As vaccination rates increase and more areas relax their restrictions, more and more companies are reopening offices that closed last year during pandemic shutdowns. If your business is preparing to welcome back employees, you must come to terms with the fact that much has changed due to COVID-19. In the post-pandemic age, office design and layouts must change as well. Here are five reasons why:
1. Higher Health and Safety Standards Will Be With Us for a While
Most health experts believe that the pandemic will continue to be an issue for at least a year. Even as vaccinations increase, new variants are spreading that might not be stymied by our current vaccines. Your office must make it possible for employees to continue to follow the guidelines that slow the spread of COVID-19. Workstations, shared collaboration areas and other spaces must be laid out in a way that allows for social distancing. You may also want to install hand-washing or hand-sanitizing stations throughout the office.
2. The Purpose of the Office May Need to Change
Surveys and studies indicate that many companies do not intend to return to five-day in-person work weeks even after the pandemic comes to an end. Many are choosing a hybrid model where employees work partially from home and only come into the office a couple of times during the week.
Before the pandemic, many companies were taking steps to provide a mix of private and open shared office spaces for employees. The private offices were ideal for tasks that required a lot of concentration or extra privacy, while the open spaces encouraged interaction. If your company is moving toward a hybrid model, those private offices will mostly be your employees' homes. Your office will now become more of a meeting place for employees to get feedback from supervisors and collaborate with coworkers and is likely to need a new layout to fulfill this purpose.
3. Your Employees Need to Reconnect
While a lot of work can be done virtually, working from home puts employees in a state of isolation. This is troubling, as a strong cohesive team requires connection. Your post-pandemic office should have a design that allocates space for employees to reconnect by providing small breakout areas with comfortable seating where coworkers can discuss both their personal lives and their latest projects in a comfortable relaxed manner.
4. Everyone Has Been Through Trauma
Once the pandemic is behind us, we will likely be facing an epidemic of mental health concerns. Anxiety and depression are on the rise. Your entire team has been through something traumatic whether they realize it or not, and the remnants of these experiences can impact morale. An office design with plenty of natural light, comfortable adjustable furniture, a pleasing color palette and decorative touches like live plants has already been shown to have a positive impact on employee satisfaction and productivity. In a post-pandemic age, these elements of office design will become even more important.
5. You Need to Pandemic-Proof Your Location
Unfortunately, scientists are warning about a potential increase in the rise of novel viruses that could spark pandemics due to climate change and human development encroaching on animal habitats. While we may not see another widespread global pandemic any time soon, it would be unwise to tell ourselves that COVID-19 was a once-in-a-lifetime event. A better strategy is to adapt office designs with hygiene in mind so that businesses can be prepared just in case. You may wish to explore incorporating materials that have antimicrobial properties and removing those that can harbor bacteria and viruses, such as traditional carpeting.
Wondering where to begin?
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