The traditional office concept no longer works

Post-Corona office design: more zones for focus, co-creation and community, fewer basic workplaces and classic meeting rooms.

Due to the positive experiences of working from home a lot, the implications for the workplace will be structural. The way of working will change permanently and thus the design of the office environment. The traditional office concept with only basic workstations and meeting rooms is no longer sufficient. Adapting is necessary to ensure the connection with the employee and the effectiveness of work. Five major changes are to be expected. You can read them in this article.

Activity-based design

The best way to design the ideal work environment is based on the activities and processes that take place within your company. How do you set up the office so that it supports the work as well as possible? This is what we call “multi-space design” or “activity-based design”. There are five basic office positions.

Five functions of the office

Based on the different activities and processes, there are the following five office functions to consider:

1. Basis: space for simple tasks that are done alone
2. Retreats: space for tasks with a high level of concentration that are performed alone
3. Meeting: space for meetings for the pure exchange of information, classic 'meeting'
4. Co-creation: space for collaborative, creative and agile work with the aim of developing new concepts, solutions or products
5. Community: space for informal or non-work-related exchange; serves to create coherence and strengthen the sense of us

What five changes do we expect?

1 — Basic activities don't have to be in the office

An office is not absolutely necessary for purely basic activities. In principle, these tasks can be done just as well in the living room, study, garden shed or train. The importance of space for basic activities will therefore gradually decline in offices in the future.

2 — More need for focus zones in the office

While some people have always appreciated working from home as a retreat, for others, this means quite the opposite. Children, roommates or construction sites can have the effect that you can't find rest at home and that the office is primarily valued as a haven. Companies will need to create more real retreats and effective focus zones in the future.

3 — Classic meeting rooms are less important in the office

Thanks to digital meeting tools, classic information-sharing meetings can be held with consistent success, regardless of location. The importance of classic meeting rooms will gradually decline in the future, as will basic activities.

4 — Create co-creation spaces in the office

Effective digital tools are now available for co-creation, but the effect is not the same as a face-to-face meeting. The importance of effective areas for co-creation will increase and companies will be called upon to make them available.

5 — Make space for informal exchange in the office

Real physical interaction does not occur or only occurs to a very limited extent when working from home. However, people do crave it, not only in their personal life, but also in a professional context. The importance of common areas will therefore also increase.

Traditional office concept no longer works

The importance of basic workplaces and classic meeting rooms will gradually decline. However, organizations will be encouraged to offer more retreats, co-creation and community. This development represents a major change from the traditional office concept that is still the starting point for a large part of the companies. The traditional office concept works exactly according to the principle of “standard workplaces plus meeting rooms”. In other words, it is precisely for the spaces that form the essence of the traditional office concept that the meaning is declining.

For companies that adopted the multi-space approach before Corona, the change is much easier to manage. For everyone else, the need for action is all the more urgent. Give your employees a reason not to always work from home — make the trip to the office worthwhile!

Want to know more about the new office environment and the multi-space approach? Then take contact with us. Our specialists are happy to help you.

Watch here our solutions for comfortable working from home or read here more about the changing office environment after corona.

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

Source: www.officeinspiration.com