Introduction - The future of the office

Global business has never before collectively closed its doors, sent their workforce home and held meetings via zoom instead of in the boardroom. This time of closed offices and working from home has been a huge experiment and we are seeing what has worked, what hasn't and what can be improved on. 7 months in, whatever the individual or collective experience, it has been a test for us all and the question of what the future of work holds is becoming a great divider with those sure that everyone will be rushing back into the office once they can, and those who see this as an opportunity to rethink. 

This is not to say the office is dead, far from it but it’s about reimagining what the office is for. The office will continue to be important for many companies and workers, and the benefits of an office environment—such as training, mentorship, and collaboration—remain as essential as ever, but it's in understanding the individual needs vs the collective expectations that will signpost the best future and it’s in understanding the cultural signals that are manifesting into new behaviours and expectations that will enable business’ to make the right decisions on how to evolve their workplace for them and their teams. As a cultural strategist, this is not about predicting the future, rather it’s about carefully considering the evidence - the insights & the hindsight - that we have available to us to identify a probable and preferable future workplace.

THE FUTURE OF THE OFFICE THROUGH THREE LENSES

It is easy to get caught up in the now, the day to day issues that the pandemic throws at us with rules around social distancing and the theatre of hygiene, however as important as these are, it's important to look beyond to the evolving needs and expectations that will affect the workplaces of the future. 

To understand the workplace of tomorrow we must look at it through three lenses:

1. The global drivers - those big eventualities that happen over decades and that are slow to change, but by their very nature cause consistent and predictable change.

2. The emerging needs that we as people have against the backdrop of the drivers such as a need for community, belonging, betterment and security to name a few.

3. The trends that are emerging as a response to the global drivers and the shifts in our needs around how to work, when to work and where to work.

At any one time, about 8-10 global drivers are affecting our lives such as Digital everything, Globalisation, Demographic disparity and the Transformation Economy, but it’s the combination of these global drivers and a global pandemic that has ushered in a very different set of expectations around the future of work, most notably flexibility, local, community and well-being.

THE FUTURE OF THE OFFICE AND FLEXIBILITY

Probably the biggest shift is the expectation for flexibility forced on us by the pandemic, but enabled by the digital world we live in. Companies are accepting the reality (and in most cases, success) of remote working and as a result, are exploring how to provide more choice and flexibility to employees to work wherever they can get their best work done leading to a rise in the rotation ‘office’, work-ations and ‘beyond the centre work hubs’. As a result, many office and worker footprints will become dispersed across the city in neighbourhoods where employees live as well as across borders.

The new workday for many of us will be about flexibility—going into the office when it’s needed, not as a matter of course and with working hours shifting as daily schedules become asynchronous this means we can work when it suits us, not just in the traditional 9-5. The world is not only ready but expecting flexible working as companies and employees call for greater long-term flexibility. According to research from Adecco group ‘Resetting new normal defining the new era of work’, 77% of those asked in the UK say they want a mix of both working in the office and from a location of their choice. As such we will see the rise of a distributed workforce and as a result the revision of what the office means. Today companies are being forced to be flexible, fast and resilient, and they have the responsibility to make their real estate strategy answer to this need.

THE FUTURE OF THE OFFICE FOR HOSPITALITY

The hospitality industry, one of the hardest-hit sectors in this pandemic, is responding to this corporate real estate strategy and in some cases have shifted gear, offering re-purposed rooms as rentable offices. The Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn partnered with workplace company Industrious to transform one floor of guest rooms with beds removed and instead fitted out with desks and work paraphernalia whilst offering free printing, WiFi and complimentary coffee and pastries. Similarly, Zoku in Amsterdam since the beginning of lockdown has been offering its studio’s as short term rental office spaces for individuals and small businesses who are looking for local and flexible offices beyond the home whilst a bit closer to home in London, West Hollywood hotel has turned some of its luxury suites into offices that are bookable by the month.

We are also seeing the rise of the work-ation with hospitality brands offering extended stays for digital nomads to enjoy the respite and work rolled into one. Vakkaru Maldives resort is offering a “Work Well” package for guests staying over 21 days offering them an upgrade to a bigger villa with a study for working and the services of what they are calling the Vacay PA, a dedicated PA who in addition to offering the usual daily butler services will also carry out work tasks such as organising meetings and printing. Supporting the needs of the entire family, five-star beach resort Puente Romano in Marbella in addition to its work-ation package offers on-site private tutoring for footloose workers’ kids alongside its six senses spa and botanical gardens for the full work-life balance. Recognising the growth in this sector, United Airlines has just announced its TeamTogether bundle that offers flights with short term workspaces aimed at the distributed workforce.

