrating -- whether it be on engineering a prototype or addressing a customer's concerns via a telephone conversation or performing accounting or analysis. If co-workers historically have been nearer than 6-feet, then businesses will need to determine how to provide protection. It is imperative for companies to do so to mitigate risk of liability.