Despite the successes of the unexpected experiment of working from home for almost a year, the vast majority of organizations believe that the lack of physical interaction has diminished the scope for innovation. It has been acknowledged in the early days of the pandemic, that the physical presence of workers is critical at some regular frequency.
That said, the proportions of work-from-home and in-office time remain in question. Organizations and asset owners are trying to determine the amount of space that will be required in a hybrid model and the workplace design strategy that will promote the types of interactions workers seek.
A recent McKinsey study suggests that Much of today’s office space won’t meet the needs of tenants and workers in a hybrid world.
The report says:
Occupiers will increasingly focus on making the workplace an exciting place to be, recognizing that the next-best alternative for most employees—their homes—has turned out to be better than they had imagined.
Workers need a reason to get up, get dressed, and commute. Space should be purpose-built for hybrid work. A food-and-beverage ecosystem of restaurants, lounges, cafeterias, pantries, all digitally accessible, has to emerge. The experience of the workday will become more digital: ordering food and concierge services, showing that you’ve complied with a building’s health and safety protocols, booking rooms and workspaces, and so on will need to be as easy as a tap on a smartphone. But the need for a digital experience is about more than just apps that help owner/operators communicate with users of space; it’s about services and experiences contextually embedded within the workplace through the digital layer of office buildings.
For designers and occupiers, this structure challenges the traditional allocation of 70 percent of space to desks and offices.
Smart conference spaces, collaboration areas, and lounges that inspire the collision of ideas and creativity will come to define the floor plate, depending on the nature of work taking place.
PHI Space has been working with asset owners and office occupiers to reimagine the work place for emerging trends and rapidly deliver spaces that have acknowledged this evolution.
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