• Introduction 
• The Post-Corona Pandemic Office
• The Experiential Workplace 
• The Rise of Flexible Working
• Working From Home
• A Comfortable Workplace in a Shift From Tradition 
• Collaboration Will Still be Key
• A Focus on Health And Wellbeing
• Will Technology Take Our Jobs?
• Protecting The Planet
• Conclusion 

The world is constantly shifting and changing. Expecting everything to stay the same is pointless. The same goes for the way we work and the offices we attend every single working day.

Do you ever sit and think about what your office might look like in 5, 10 or perhaps even 15 years’ time? Do you think things will be pretty similar or major changes will have taken place? 

At the moment, we’re living in uncertain times. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed everything, including how we interact with our customers and colleagues. This has forced major changes to the contemporary office environment and, of course, raised questions about what the office of the future may look in this unpredictable, ever-changing world. 

Employers are always keen to stay up to date with the latest developments and that means understanding what might come next. If that’s your current position, or as an employee you’re wondering what to expect in the years to come, this guide is going to give you an insight into the office of the future 2020 and beyond. 

The Post-Corona Pandemic Office

First things first, let’s talk about the immediate future. Coronavirus caused the UK, and much of the rest of the world, to go into lockdown earlier in the year. This meant that large open plan offices could no longer function, forcing employees to either be furloughed or work from home. 

As lockdown eases, more and more offices are starting to open back up again but with a few safety restrictions to ensure the virus isn’t passed from employee to employee. If your office is yet to return, or you’re still trying to plan how to Covid-secure your workplace, what should you be looking towards?

• Perspex screens between office desks - These screens act as a barrier between colleagues and ensure that collaboration isn’t affected by the regulations that need to be in place. 
• Desks placed 2 metres apart - Of course, we need to social distance to ensure our health and safety. That means desks and office chairs need to be at least 2 metres away from each other. This can be a problem if you have a small office and in this case, some employers are asking their staff to either continue working from home, or to work in the office for part of the time and at home for the rest.
• Hand sanitiser as standard - It goes without saying that hand washing facilities and hand sanitiser should be readily available.
• Virtual meetings rather than in-person - During the lockdown, Zoom was one of the most commonly used tools for collaboration, both at work and in our personal lives. Zoom and other video calling software continue to be of importance during the post-lockdown period. Employers should look to use these types of software to conduct meetings and ensure the health and safety of employees. 

These are the types of things we’re looking at for the immediate future of office work. Of course, some employees are choosing to continue working from home, rather than returning to the office. Many employers can see the benefits to this and offering flexible working is becoming a common trend. That means that the office worker of the future may or may not be based in the contemporary office environment on a regular basis. 

For a little more information on the post-pandemic workspace, check out this infographic. 

Source - https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/social-distancing-at-work-infographic

The Experiential Workplace 

Another expected trend for the office work of the future conversation is the rise of the experiential workplace. This means that office design will be focused on the experience and comfort of the office. If you look at companies such as Google and Microsoft, they’re already working within this trend. 

These types of companies have large offices which focus on how the employee feels during their working days. They may have zones, as in the agile workplace, plenty of collaborative spaces, and they may also have recreational areas which are attached to, or separate from, the office environment. 

The experiential workplace also links in to remote work, which is something we’re going to talk about in more detail shortly. Of course, the experimental workplace isn’t just about the office furniture and layout of the space, it’s about what the workplace offers too. Millennials and Gen Z’ers are on the lookout for social programmes and other bonuses which make choosing that particular company the best option for them. This may be a good quality wellbeing package, future prospects, or perks which make their working life easier and more pleasurable. 

This type of design also focuses on innovation and interactivity. The more modern and sleek your design, the more pleasant the area is to work in. For those who spend many hours sitting at their designer office chairs, creating an experiential and interactive workplace is certainly beneficial. 

The Rise of Flexible Working

A little earlier we touched upon the idea of flexible working. This is a trend which is certainly gaining speed and with the current pandemic situation, working in a non-traditional way shows no signs of slowing down. 

Flexible working covers a range of different flexible work arrangements, including:

• Working remotely, i.e. working from anywhere in the world, provided you have a stable Internet connection 
• Working from home, either all the time or part of the time
• Working flexitime, i.e. having flexible start and finish times, provided you work core hours in the middle of the day
• Annualised hours, which means you work a set number of hours over the course of a year

Working from home and remote working are two of the most popular types of flexible working. We’re going to talk in more detail shortly about working from home because it has become such a trend over the last few months, but covering flexible working as a whole is important for a business that wants to remain relevant now and in the future.

Check out this video which talks about the benefits of flexible working. 

