Offices are crucial. But confusion & conflicts are everywhere. And everyone is talking about the future of offices after the pandemic.
What's it all?
If you're worried about bringing back the trust of your employees – organised desk sharing can help you.
The impact of Covid-19 is enormous everywhere, but short-term fixes certainly boost worker confidence and resume the office with certain precautions.
In an interview with BBC – Albert De Plazola, global strategy director of Unispace, told that the first phase of resuming office would involve making essential changes to keep employees safe.
It could require no significant investment. But long-term strategy needs steps to overcome the fear of future disaster, and keeping the productivity on track.
So today I am going to show you a strategy. How will desk-sharing help to re-shape the future of offices?
We'll discuss the impact of the pandemic on the future of the office. How to re-shape it? And at the end few tips to ensure safety & productivity of work environment. Need answers? Keep reading.
Impact of the pandemic on the future of offices – According to a survey by Mindspace, the London-based workers said they missed being around
colleagues during the lockdown. An article from Forbes suggests while home-offices are the new reality, the importance of workplaces is also essential. Instead, it'll get stronger.
As a Sydney-based principal architect Amanda Stanaway said to BBC in her interview – "We work because we enjoy coming together to create ideas and solve problems." Workplaces are going nowhere.
So what are the impact of the pandemic on offices, and how it will redesign the future? Pandemic is already encouraging the trend of remote-office. But now it's even more critical to measure the well-being of employees.
We are going to feel some immediate changes in our offices -
1) Workplace wellness – It is now more crucial to keep track of health. Air-filtration systems, installing of UV based cleaning are some of the essentials. The hygiene is more important than ever.
2) Touchless systems – Sanitisation is one solution but avoiding touches is a critical breakthrough. You can see touchless corridors, sensor-controlled elevators, and other voice control equipment to avoid direct touching.
3) Flexibility as a defence – Pandemic has taught us to adapt often. Future offices will include flexible work schedules and space; the role of organised desk-sharing is tended to begin from here.
How new office look after pandemic
The new office could become working in heaven. That's all we wish. But how?
Experts suggest beginning small short-term fixes could get us going. But longer-term design upgrades and modifications is the need for a strategy that put hygiene at the heart of workplace planning.
The new-look will consist of three major factors
1) Fewer people, more shift rotation & distributed office – Shortly, the companies could take actions to ensure safer human interactions. More people encourage to work from home, but for collaborative reasons, you can see the distributed offices.
These offices will remain closer to a particular group of employees who works together. More often, the shift rotation wherever possible and rotation of days can be considered as a solution.
2) Hospital level health measures – You can see the use of similar material as in hospitals to withstand heavy cleaning. More porous surfaces like natural oiled wood will be avoided. The preference in material selection will be given to stone or laminates. Air-filtration systems that use ultra-violet lights could be a part of the discussion. As for the cost point of view, it's almost similar to use safer building measures at a competitive price. It all depends on the choice.
3) Contactless offices – Touchless office will be the new reality. Social distancing is the new measure, but the one which allows group activities.
You can't live in the isolate. Considering contactless equipements like coffee machine, having corridors will be the new normal. Elimination of pressing buttons, instead hand gesture or voice control will be the part of our daily office life.
Anything that inspires hygiene is preferred.
You know the truth now about the future office. But small steps will lead to more significant changes. And we are going to discuss the role of desk-sharing as a vital part of the future office.
How desk-sharing will help in shaping the future of offices -
Desk-sharing is already in practice at some extend. But organised desk-sharing could become the synonym of future offices. How?
Organised desk-sharing if implies with technology can do many benefits and also reduce the overhead costs of companies.
1. Provide Flexibility: Organised desk-sharing will provide Flexibility to the employees. It will help to manage remote-work and desk-work easily.
2. Minimal attachments: Desk-sharing has one important thumb rule. No personal belongings. It'll reduce attachments with the dedicated-desks, and also ensure affordable cleaning as there is not regular change in desk-items.
3. More responsibility for hygiene: People are considering hygiene as a necessity. You can see them washing hands before joining the desks. It'll ensure a costless measure of hygiene in the office space.
4. Save cost & time: Organised desk-sharing save not only the overhead costs but also the travel time of employees. So now you can be in the office only when necessary. It is a win-win situation for both employer and employees.
Before concluding the topic, as promised, let me share five tips to keep your office safe & productive.
Save time with contactless technology as sensor-based or hand gesture-based equipment; it'll keep the workplace untouched.
Regular handwash is mandatory, turn it into a habit.
Regularise desk-sharing policy into an organised way. Ensure Flexibility &freedom to work from anywhere.
Lesser personal belongings.
Encourage socialising and adapting to new work-culture.
A culture can't change overnight over zoom. It is crucial to prepare for the future while taking care of our present.
Conclusion
Future of offices will be a safer plug & play environment with more flexibility and control. At the conclusion, Let's repeat the discussion in bullets.
We must prepare for any calamity in future.
Small steps could take us to significant changes – organised desk sharing is one of them.
Personal hygiene is vital for overall health security.
Contactless technology will be a part of our daily office life.
Mental health is as important as physical health, so offices are going nowhere.
Humans are social animal afterall.
Final words: Changes will take time, but one step you can take immediately. Check our organised desk-sharing application – Raydesk. It'll help you to turn your old office into future office, and that too at no cost. (Raydesk also provides a touchless hand-gesture controlled ring, it'll be fun to book a desk with your palm.)
Comments