Temples of Togetherness

Why bother going to the office? It costs more. The tech’s worse. You can’t find a desk. And oh my God, the state of public transport! I guess that’s why 56% of people say they’re happier WfH.

Except we’re social creatures, aren’t we? And the data reveals some tricky home truths about hybrid working. Poorer people get to work less from home. A majority of women work longer hours and take fewer breaks when they’re WfH. And younger people feel isolated without time in the office.

So hybrid working may well be a blessing. But not equally for everyone. And there remains a huge role for the workplace in our common life.?

That felt wonderfully, joyfully clear in our studio last week. It was like a festival of making for young people of all ages. A group of 30 architecture students spent a day working with us as part of the Future Cities Project. Then Year 9 from a local secondary school took part in the latest trial of our creative education programme. And finally it was Bring Your Kids To Work day, with glue everywhere and some savage user testing of an animated game we’re producing in our Geometry and Computational Design team.?

It turned the studio into a social space, nurturing different professional skills and opening windows into different aspects of your colleagues’ lives. It made you feel a little more connected to each other and the wider world.

None of that is an argument for 5 days a week in the workplace. But when British office workers are now reportedly going in just 1.4 days a week, according to AWA, it’s a reminder of how a great workplace can become a temple of togetherness, with all the fun, camaraderie, support and learning that brings.

Written by Matt Bell , Director of Strategic Communications, Heatherwick studio