Over the past 70 years, the workplace has evolved slowly but surely. In the past 5 months, that evolution has accelerated far more dramatically because of the health, social, and economic upheavals we're currently experiencing. When the dust settles, the office is going to look and feel like a different place than the one we left in March.
Better than Home
Today we recognize that office buildings are no longer just containers for people but rather an experience supercharger. Office performance should be less about maximizing workplace density and more about the quality of the space and the experience it delivers.
Many companies, including Gensler, have been reporting high productivity from home-based employees, but are we working well? Are we learning, mentoring, and building expertise while we are apart from our colleagues?
Working at the office provides one thing we have been craving during the pandemic: in-person, human connection. Once we feel it’s safe to go back, we will seek out the spaces that celebrate and support the ways we work together: social spaces that help to build community and allow real-time collaboration.
Being remote, we can also lose touch with the shared purpose behind our daily tasks. When we return, the office will need to offer more meaningful and immersive experiences to reconnect individuals and teams with their company culture. Like attending a company retreat or spending a day at a theme park, these shared experiences rejuvenate us and elevate us from our home-based work routine.
The Free-Range Workplace
How many people have their best ideas in the shower? Or on a hike? The human brain is at its most creative when we are standing, moving, and mildly distracted by a physical activity. So how do we expect to innovate while we are sitting at a desk?
To spark creativity, we should think of the office less as a single destination and more as a journey of discovery. Our buildings need to resemble the natural settings that we are best adapted to and prioritize shared ownership of the space and varied, heightened experiences.
Moving between a variety of work settings or between floors gives more opportunities for interaction and engagement. And moving our work easily into all-season outdoor spaces can literally provide a breath of fresh air.
Rather than open plan floors, the future office will be “open section” — providing multi-level settings where our views, movements, and ideas are not constrained by windows and walls. That’s better for our health and well-being and better for the environment.