More work from home, even after corona. What does that mean for your office?

Research shows that half of all employees want to continue working from home more when the coronavirus crisis is over. Employers are also increasingly open to this. What does that mean for the function and design of offices?

Employers have more confidence in working from home
Many employers have now seen that working from home simply works well and have found that there is no decrease in productivity. Employers' confidence in working from home has increased. For example, Twitter recently announced that all employees can stay home “forever” after corona (if they want to). Facebook also followed with a similar announcement.

Not by default in the file to work
In addition to higher productivity, working from home leads to less travel time and travel costs. At home, most office work also works great. We don't have to go to traffic to do our job. Partly working from home has many advantages. You're more flexible and productive, it's good for work-life balance, it saves travel time and it's also better for the environment. In addition, due to corona, companies have made major investments in technology to optimize working from home. They will not throw that technology in the trash after corona.

The office gets more of a social function
As a result of this development, the office is increasingly becoming a place where you meet each other. It will have much more of a social function. Compare your office to a café: you don't go there every day (at least most people don't). The variety of sometimes working from home and sometimes in a social environment where you meet others provides flexibility and a sense of freedom. When you want to work where, you should largely be able to decide for yourself. The activities that require concentration and rest are often better done at home.

Office design after corona; based on activity-based working
It is expected that offices will be increasingly set up according to the principle of activity-based working, where office spaces are not divided according to personal functions, but by activities. This includes concentration rooms, brainstorming rooms, call rooms, meeting rooms and lounge areas. At Unilever, for example, the spaces in the new office are divided into different color zones. Blue stands for peace and quiet, red is the busy area where you can also have lunch, for example.

Create a happy space
There are aspects that are important for the perfect office, such as chairs, desks, temperature, (day) light, air quality and also the noise level. Do you have all that in order? Then you have a happy space!

Even after corona, acoustics remain an important factor in creating the ideal office with a social function. In meeting rooms or brainstorm rooms, it is important to be able to hear each other properly without annoying reverberation. And in a concentration room or bell room, it's important to stay closed from outside noises.

Want to know more about acoustics and happy spaces? Then take contact with us.

Download the special brochure with ready-to-use solutions for social distance in the office. Or check out the special page with the complete range

Read what measures required in the office in the 1.5 meter economy.

We also have good solutions for temporary treatment rooms, COVID units and workplaces!

Also read how to get a a nice place to work at home you can create!