The end of the office?

JUST 9% of us want life to return to ‘normal’ once the outbreak is over, according to a recent survey. It seems that despite the anxiety and stress of the situation, the mixing of home and work life in these circumstances has suited many of us. There will also be others itching to get back to the office, according to experts.

‘It is clear to us that many businesses will face conflicting pressures when it comes to returning to work,’ said Ollie Brock, director of BHP Guernsey, a consultancy spanning architecture, building surveying and project management.

‘On the one hand, there will be employees who will be desperate to return to the office environment for the stability and structure it provides, as well as the social and infrastructure aspects that they may not have had whilst working from home.’

Joanna Watts, of Watts Property Consultants, said: ‘There are naturally great efficiencies to be had from working from home. Particularly with savings in travel time and the modern technology available at our disposal.

‘However, whether this is an effective large-scale solution, which can be adopted on a long-term basis, remains to be seen. Human beings are essentially social animals. We thrive on interaction, collaborative working and a team approach.

‘Video conferencing works well when you can bounce off an existing face-to-face relationship. Office banter can also continue remotely on group chats. However, nothing replaces the vibe and spirit of being all together in a single environment.’

New office design may be needed to reflect safety concerns, according to Phil Dawes, managing director at D2 Real Estate.

‘There is no doubt the economic impact will be huge and buildings that can reduce the risks we have experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic will surely be at an advantage, particularly where landlords are trying to attract the large corporates with a global presence into their buildings,’ he said.

‘It wouldn’t surprise me if items such as germicidal lights, lifts without touchpoints and antimicrobial fabrics, etc start to be taken into consideration going forward.’

We could also see a reversal of the open office trend – although many adjustments in office design may just be acceleration of trends that existed before the pandemic.

‘One thing is certain is this,’ added BHP Guernsey’s Ollie Brock, ‘every well-run business will take this experience as an opportunity to consider their physical working arrangements and seek to engage their employees in a series of feedback and review cycles in order to ascertain how best to move their operations forward.’

It may not be the end of the office, but it just could be the end of the office as we know it.