We are still in the midst of a global pandemic and while we continue to keep up with the daily changes and protocols, we are also trying to plan for the future. The question on many of our clients’ minds: What does COVID-19 mean for the workplace?
In other words, is office space a thing of the past?
In a word? No.
While we will continue to see a need for office space, we’ll also continue to see shifts in the ways in which companies and employees use these spaces. While 75% of employees prefer to work from home at least on occasion (and 54% would like it to be their primary way of working), the brick-and-mortar workplace still has its place.
That place will just evolve.
Here are some of our early predictions on how COVID-19 may affect the workplace.
Increased remote workers
Employees are proving that they can still perform well even by working from home. With new social distancing protocols in place and unknowns with how this virus may continue to impact us, it could mean that companies will offer hybrid work scenarios where employees will continue to spend time working at home and come together in co-working spaces or during scheduled times for in-office collaboration. In fact, a recent Gartner poll showed that 48% of employees will “likely work remotely at least part of the time after COVID19” (versus the 30% that did so prior to the pandemic).
Shifts in recruitment strategies
While some may see companies that invest in a central workspace as an added benefit, others may view those that offer flexible work environments (from home, co-working spaces, etc.) as the draw. Author and futurist Jacob Morgan mentions that home office stipends could become a workplace perk with employers providing employees with ways to customize home office spaces in order to remain productive. From a human capital standpoint, Gartner research shows that 32% of companies are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers to save costs. This trend could also play a role in the size of workplaces or new design in shared spaces and open office layouts.
Changes to meeting structures
Zoom. GoToMeeting. Email. Microsoft Teams. Slack. If we hadn’t already dabbled in these digital communications tools, it’s likely that we’ve all used one or more of them in the past several months. These tools will continue to change the way companies conduct business—less in-person meetings and more virtual collaboration.
New, touchless options
Inside the buildings we can expect upgrades to touchless features such as automatic sinks and soap dispensers in bathrooms, a shift from hand dryers to paper towels and even voice-activated elevator banks. From a development and architectural standpoint, consideration is being made to determine building materials that can last through frequent cleaning.
On-site health screens
As CNBC reported, “According to labor and employment attorney David Barron, not only are employers legally permitted to check employees’ temperatures, they are also currently being encouraged to do so by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Employers may implement temperature checks and screening questions upon employees entering the building. This may mean additional protocols distributed to employees to ensure everyone understands these policies.
New attendance policies
As with the on-site health screens in the building, adjustments may need to be made as related to time-off requests and procedures, sick leave (and when/if employees are sick/need to stay home). This may include telecommuting procedures and expectations, paid leave policy adjustments, and meal or rest break policies to include more staggered times for physical distancing.
Additional changes you may see in the workplace include more hand sanitizing stations, additional distances between desks, workspace partitions or larger group meeting spaces.
As workplaces start to reopen, there will be a mix of building use—some companies will move to more permanent work-from-home structures or scheduled office time and others will look for additional office space in order to safely distance employees. Thoughts on economic activity and return-to-work scenarios have also been collected from the Fortune 500 CEO survey with 26% of those stating they don’t think they’ll have their workforce return to its “usual workplace”. As you assess your next steps, consider the needs of your company, your employees, your clients and your space. In particular:
What will allow your employees to do his or her best work?
How will you be able to offer flexible space/work environments?
When is peak building use and how will that be addressed?
What amenities can you offer on-site and off-site to continue to engage your team?
While it may be too early to predict all of the changes that will remain in a post-COVID-19 era, we are seeing a shift. What changes have you experienced so far that you see staying for the long haul? We welcome conversation around this topic on LinkedIn or Facebook.