Re-imagining Your Core Office Space for a Flexible Workforce

About 22 percent of respondents found that collaboration and participation in meetings waned since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey conducted by Colliers.

The survey, led by Colliers Workplace team, found that while half of respondents were able to maintain or increase their productivity while at home, about 41 percent found social interaction better at the office, as well as 22 percent for collaboration and participation.

The Colliers report proposes moving away from traditional occupancy patters in the office into managed occupancy patterns in a post-COVID 19 office environment, where workspaces in an office are scheduled or allocated to certain employees or teams in shifts or varying days.

With 92 percent of the respondents saying that they felt the technology they used enabled them to work from home, and 87 percent of respondents saying that their manager is able to effectively manage them while working remotely, a re-imagining of the traditional office work space may be in order to maximize productivity and reduce unused space.

This proposal of structuring different schedules for employees to work in the office spaces means a possibility that core office space may be reduced as a result of less square footage being needed. However, this depends on the organization’s structure and use of common spaces.

Issues that arose from working from home included distraction and lack of human connection. Twenty percent of respondents found that their productivity decreased as a result of working from home, often due to children or roommates sharing the employee’s workspace. Another problem was that 38 percent of respondents reported feeling isolated, with the younger set ages 21-30 reported feeling the highest levels of isolation.

Despite responding that work from home did not decrease productivity, about 60 percent of respondents did say that they missed collaborating with colleagues in person, and more than 40 percent disliked that the work and home boundaries were being blurred. Employees who worked from their kitchen table reported the least amount of improvement in work-life balance.

Companies may pursue giving these employees access to a professional or flex work space near their homes, preferably within walking distance. Other options may include collaborations with public libraries, or partner or client offices. Companies may also pursue enhancing an employee’s home office set up, as 71 percent of respondents who worked from a dedicated room reported improved work-life balance.