Adversity. Hardship. Challenge. Resilience. Perspective. Opportunity.
The continuum of pandemic impact on the world has touched every part of our lives. It reaches from the most personal to the everyday. It has touched our homes and our businesses. It may impact the way we work forever.
It is interesting to look at just a couple of workplace perspectives from corporations themselves, the first from Google as published in CNN Business.
The company's workers around the world can continue working remotely until September, after which they can choose between coming back to their pre-pandemic office, working out of a Google office in a different city or permanently working from anywhere if their role allows it, a Google (GOOGL) spokesperson told CNN Business.
The new policy, which will go into effect September 1, was shared with employees in a note from Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
Pichai said he expects 60% of the company's global workforce will return to their pre-pandemic offices a few days a week, while 20% will move to a different office and the remaining 20% will work from home.
And as recently published in Reuters, “working from home doesn’t work for those who want to hustle,” from JPMorgan’s CEO, Jaime Dimon.
Diverse corporate perspectives from two industry sectors.
For more perspective we turned to the forward-thinking design professionals at Studio BV to hear from Betsy Vohs, founder and CEO.
“Studio BV is working with many clients on their go back to work strategies. Most of our clients are waiting to return to work until after Labor Day. Summer in Minnesota is a special time and the change back to a new routine feels better after summer is over.
We are working on defining what behaviors and activities will happen at work. We see most every client embracing the hybrid work model. Working both from home and from the office 2-4 days a week.
This is the new norm and the new expectation for talent in the market. The flexibility this model provides is really a platform for employee control and balance. Working from home when the work is call-based or focused-based and coming to the office to collaborate, mentor and engage. We are working with clients to create spaces to support hybrid work behaviors. These spaces move beyond café spaces and conference rooms; they are focused on new collaboration spaces that support work and connections for those that are hybrid. These areas are needed to support the hybrid work model. We can’t take the old framework for office space and layer on a new work model of mobility and collaboration for all and expect the office spaces to support it.”
KimbleCo couldn’t agree more. The war for talent will be fiercer than ever. There is a labor shortage. Successful talent attraction and retention will require transformation to a new way of work and life. One that is more wholistic, one that provides balance. A way of work that allows us to be our best selves – at work and at home.
Ultimately how will the pandemic impact office space? Will companies take advantage of hot desking with more types of collaborative meeting space there by maintaining the square feet in their portfolio? Or will space needs remain static as companies move to a hybrid model but plan for more space per employee and less density? Will the amount of space possibly decrease altogether with more virtual work resulting in a pause pf new development in most markets for the next few years? We are working closely with our clients to understand their workforce and the unique attributes of their businesses and analyzing the options to help them make the best decisions for their business. Only time will tell.
One thing is clear, best said by Betsy, “Office space matters, now more than ever. Why you come to work matters, what you do and who you engage with. It is an exciting time to be in the middle of this pivot in office space. I am excited for the future.”
