Employees are the customer
With unemployment at a generational low, the war on talent is real. Couple this with history’s biggest remote work experiment, businesses — both small and large — now need to rethink the role of their office. Employee satisfaction has moved to the fore of office design, where companies are having to offer a distinct competitive advantage, while also having to provide a compelling reason for people to leave their homes. And so, the physical space must evolve. From a place where we sit and do work, to one of collaboration and interaction; where we can bring people together to do their best work.
We sat with Ally Honan, Schiavello Construction’s Design Manager, to explore this is greater depth. Working closely with our project partners throughout the design process, Ally has witnessed first-hand the exciting evolution of the post-Covid workplace.
"Where we work is a significant part of our lives and our identity. For many of us, the experience and benefits of working from home gave us a chance to reflect on what we want out of our workspaces,” she says. With this in mind, what does the workplace of 2023 look like? Here are some major trends we're seeing in the design space:
1. Workplaces are mimicking the feel of home
The 90s called … they want their grey cubicles back. Rather than trying to compete with the home office, we’re seeing organisations embrace and build on it, with workplace design increasingly adopt a homely, residential feel.
And yet, it’s not enough to simply create a ‘lovely space’. Blanket fitouts won’t cut it. Environments need to be purposefully curated – addressing the unique needs and motivations of users, while delivering an experience they can’t get at home.
"The more we can bridge the gap between home working life and office life, the more effectively employees can work in the new hybrid economy," Ally explains. We’re not talking about taking Zoom calls in your underwear – it’s about creating an environment where people feel like they can express their personality, with a design supports that.
Let's work together
Our workplace fitout experts are highly experienced in transforming office spaces.
Fill in our online enquiry form and one of our consultants will call you to discuss your project.
Our recent delivery of Space&Co sees them combine the best of working from home with the best of working in person. Curated soft spaces with a coffee shop vibe provide a casual ambience, paired with conference rooms for group working. All this addresses what teams missed most about in-person interactions while letting them accomplish individual work from home.
Further, people have grown to appreciate the control we have over our home workspace. Businesses should encourage employees to have their own autonomy over the workplace, with the ability to control their space depending on the task they're doing.
To support this, we're seeing an uptick in modular spaces which provide that flexibility. Vocus, for example, seamlessly integrated tables with castors as well as lightweight chairs that can be easy moved to fit the needs of the individual or broader team.
2. Offices are adapting to hybrid working
While most employees have returned to the office, many have opted for a hybrid style of working which incorporates some days working from home. Flexibility has become key to workplace design, as businesses have accepted that remote work is here to stay - and are adapting accordingly.
Given that workers can complete individual tasks at home, when they come into the office, it is often for the purpose of engaging with colleagues and working on projects together. As a result, many workplaces are integrating large spaces that are designed to foster collaboration and teamwork.
According to Ally, "We're seeing social areas become more popular to help drive social interactions. For example, kitchen spaces given much more emphasis now, as that is often where town halls and large group sessions are held. We've also recognised the need for improved technology to support flexible work arrangements, so people can plug and play wherever they work. With the increase of video call meetings, there has been an uptake in smaller sized meeting rooms and focus booths.”
3. Employee wellbeing has become a priority
The pandemic highlighted the importance of employee wellbeing and a healthy work-life balance. This is reflected in new workplace design which incorporates facilities that support different lifestyles. "A focus on wellness has notably increased," Ally notes. "Most offices have a wellness space which is now considered an integral part of the workplace. Wellness rooms have also been developed to become inclusive of all religious requirements and to maternal needs."
While it doesn’t take Martha Stewart to work out that interrogation style lighting isn’t conducive to productivity, we now have hard scientific data demonstrating the role that lighting plays in staff wellbeing and productivity. It’s this that sees offices moving from bright white lights to a colour temperature changing lighting that can aid the circadian rhythm (the body’s internal clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle).
You’ll also see workplace design forgoing the more traditional executive ‘corner office’ for workstations, so that greater scores of the workforce can benefit from the increase in focus and productivity that natural light tends to provide.
Recognising our innate desire to be connected with nature, many more organisations are also adding biophilia (greenery) to the workplace. Along with its purifying capabilities, studies have again found an increase in productivity with significant reductions in stress and sickness / absence rates.
4. Sustainability is a design focus - but remains a challenge
After the pandemic exposed weaknesses in the global supply chain, most businesses are now seeking out materials that are locally supplied and made. According to Ally, "It's fantastic for local manufacturers and for the Australian economy, but it's also great for sustainability in reducing embodied energy in transportation."
Another trend we’re seeing to decrease embodied energy is to reuse building materials and components or to ‘design for deconstruction’. Forget what you’ve read - sustainability isn’t about building to last. Instead, it adopts a ‘circular economy’ philosophy, where we design and build to eventually deconstruct and recompose. Everything is a resource for something else.
However, Ally acknowledges that there are still challenges ahead in improving sustainability in workplace design. Designers are relying on existing building features as well as on suppliers to provide products with a high content of recycled materials.
"Australia is still a bit behind when it comes to sustainable fitouts," Ally said. "But I'm looking forward to future developments in this space."
5. Collecting workplace data
Through booking systems, desk sensors or the like, thoughtful data collection can assist organisations with staying up-to-date with how their employees are using the workspace, enabling them to anticipate and plan for future changes in ways of working and workspace needs.
By dedicating time to data collection, organisations will have the metrics and understanding before making high-impact decisions about changing the workplace. Intuitive technology solutions with automated data collection methodologies grant organisations with access to meaningful workspace data in real-time.
Let's work together
Our workplace fitout experts are highly experienced in transforming office spaces.
Fill in our online enquiry form and one of our consultants will call you to discuss your project.
Related Articles
Premium and A Grade Commercial Buildings