Remote working jobs are plentiful and whilst many employers are still on the fence about whether or not to allow their employees to work out of the office on a regular basis, many more are getting on board. Many employees prefer the flexibility and freedom of working remotely to other systems, such as hot desking as one example. 

Many millennials and Gen Z’ers, in particular, look for flexible working arrangements when deciding which company to work for and offering these types of arrangements could help to attract new talent to your business. Not every employee has the same responsibilities as others; for instance, some of your employees may have young children and wants to be around to pick them up from school, whilst others might simply want the option to be able to travel whilst still earning money. It’s a personal choice but offering these arrangements will help businesses to retain staff and attract new talent at the same time.

Of course, businesses do not have to offer these types of arrangements, although they could make them more competitive, for sure. If it makes zero business sense for the company to allow employees to work in these different ways, it’s entirely possible and advisable not to grant the request. 

If you are thinking about asking to work remotely, there are a few things you need to bear in mind. Sure, the ideal sounds idyllic, but working remotely has many challenges too. These include:

• Difficulties staying in touch with the office, depending upon where you are. It’s very easy for the Internet to be patchy in certain locations, especially if you’re travelling far and wide. The success of remote working relies heavily upon the ability to be in contact with the office during working hours and this can be even more difficult when time zones come into the equation. 
• Self-motivation is surprisingly hard when working remotely. If you’ve been sat at your designer office desk for a considerable amount of time, working with your colleagues on a daily basis, it can be a very difficult change to suddenly work alone, from a different location. This can cause you to find difficulty motivating yourself. Of course, you aren’t going to have your manager close by to make you feel motivated and the means you only have yourself to rely upon instead. 
• The risk of isolation. Again, this comes down to being used to working with your colleagues and collaborating on a regular basis around the modern boardroom tables. Suddenly you’re on your own, and your only means of communication is via video conferencing or messaging apps. That can be surprisingly hard at first, although something most remote workers get used to. 

Despite the potential difficulties when working from home, the benefits definitely outweigh them, as you saw earlier in the video. For those who want to work remotely or flexibly, the future of office work should definitely make this more possible. 

Working From Home 

Over the last few months, many office workers have found themselves working from home unexpectedly due to the Covid-19 situation. Again, many people think that working from home sounds like a wonderful way to work and live, but it can be challenging and fraught with distractions. However, like anything in life, it’s simply a case of learning how to manage it and finding a personal way that works for you. 

Many people who found themselves working from home without any warning may now feel that they would like to continue with that working arrangement because they’ve grown used to it. As long you’re comfortable and productive, working from home has many benefits, for sure. 

There are benefits for the employer too. Due to the need to social distance, having fewer employees within the office means a safer working environment. There is also the cost-saving side to look at, with less need for funky office furniture and reduced overheads on a monthly basis too. 

The same drawbacks exist with home working as with remote working, except for the issue with time zones. The temptation to do the housework, watch daytime TV or catch up with a friend when you should be working can be extremely difficult to avoid. You might start out with good intentions but you have to be very self-disciplined to be productive and get a good amount of work done every day. Of course, much of that relies upon creating a working environment which suits your needs. 

Check out this infographic which shows you how to create the ideal home or virtual working setup. 

Source - https://www.wrike.com/blog/create-perfect-remote-work-environment-infographic/

Even before the pandemic, it was predicted that remote and home working would become more of a trend, and that has certainly been accelerated by the current situation. Employees who want to work in a flexible way need to submit a flexible working request to their employer. It’s worth pointing out that employers don’t have to grant a request, but they do have to consider it carefully and give reasons if the request is refused. Everything has to be requested and recorded in writing and stored in an employee’s personal record. 

If you’re an employee who would like to think about working flexibly, do some research int your company’s flexible working policy and follow the guidance on how to apply. It can take a little time to complete the process and receive a decision but following the procedure will ensure a swifter outcome. 

It’s also a good idea to outline in your application what this type of arrangement can bring to the business. Granting a flexible working request has to make business sense, so you should point out the potential issues that you working away from the office could cause and then come up with a solution which works around them and, if possible, benefits everyone in a better way.

Without a doubt, flexible working is one solution which looks to be a huge game-changer for businesses and employees alike. 

A Comfortable Workplace in a Shift From Tradition 

The office of the future will also be a far more comfortable place and will break away from the traditional office design that we’ve seen to date. Rather than a standard office layout, the future office will be geared towards a home away from home, with a productive edge. 

There is also likely to be a much greener focus too. A little later we’re going to talk about sustainability, but from this viewpoint, we also need to talk about the biophilic design office. 

This isn’t a new concept, but it’s one which looks to pick up speed over the coming months. Bringing elements of the outdoors, in, means that employees gain a boost in productivity and wellbeing, whilst also creating an attractive look to the space. 

Check out this video which showcases a seriously impressive biophilic space.

