How COVID-19 Impacts the Future of Office Space
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COVID-19 has greatly affected not only our health care but also other aspects of our life. It’s hard to maintain what we had before, but for now, we can only try to adapt to the new situation and change our lifestyle.
Coronavirus and employment
After our concern about health, what suffers the most is work. Many people had lost their jobs after enclosure due to the pandemic, but not all branches of the work are in danger. In some countries, people got help during the lockdown in the form of money, but that was just not enough to compensate for their payment.
Future of office space
Should we worry about the future of office space in the COVID-19 pandemic period? Not really! While many companies have closed their offices, putting their employees on full remote mode, most have made a smarter decision. They switched to a hybrid management model, saving spaces while reducing costs.
At that time, on-site work has undergone a number of changes. Advances in technology have helped us do our jobs faster and more efficiently at any location. Employees are now using programs that will calculate when and where other colleagues work, which is great for maintaining a working schedule and a healthy environment.
What is space utilization?
Space utilization is your building’s occupancy divided by its capacity. This gives you a percentage of how much of the space in your office that you’re using versus how much is sitting idle. You should know how to optimize your workspace and how to use office space effectively. With the development of technology and artificial intelligence, you can use special tools that will automatically allocate remote and on-site employees and schedule their work. Office space needs to be used wisely.
How to optimize office space
With the transition to hybrid office management, companies look for how to optimize office space and, as a result, office maintenance costs. Research by Gensler shows that only 12% of employees want to return to offices on a permanent basis, while 88% want to freely choose their workplace and schedule. This approach allows you to assign one workplace to several people and alternate their working days between office / home / coworking / coffee shop. Thus, a business can cut from a few jobs in an office to entire floors in the case of hundreds and thousands of employees.
Workspace optimization
COVID-19 encouraged employees to follow the trends in the office space and make their own safe “corner” in the office. Nowadays, for those who prefer to work on-site, the most important thing is safety. Cleaning your workspace on a regular basis will lower the chance of getting any disease. Air-conditioner is one big NO! It makes viruses and bacteria spread easier. Instead of turning on the air-conditioner open your window. In some companies, you can see machines that are spraying sanitizers at people. Stay safe and always bring your hand sanitizer with you. Distance between worktables, regular ventilation, cleaning several times a day – all these factors will inspire to work with less stress in the case of COVID-19 pandemic.
Respect other employees
If you share the office with colleagues, you need to have in mind that some people don’t like to talk during their work. Your office may have thin walls, so pay attention to people in the hall, or other workspaces. The best thing is when you work in a healthy and positive environment, with people who know how to make a good atmosphere. That’s why you can’t expect only others to do so, you need to do it as well. Respect other’s privacy and keep the distance. This way you will protect yourself and other employees.
