The pandemic in 2020 has changed many aspects of the world around us, and this has also extended to the way we work. With businesses closing left and right and remote working becoming the new norm, how we approach work has meant that how we experience our workplaces will be different for a long time to come. How exactly have they changed, though, you might ask? In this article, we take a look at a few ways design will likely fundamentally change in the future and what that means from workers now used to working from home.
Cleaner, contactless environments wherever possible
Much will change for commercial fit out companies in Melbourne in the coming months as more organisations scramble to limit any possibility of infection transmission. In a post-COVID world, there will be a huge emphasis on hygiene and sickness control and this will invariably be translated into work environments. People are now generally far more conscious about good hygiene standards than they once were, and this will also be evident in work spaces through the incorporation of infection control practices and innovative cleaning approaches in the design of office fitouts. These introductions might include things like contactless cleaning methods and upholsteries that are created to limit any transmission of bugs, plus the use of traditional-style door handles and doorknobs will be limited in favour of automatic doors wherever possible. Similarly, with everyone having a much firmer understanding of what isolation and care should entail, isolation rooms in the workplace, or at least rooms that can fill this role, may not be an outlandish expectation in the near future. These rooms might only require a small space, but can add huge value for companies looking to stay agile, particularly with our workplace’s new approaches to sickness and social distancing.
New space considerations that must be made
There’s a good chance that our experiences of social distancing will similarly find a way to be demonstrated in both new and old office spaces. Although there is a good chance that workers will continue with work from home setups, it is likely that more space will be introduced to distance co-workers on a more regular basis. This might mean that an organisation maintains the same space and simply creates more space between workers (while the others work from home), or if many people opt to work from home, they make actually downsize and develop new policies related to flexible working. Organisations that have the same number of people coming into the office might instead resort to using other spaces that they have, such as meeting rooms and conference rooms, to space out workers until they are able to find a larger space to accommodate, as this can be a great cost for organisations running on razor thin margins.
What does the future hold for commercial office spaces?
The business office landscape has likely changed forever, and we’re going to slowly start seeing attitudes permanently change as a result. Organisations looking to safeguard their future will likely resort to implementing some kind of response to employee distancing or infection transmission prevention – this is not only a good idea for safety, but it will also likely be appreciated by new workers.
Related Posts
