Providing you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ll be familiar with the term ‘working from home’. Remote-working is something businesses have been forced to embrace at a rapid rate to prioritise their employees’ health first and foremost. But it isn’t the answer for everyone: if you’re not able to separate work and home commitments, juggle being a parent/ carer/ worker, or you simply don’t have an office at home.
It isn't surprising that compared to before, the following factors will bear a much larger weight when it comes to enticing your employees back to the workspace:
According to our research, employees’ wellbeing will be of pivotal importance in the return to work. Deloitte’s 2020 Global Human Capital Trends Report found that 79% of businesses saw a surge in employee requests for greater mental health support as a result of COVID-19.
The White Paper revealed that across the board, businesses top concern is implementing affective social distancing measures in the office.
Transforming breakout spaces into smaller sectioned-off work environments, screens between desks, and fresh air ventilation are all examples of effective social distancing measures.
Employees productivity boosts morale. Morale boosts productivity. This is something business-heads have been aware of and for the most part, actioned for Time immemorial. Now, however, businesses will put more emphasis on this than ever before. How, you ask?
By investing in updating their technology.
Technology can enable collaboration as well as mental, physical, and emotional support. According to our survey, 20% of businesses felt that better technology would facilitate higher levels of productivity.
To find out more about how closely intertwined technology and the future of the office is, you can check out this blog.
Unsurprisingly, the Pandemic has impacted different industries, sectors and businesses sizes differently.
36% of those in London are looking to leave the City. And many of those looking to move are after more flexible contracts. Whereas those respondents from outside of London were unsure at present whether to relocate.
Blue-collar sectors are more likely to move than before, particularly in the construction (33%) and utilities (40%) sectors. One reason for this could be that these sectors tend to consist of larger workforces that would benefit from splitting into smaller capacity flexible workspaces.
With greater veracity than before, we can see the objectives of a business - to turn a profit and to retain the best employees - aligning. The following considerations have ascended to the top of agendas nationwide:
Is it cost-efficient to stay put, downsize or move?
The best answer to this must take into account many factors: physical, geographical, and mental. That’s a minefield of considerations - and we understand that. One thing is for sure, though. The future of workspaces will be built on foundations of physical and financial flexibility.
What do we mean by this? Physical spaces that you can chop and change at your will. Financially speaking, we mean…
The need for flexible contracts has doubled as a result of COVID-19. Flexibility can come in many forms, from late start dates to staggering a deposit.
Many flexible workspace providers were ahead of the game with contractual affability and therefore, are rising to the challenge for this increasing demand.
Even in the pre-Pandemic world, Deloitte’s 2020 Global Human Capital Trends Report found 80% of respondents claim that fostering a sense of community was essential to ensuring an organisation’s success in the coming 12-18 months. Employee wellbeing and productivity are a bit like the chicken and egg argument. It’s hard to pinpoint which one comes first.