OUTSIDE THE TRADITIONAL WORK CENTRES

Afforded by this new flexible mindset is also the ability to be outside of the traditional work ‘centres’. According to the BBC, 50 of the UK’s largest employers have no plans to return staff to the office full-time in the near future meaning that the traditional central hubs no longer hold value for workers and employers alike. If lockdown has taught us one thing it has been to relish space and to recognise that being in crowded locations and to be cramped together in claustrophobic city centres day in and out is not ideal and as a result, we will see a shift in expectations about location leading to new communities and workspaces in emerging economic hotspots supported by new travel networks. Such beyond the centre locations will also offer other benefits for people looking for greener spaces, locally commutable offices and offices closer to residential clusters.  

With flexibility comes choice and with that we are seeing rise of what is being referred to as the rotation office, a hybrid model of working whereby people mix their working week up working from multiple ‘business locations’. As work becomes more distributed people will want, and in many cases, need to be away from their homes and will be looking for the choice of different locations from which to work from close to their locale. Businesses will buy ‘membership’ to co-working locations or offer smaller location specific ‘offices’ that cater for this distributed workforce who choose where to work from based on the activity they need to carry out. This may mean that a team member may work from one location in the morning and move to another in the afternoon.

THE FUTURE OF THE OFFICE AND ITS VALUE

So if we are no longer physically together as we re-evaluate the bricks and mortar and location of an office there is a need to create spaces to foster community and as such we need to explore the idea of communities, not companies. There is huge value in the physical workspace. It plays an essential part in people's wellbeing & work purpose and plays a key a role in how we collaborate creatively and how we build workplace friendships.

Pre pandemic we all knew that company culture was important but now we know it is essential for us to feel a sense of belonging, but this is not about zoom cocktail parties and Facebook workplace groups, but rather is about re-imagining the office from a place of corporate power to a place for interaction and corporate community. HQ will become the place that people choose to come to for activities that are best done together such as learning, socialising, mentoring and building relationships. As such offices will need to be rethought as places to foster collaboration, wellbeing and be a cultural manifestation of the company’s cultural values.

WHAT THE FUTURE OF THE OFFICE SHOULD LOOK LIKE

A recent report by US tech giant Oracle and HR firm Workplace Intelligence found that 2020 has been the most stressful year in history for the global workforce only confirming what many of us already know, but also highlighting the importance of wellbeing and the workplace. According to research from Opinium/Poem going for a walk, connecting with nature or sitting in the garden are the top 3 things Britons have been doing to relieve stress during these times, so as people recognise the impact of outdoor space on their mental wellbeing, we will see a rise in nature connection with inside-outside spaces and rewilding the workplace.

This need is not about a token pot plant on your employee’s desk, but instead rewilding spaces in and around offices such as roof gardens and greening up disused car parks as urban gardens, as well as considered workplace locations near rivers, parks and community gardens. With many studies proving the importance of nature for our mental wellbeing this will result in happier workers and ultimately a more productive workforce.

Co-working company Second Home’s Hollywood location is a perfect example of this. Made up of 60 garden offices all circulation space is outdoors and each ‘office’ is scattered amongst over 400 trees and native plants. Obviously Hollywood has an advantage with its weather, however, a closer to home examples is Birch community hotel and co-working. Set in 55 acres of green space overnight guests and co working members are actively encouraged to spend time in the grounds taking in nature or using the onsite wellness space to bring a balance of work and wellness. Really embracing the balance of work and nature, key Japanese national parks have recently launched designated workstations with super-fast WiFi installed at their campsites and hotels, available for digital nomads to rent. Users are also given the option to enrol in nature-based activities such as trekking or canoeing alongside their workdays.

Conclusion

With daily further changes on lockdowns both locally and nationally, the outcome of the future of the workplace is still being defined, but one thing is for sure that there is an opportunity to explore fresh directions that enable remote and roaming workers and new approaches to corporate community making us a happier, more productive and better workforce.

Philippa Wagner has spent over 20 years in strategic trend forecasting, shaping the future of some of the world’s leading brands. She’s worked with a range of global clients across hospitality, apparel, food, and drink, retail and technology. Philippa works with brands as a thought partner to turn insight into opportunity bringing new ideas to drive change in day to day operations as well as future-proofing their customers future needs. Balancing future trends and consumer insights with a strong commercial business understanding enables her to deliver both brand and business impact with the brands she works with. Connect with Philippa here.