Edward Griffin, CEO of WorkPad looks at the future of offices.
Lockdown is ending. A vaccine is on its way. There is, although hesitant, hope and light at the end of the dark tunnel that has been this year. As life returns to normal, what will our work lives look like?
The uncertainty surrounding office spaces after nearly a year (or more come next Spring) of intermittent office working or working from home has us all reconsidering what occupying a safe work environment truly means.
This is exactly what has happened to many SMES and corporations, who both during and after lockdown, found themselves searching for alternatives to the traditional office set up. If there is anything we have learned from this pandemic, it’s that businesses always need to be prepared for drastic and sudden changes, even those as unexpected as this current year.
In a changing world, businesses need flexibility and, on a practical level, Perspex screens and sanitisers at every entry point. Interestingly we have seen that the demand for office space has not disappeared, contrary to some reports. The swift agility with which many businesses have responded to the pandemic, means we will see both the continuation of the working from home model, but also a turn to more adaptable renting options.
Companies’ requirements for office space will look very different in the post-lockdown economy, but there are some opportunities. In particular, smaller, private, serviced office hubs are growing in popularity, especially among those who have had to downsize and shorten their office hours because of the pandemic. Many companies have had to shrink their office time to two or three days a week, which has also opened up a world of possibilities within the area of serviced offices and shared office spaces. Private serviced offices also offer a safe alternative to the co-working centre, which gained popularity prior to the pandemic. Post COVID, people will demand private spaces with flexibility, where they can invest in their own space rather than communal shared areas.
Creative hubs, and bespoke office agreements, where companies share a space, not in an uncontrollable hot desking scenario (which now seems wildly untenable) but in strategic shared space for core and essential staff, coming together every day, or once or twice a week. It’s a model we are increasingly seeing. Other businesses, which after the pandemic will stick to a two week per month office schedule, would also benefit from a customer-oriented approach to leasing, allowing them to share their office space with peer companies with compatible office hours and save a considerable amount in expenses. Shared private offices could easily become the future of SMEs workspaces.
Businesses now have learned to invest in spaces that are kinder and better suited to the health of their staff, with consistent fresh air flow and open spaces that would allow social distancing if necessary.
In a post-shutdown economy, times will still be uncertain, and so SMEs are getting ready to expect the unexpected. By settling their businesses in a space that allows them to change, adapt and grow, they are securing both their short- and long-term future. This is why landlords, both retail and commercial, need to make an effort in encouraging communication with their tenants and find out about their needs and concerns. There are solutions, and both parties need to cooperate in order to successfully and efficiently thrive in a world after lockdown.
