5 reasons the office will never die.
There’s a lot of talk about the death of ‘the office’. We don’t buy it. But we do think its post-pandemic rebirth will look a little different from the traditional office model you know - and that should be a good thing.
Wherever you live in Australia, chances are, your work environment has been turned upside down. For desk or office-based folk, this has likely meant working from home for some period of time, a lonely empty workplace, or a combination of the two.
For us, based in Melbourne, we’ve essentially been working from home since March - so we’re now approaching our 7-month WFH (Work From Home if you’ve been living under a rock and not caught up with the most-used acronym of 2020) anniversary. For some, this is an anniversary worth celebrating. For others, it’s a milestone to lament.
It’s been a little from column A and a little from column B for us personally in the Small Matters team. We haven’t minded the opportunity to work in our pyjamas, spend some extra time at home tinkering on creative projects, and generally embracing a slower work-life pace.
However, the list of things that we’re missing makes the lamenting ‘column b’ a very long one.
For the past year, designing and operating shared work and coworking spaces has been our bread and butter. After launching T.O.M.S Place (a 13 office, 18 coworking desk space in Brunswick) late last year, in a short few months it had blossomed into welcoming and vibrant community of small business and working spaces. With the help of our wonderful tenants, we have created a culture and energy that lights you up as you walk in the door. Our tenants, from different businesses, all know each other’s names and stop for chats when they run into each other in the kitchen - sharing tales of the weekend as well as professional support. The sounds of laughter and collaboration drifts out of individual offices and meeting rooms. We spot people nestling into private nooks in the building to find space to brainstorm or be reflective. We’ve also hosted a range of events, usually with a social impact or sustainability bent.
It’s a place we looked forward to going to each day, and we can’t wait to return. But the question is, will we return to the office? Or will hoards of companies decide that this WFH thing is working well-enough and give up their office footprints on mass in the name of cost-savings? Is ‘the office’ a casualty of this pandemic?
We wholeheartedly believe that in the longer term, the answer is no. Sure, there may need to be some shifts to accommodate changing needs, but here’s why a well-designed and operated office cannot be replaced:
1. Social connection
We all need it (to some degree). Even if you’re highly introverted or have a big social life outside of work, social connection in the workplace is so good for us, and our organisations.
The all important incidental interactions that happen in the workplace is where people discover shared interests, build the rapport that makes negotiating workplace differences easier and we have the important opportunity to check in to make sure our colleagues are doing okay.
This casual ‘water-cooler’ chat just does not happen online in scheduled Zoom calls. If you’ve ever attempted an online ‘Friday drinks’, you’ll probably never RSVP to one again. It’s impossible to connect with people properly in this forum, especially when a vocal few are likely to dominate conversation.
We spend a huge chunk of our time working, it should be fun or at least friendly. We’re hearing, especially from so many people who live alone, all those cats, dogs and goldfish adopted at the start of lockdown, are not overly responsive when it comes to water-cooler chat.
2. Learning and collaboration opportunities
Collaboration and learning is best done in person. Some of the best learning and collaboration that happens in an office is unplanned. You shouldn’t need to schedule a time to ask a quick question. Idea generation and creativity is often responsive and ad hoc, and despite the plethora of online tools, cannot necessarily happen within a scheduled time limit.
In an office, we often overhear or can contribute to conversations that when moved online, we may not be invited to be part of because it’s not deemed relevant to our role or may be above our pay grade.
Moving to a 100% online model reduces these opportunities for cross-pollination and learning. Witnessing how decisions are made and how negotiations play out is important for professional development, as well as an employee’s understanding of organisational values and priorities.
Even when we are ‘invited to the party’ it’s not always easy for everyone to have their voice heard in an online meeting or phone call. And there are only so many times we can stand hearing ‘you’re on mute’.
3. Separation of work and home
Have you forgotten whether you work at home or live at work? The lines between home life and work are so easily blurred when you’re doing WFH. It’s been reported that with the constant presence of their ‘work desk’ has meant longer working hours for many WFH warriors. The ability to mentally and emotionally ‘switch-off’ from work at COB is extremely difficult when you physically never leave. The relationship and mental health consequences are not good.
4. A workplace environment is purpose-made for work
The dining table is not a particularly ergonomic workspace. Especially when it’s covered in things that typically live on the dining table.
Patchy internet, noisy kids, a sink full of dirty dish distractions, lack of equipment or easy access to resources we need - our homes are not designed for work. Even with modifications that make WFH more comfortable, our homes can never live-up to working in a space that is designed for the purpose it’s made for, to effectively facilitate work - that is an office.
5. Offices shape company culture
The way an office is designed and operated has a huge impact on company culture - for better or for worse.
The way work spaces or offices are laid out can lay the foundation for expectations of hierarchy, collaboration and communication flows.
Artwork, colour and furniture selections represent a brand, reinforce connection with the organisation and can inspire a creative culture.
Daily rituals, from the way meetings start to the way people greet each other in the morning all contribute to the company culture.
There are far too many employee and organisational benefits for us to foresee the complete death of the workplace. But with so many people enjoying some WFH hours and the cost-savings that come from cancelling commercial leases, for the traditional office to continue in some capacity when we’re able to return, it will need to be reborn in a way that fulfils the shortcomings of WFH and adds greater value. So, what will going into the workplace look like when we head to a new ‘COVID-normal’ and beyond?
We hope it’ll look a little something like this:
Employees will be given greater flexibility to work from home and have a ‘home base’ at the office when they want to go in
Workplaces are better designed for social connection and collaboration, and benefit human wellbeing
A bigger focus is on creating beautiful spaces that are inspiring, comfortable and enjoyable to work in
Most meetings and collaboration sessions happen in-person
Opportunities to attend IRL social events
Organisations coordinate opportunities for different employees to cross paths in the office.
If you’d like to chat about making the most of this opportunity and rethink your office design in preparation for returning to the office, please shoot us an email.