The Covid-19 pandemic has shifted our world in a variety of ways over the past two years. The pandemic has not only impacted our social and personal lives but also our professional lives. The way that we work has changed. As an architectural company that designs and renovates commercial and office spaces, it is important that we stay aware of the post-Covid office trends and you should too.
Remote-Working is Here to Stay
The Covid-19 pandemic showed us we can work from anywhere. While some employees prefer to work in the office, others discovered their love for working from home during the pandemic. Employers will increasingly be expected to offer remote or hybrid options. Companies will need to adjust their expectations and accommodate employees wanting to work remotely. For employees, this trend provides a new element of flexibility to their work life.
Outsourcing Contractors
An increasing amount of employers are replacing traditional, full-time employees with independent contractors, or freelancers. Outsourcing contractors has gained popularity as it can save companies money. This could also be a factor contributing to the increase in remote work, as contractors rarely work from business offices. Hiring contractors does bring some benefits including reduced office costs and more broad access to a host of talented workers. However, this trend could present companies with new challenges such as finding the balance between how full-time employees and contractors should be treated.
We Are Leaving the Floor Plans Open
Open office space began to kick cubicles to the side in the late 20th century. Over the course of the past two decades, more and more forward-thinking businesses have incorporated the open concept into their office spaces. Open floor plans encourage collaboration and creativity. For architects, this means designing open floor plans of course, but also paying attention to building open offices that are acoustically sound.
Increase in Small Meeting Rooms
The popularity of open floor plans, leads to an increased need for more small meeting spaces. Also, with an increasing number of remote employees offices need to incorporate options to communicate via online video conferencing platforms in these small meeting rooms. As architectural designers implement open office floor plans it is critical to include multiple small meeting rooms for one-on-one in person meetings and providing the technology for meeting with a contractor, client, or remote employee via online video conferencing.