Should we return or redesign the office?
After the pandemic, there are still unsolved issues about in-person work. We should rethink the working experience as a whole and learn from what we have lived in the recent past.
Return to the office
When the pandemic was controlled, there was a moment we thought we could go back to the office whatsoever. How many times did we desire to go out, have a chat with our peers and see other human faces? Well, the thing is we didn’t fully understand that we couldn’t come out unharmed from the quarantine period.
We are not the same, the world changed, and we changed. There is no going back to the pre-pandemic workplace. The answer to this challenge seems to redesign the office rather than push employees to return to work everyday as they used to do.
Envisioning the office that employees will return to
Rethinking new ways of working is the best any company can do at this time. Knowing what your employees need and want is crucial to make these decisions.
We can help you with some trends that can pay the way for a better working environment:
- Identify the best in-person performing activities. Start gathering your people for these, such as brainstorming meetings or teamwork activities at the office.
- Flexibility for the working hours. If your team goes to the office, don’t force them to fulfill a rigid schedule. Let them come relaxed and go home when they accomplished the objectives of the day.
- Give the power to your people! Let them agree as a team which day they want to go to the office. If someone propose to go to the office and see each other is better, you can wait for this to happen.
- Continue to support and improve remote work. Use all the technology you have to make remote work, work. Use the evolving tools to constantly enhance the working experience.
Considering work modes rather than working hours
There is a moment of the day that can be called your working time. But now, we are looking for a better work-life balance that can be reached by rethinking our way of work.
Redesigning the workplace is considering working nodes and leaving the concept of rigid working days. Adapt to the idea of what does the work need to be done, and what’s the best use of time and place you can do to meet the weekly objectives, is one of the biggest challenges of the moment. Keep that in mind and you’ll take straightforward steps to thrive as a flexible office.
Some work modes are:
-Concentration: just focus, quiet places and no notifications.
– Collaboration: moments or meetings to think together as a team.
– Connection: chatting and bonding is essential for a happy and engaged team. The little chat on the kitchen it’s still important.
– Breaks: refreshing is working time too. Set time for this!
Maximizing the benefits of in-person and remote work
You can decide whether these working modes can be done in-person or in a remote environment, you can try both and then decide!
Returning to the office should be a choice and a benefit for every employee, not a challenge. Ready to make this flexible working space?
Source:
Sarah Bankins, Macquarie University. (2022, November 17). Why your flexible work conversation shouldn’t start with “how many days in the office?” https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-your-flexible-work-conversation-shouldnt-start-/?trackingId=
