Changing Perspectives, Changing Spaces

The last six months  have seen dramatic changes to the world, with no indication of any way back to where we were at the beginning of the year. Coronavirus has forced our collective hand and the majority of us have been obliged to reconsider how we live and how we work.

Under the microscope

The office environment is perhaps the most compelling example of how physical space has to undergo a transformation in order to accommodate the changing times, along with the shifting focus and variable needs of all of us.

Work patterns are becoming increasingly fluid and so is space – which, ultimately, affects what we fit into it…

A recent article in the Observer positioned working from home as 2020’s most radical change. The reluctance to return to the office, despite the lifting of sanctions and the government’s urgings, has spoken volumes in relation to how far we have come in a matter of months.

This journey encompasses an unwillingness to return to the status quo – and national stats and surveys back this up. When the Government attempted to urge people to return to the office in August, only one in three workers went back. The reality is that there are very few office workers who want to return to the rigidity of a nine-to-five, five day-a week schedule.

There is a change in perception of how we see our jobs and where we do them. Many office workers have, in fact, realized that they can physically base themselves pretty much anywhere and still fulfil their workload; meeting deadlines and briefs and liaising with colleagues.

The pandemic has changed our outlook on the way we work and what we want in terms of how we work. There’s been a recognized shift in what we need and this will impact the office long-term.

What we’ve learnt from you

Surveys, conducted this year, have found that 88 per cent of employees prefer to work from home at least two days a week.

The change to working in the home environment has proven effective, in the main, and we’ve all experienced the benefits that come from having autonomy over our working hours and spending less time commuting.

Given the choice, the majority of us will not be returning to a five day a week, nine to five, office-based way of working.

It’s also inevitable that some businesses will have to make cuts in the medium term and adopt a leaner working model, while others will choose to accommodate a more flexible way of working.

This will change how we use commercial space. It will also change how we design that space and what goes into it.

Adapting to the changes

At SB Workspace, we embrace our role as interior design consultants and rise to the challenge of furnishing these new spaces, working with you to anticipate your changing needs.

We understand that your space budgets will change and we will work with you to deliver intelligent and comprehensive interior design solutions that meet the new needs of the workforce as the compromise of working between home and office is fixed for each company and each individual.

Shapes and sizes may change. Our focus on getting it right for you won’t.

Get in contact today…