Significant workplace changes predicted in post-lockdown world

2020-04-28

Changes to the role, and structure, of the traditional office are being predicted by experts who see a new era of business culture, post-lockdown.

According to Forbes, ‘Many companies have been resistant to letting employees work from home, but this unexpected global work-from-home experiment has forced companies to accept it as a legitimate option. Companies have put greater technology systems and support in place to facilitate mobile working’ and ‘they will expand the acceptability of remote work, and provide more choice and flexibility to employees to work wherever they can get their best work done, including away from the office’.

This puts into question what the traditional office will look like in years to come, with some experts anticipating that they will become places to ‘come together’ rather than ‘go to work’.

An article in Open Access Government, a publication that provides an in-depth perspective on key public policy from around the world, suggests that the office will no longer be desk dominated. Instead it will focus on event style knowledge sharing, cultural refreshment, mentoring and networking. 

Forbes agrees, stating that all the things employees love about working at home, such as comfortable places to relax between meetings, will create new demands on the office. Organisations will have a new appreciation for the importance of the office, the critical nature of face-to-face interactions and the ways their workplaces must support employees.

According to Andy Gibson, director for the North of leading UK moveable wall experts, Style Partitions, this will have a significant impact on how offices use flexible space.

“More home working could mean a requirement for less, but ‘cleverer’, office space,” said Andy.

“In recent years we have seen a significant rise in demand for our innovative ‘working walls solutions’ to deliver collaborative workspace, and we expect this to increase further as companies re-evaluate their office space to accommodate what could be the biggest culture shift we have ever witnessed in the workplace.

“As companies seek to use their offices differently, they will want to reconfigure their rooms to cater for different gatherings and events and, thanks to modern operable wall technology, this can be done at the push of a button. Many companies are already enjoying the benefits of fully automated space to change their meeting rooms on a daily basis, create impromptu team collaborations and provide restful break-out areas so that staff can enjoy time out during the day.

“As companies leave remote technology working in place, and redesign how their offices are to be used, I suspect we will see an incredible shift in agile and flexible work practices which will change how our office space looks forever.”

For more information about Style’s range of moveable wall solutions, please contact your nearest regional Style office.