Pivot spaces – or multi-functional areas of the office – are not new, but social distancing measures and a focus on improving the employee experience in the office are making them a key feature of tomorrow’s workplace.
At the start of the year, companies were not thinking about social distancing as a workplace priority but in a short space of time, it has become central to office design.
With employees now returning to the office and coronavirus still a lingering threat, more businesses are thinking about how to best adapt their spaces.
Designed well, these pivot spaces can help to make the office somewhere people want to be. So why should we incorporate pivot spaces into the office now?
To promote health and safety
Employee health and wellbeing are at the heart of the current office rethink. Pivot spaces can be used to distribute staff around the office to maintain physical distancing and adapt accordingly as workplace guidelines change.
Well-designed pivot spaces can also help employees feel at ease in their surroundings. Plants and relaxed color schemes can promote a calming effect. And right now, wipe-clean surfaces and materials can also reassure staff.
To create a sense of community
Pivot spaces are popular places for internal team gatherings that allow colleagues to collaborate and strengthen working relationships. While the pandemic has made us more familiar with conference calls, there’s no replacement for a physical gathering and the spontaneous ideas it generates.
Ensuring design supports interaction does not mean “reinventing the wheel” and investing large amounts of capital in furniture. But meeting spaces can be reconfigured to encourage socially-distanced groups. These spaces will be de-densified, including the removal of some chairs to ensure seating arrangements comply with current social guidelines.