Jane Duncan, designer at NERO, explores the need to re-evaluate the office space in a three part series.
Part One: A Sense of Home at Work
‘Hybrid work space’ is a concept which companies had to embrace when the pandemic forced work-from-home solutions. As staff converted areas of their homes to dedicated work spaces, organisations realised that – set up in the right environment – employees are as productive as when they occupied a traditional desk in the office during normal office hours.
As lockdown measures ease and staff return to work, companies are re-evaluating the office space. But, to encourage staff to see the office as a ‘hybrid work space’, the traditional office needs revolutionising.
Staff want to return to an office that enables them to perform their function, while at the same time provides modifications to ensure their safety. From a design perspective, this means an office where personnel can move without unnecessary face-to-face contact. Solutions include separate spaces for team interaction: work, internal meetings, breaks, and interfacing with clients.
The work space need has shifted; instead of employees creating a work space in the home, the home now needs to be brought into the work space. Formal business interactions, worldwide, have relaxed. To harness the intimacy of these less-formal interactions, soft furnishing and home accessories create a continuation of this new norm.
The necessity for specalised spaces has also increased. Some employees, such as parents, struggle to find time or space within their homes without distraction. Others, with lack of interaction during the lockdown, have become accustomed to working in isolation. For both groups, dedicated spaces in the office are a solution. Staff benefit from having areas where they can collaborate on deadline-intense projects, as well as in insulated areas for those who thrive working in isolation.
Creating a sense of home at work encourages teamwork in an environment that considers the “human side” of work during this time – connectedness is key.
To encourage purpose, teams must buy-in to the message of the organisation. The work they perform, the teams they work with, the values of the organisation, the client, and the physical space they work in all contribute to satisfaction employees derive from their careers.
These are Nero’s considerations when designing or refurbishing a corporate space.
‘Hybrid work space’ is a concept which companies had to embrace when the pandemic forced work-from-home solutions. As staff converted areas of their homes to dedicated work spaces, organisations realised that – set up in the right environment – employees are as productive as when they occupied a traditional desk in the office during normal office hours.
As lockdown measures ease and staff return to work, companies are re-evaluating the office space. But, to encourage staff to see the office as a ‘hybrid work space’, the traditional office needs revolutionising.
Staff want to return to an office that enables them to perform their function, while at the same time provides modifications to ensure their safety. From a design perspective, this means an office where personnel can move without unnecessary face-to-face contact. Solutions include separate spaces for team interaction: work, internal meetings, breaks, and interfacing with clients.
The work space need has shifted; instead of employees creating a work space in the home, the home now needs to be brought into the work space. Formal business interactions, worldwide, have relaxed. To harness the intimacy of these less-formal interactions, soft furnishing and home accessories create a continuation of this new norm.
The necessity for specalised spaces has also increased. Some employees, such as parents, struggle to find time or space within their homes without distraction. Others, with lack of interaction during the lockdown, have become accustomed to working in isolation. For both groups, dedicated spaces in the office are a solution. Staff benefit from having areas where they can collaborate on deadline-intense projects, as well as in insulated areas for those who thrive working in isolation.
Creating a sense of home at work encourages teamwork in an environment that considers the “human side” of work during this time – connectedness is key.
To encourage purpose, teams must buy-in to the message of the organisation. The work they perform, the teams they work with, the values of the organisation, the client, and the physical space they work in all contribute to satisfaction employees derive from their careers.
These are Nero’s considerations when designing or refurbishing a corporate space.
