With most professionals working from home, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding when we will go back to work in the office. Even with the approved vaccine, companies are still trying to figure out a game plan to keep everyone safe and productive. Some companies have adopted a hybrid model for their employees, allowing them to come into the office for a few days and work from home the rest of the week, while other companies have given their staff the option to work from home permanently. With the office space as we knew it nearly if not already gone, business leaders are brainstorming how to use their office spaces and if they want to keep them. There are benefits to keeping your office spaces and reimagining them to work for your team in the future.
The Benefits of the Office
One of the top reasons to keep and have an office space is to foster team collaboration and innovation. While video conferencing and being connected through technology has allowed teams to collaborate and innovate in the comfort of their own homes, it doesn’t have the same touch. Face to face communication allows us to better understand the complexities of communication, like body language. We collaborate and innovate better when we can read what someone isn’t saying. There are several benefits to keeping your office space:
- Face to face interaction
- Option for collaboration, client meetings, and team building events
- Attract top talent for your team
- Attract the right clients
- Build and maintain company culture
Creating a Collaborative Space
Changing your standard office space into a collaborative space is easy. Several businesses around the globe are allowing their teams to work from home full or part time, but how long will that continue? Most think that a hybrid working model is the model of the future. Working from home gives people extra time in their day and can increase productivity. However, that doesn’t mean it’s time to do away with the office space. It just means it’s time to redesign it.
Creating a collaborative workspace and sizing down the amount of office spaces is one way to redesign your office for the future. Offices and cubicles take up a ton of room, especially with social distancing. If your team is going to be working from home part or full time, you won’t need nearly as many desks or offices. You can, however, turn that space into a collaborative area for your team to get together for brainstorming sessions, client meetings, and team building events.
The Benefits of Collaborate Space in the Office
One of the top benefits of having a collaborative space in your office is that you get to keep your office. You still have a tangible place to work, bring clients, interview potential employees, and have face to face discussions with current team members. Designing a collaborative space for your offices could put you ahead of your competition. In the midst of a pandemic, business leaders are grappling with what to do with their offices and what office culture will look like in the future. Be an industry leader and bring collaborative workspaces to your offices. Keep in mind, that redesigning your office space to include less offices and cubicles and more shared room doesn’t mean getting rid of offices altogether. It’s important that if employees come into work that they still have spaces where they can work alone if needed. Whether that be an office that is signed up for or designated quiet rooms, be sure to provide your team with “we” and “me” spaces.
Conclusion
The future of office life still seems uncertain, but we can start planning for going back to work today. Every office is going to be different. Deciding what’s best for you and your team might not be easy, but Omni Commercial Group is here to help. We want to help you innovate and redesign your office space to complement your business’s needs and team’s wishes. We know that together we can bring offices into the post-pandemic world with ease. Contact us today to discuss creating your collaborative office space.
