As the media keep telling us, it would be fair to say that there is something of a new normal when it comes to office space. Nowadays, we don’t need quite as much of it – although there is growing evidence that more workers are finding themselves back at their ‘official’ desks following a significant breakaway.
Nevertheless, offices have had to change on the back of recent times. If you are thinking about how to revolutionize your new office space, today’s post will talk through some of the critical design elements that you should contemplate.
The rise of standing desks
In truth, this has something that has been happening for a decade – it’s hardly a recent thing.
Gone are the days when employees crave sitting down all day; office workers seem to be much more health-conscious than this. Instead, standing desks are all the rage, and any modern office with them is sure to be a hit with employees (and potential ones, for that matter).
This could be one of your shrewdest moves for those of you who are thinking of ways to lure people back to the office. They are still a reasonably new invention, but they can be costly and generally out-of-reach for the typical home office.
Break-out spaces are the new kid on the block
In terms of the design of the overall office itself, break-out spaces are a must. Once upon a time, an office was filled with desks. Now, a more open and ‘relaxed’ environment is needed.
Contrary to popular belief, break-out spaces aren’t the table tennis zones that used to dominate laid back industry offices once upon a time. Instead, they’re designed to be a more informal place for employees to work or collaborate.
Again, with the WFH mantra picking up so much pace over the last couple of years, these break-out spaces can really make the difference in your modern office.
Meeting rooms come in all shapes and sizes
A lack of meeting rooms is one of the most common problems that historically faced companies. Now, these challenges are starting to deviate. Sure, a lack of meeting rooms is always going to be a problem, but nowadays you’re going to need different types of meeting rooms as well.
With most companies opting for a hybrid approach, it means that it won’t be unusual to have some employees in the office and some at home. How are meetings now going to work? Here, you need to consider smaller, quieter spaces, which allow employees to jump on a Zoom call and not be disturbed by the standard office chatter.
What about meeting rooms for clients?
Inviting clients to their office space is a normal activity for some businesses. Of course, with the recent changes to the ways of working, will this change for good going forward? Are more clients going to opt to have those external meetings virtually?
If you believe the answer to this question is a resounding ‘yes’, you need to make the appropriate plans. Yes, you’ll still need adequate insurance if you receive guests from outside, but you’ll also need a suitable (i.e., aesthetically pleasing) meeting room to deliver those key pitches and presentations. Think about the technology which will at least have all of your team on one camera to ramp up the professionalism, rather than keeping everyone staring at individual webcams on Zoom.
It’s here where you can start to own external meetings again.