You may not have the budget to go all out and design something akin to what you saw in the video, but you can create a lower impact design which still brings benefits. Having elements of nature in your office can:

• Improve air purity
• Increase productivity 
• Reduce allergies
• Creates a positive impression on visitors
• Reduces workplace stress
• Reduces anxiety 
• Improves confidence
• May help to increase the impact of collaborative efforts

Biophilic design isn’t the only trend that looks to increase over the coming months and years. We mentioned the experiential workplace a little earlier and having a comfortable space with elements of “home” and a more sociable focus looks to be the way forward. 

You can emulate this on a budget without having to completely renovate your space. Think about adding a breakout space, and add in office sofas, perhaps some colourful seating cubes and maybe even some booths or dividers to not only brighten the space up but also to ensure that it feels positive and uplifting too. It’s all about how the space feels to people working within it and creating a less traditional approach compared to what we’ve been used to.

This doesn’t mean we should wave goodbye to the traditional executive office desks of old, but it does mean that we need to look towards a different feel and one which takes the “work” out of the equation and adds a sense of purpose. The future office should be one which employees are invested in because they feel passionate about their work. When this happens, the outcome will always be an increase in productivity, and therefore an increase in profits. 

Collaboration Will Still be Key

The good news is that collaboration doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere soon. If you’ve spent a large amount of cash on collaborative office furniture, such as modern boardroom tables, large office tables, breakout furniture, booths, and other pieces which allow employees to discuss, brainstorm, and share ideas, this will not be money poorly spent. 

Employees are already very aware that the ability to work as part of a team means they have quality skills they can use in any office job. Working as an individual might still be required at times, but overall, team working and collaboration is something most employers look for. 

To enhance the quality of work and productivity within a space, you could move towards the agile workplace. This is a trend which has been around for a while now but it’s one which looks to pick up steam over the coming months and years ahead. The reason why this is so beneficial is that it focuses on the task rather than any other aspect. As a result, the task that needs to be done is completed to a high quality, meaning the customer is happy at the end. 

The agile workplace can be modified however you like but generally there are certain zones you would set up in your office. These include:

• Collaborative zones
• Quiet work zones
• Breakout space/zone
• Touchdown area/zone
• Meeting areas/zones 

Many offices choose to forego the touchdown area. This area is particularly useful for businesses that employ a lot of remote workers who are often calling into the office to drop off work or discuss a problem or idea quickly. The touchdown area is often small, located close to the entrance, and is furnished in a minimal way. This may not be required in your space.

However, the breakout area, collaborative zone, and quiet area are key, along with the meeting areas. These zones allow you to complete most tasks to a high standard, and they allow your employees to choose where they’re going to work in accordance with what they need to do that day. The agile workplace also ties in with many of the points we’ve talked about already, including the experiential workplace, a comfortable office, and a focus on flexible working. 

Check out this infographic which talks a little more about the agile workplace. 

Source - https://allwork.space/2016/07/infographic-5-elements-of-an-agile-workspace/

This trend towards collaboration and agile working also shows you that the office of the future is still very much focused on the open plan design. 

A Focus on Health And Wellbeing

Another element of the future office is a design which focuses on creating a healthy place to work. This has been something which has been on the radar over the last few years but it looks set to increase in prevalence. The reason is that businesses now understand the financial cost of sickness absence and how it impacts on productivity. 

As a result, reducing sickness absence is key and designing a healthy workplace is therefore even more vital than ever before.

This includes looking towards ergonomic office furniture, adding in elements of nature, i.e. the biophilic elements we mentioned earlier, encouraging employees to take regular breaks, designing breakout spaces where employees can go for a quick time out and reduce workplace stress, as well as providing healthy snacks in the canteen and access to free drinking water. 

When you think about the number of hours an average office worker spends sitting at their desks, it’s quite obvious that time needs to be healthy and not be contributing detrimentally to health. This also links back to the flexile working conversation we’ve already had. Some employees simply need to change their working pattern because of the demands they have in their personal life, or a personal wish to work in a different way. Avoiding granting this, unless there is a solid business reason, could detrimentally affect their mental health and therefore cause a reduction in their health, wellbeing, and productivity levels. 

It’s certainly a truth that a manager’s greatest asset is their staff. Without hard-working, healthy, and happy staff, a business is going to nose-dive pretty quickly. Focus on health and wellbeing, now and in the future, and this is more likely to have a happy ending. 

Will Technology Take Our Jobs? 

The words ‘artificial intelligence’ tend to strike fear into the hearts of office workers everywhere. Is this type of technology going to mean that office jobs are no longer required?

The good news is that, no, that’s not going to happen, at least not for a long time yet.

Office technology is evolving all the time and with a more connected and switched on way of working, businesses can streamline their operations without having to turn their attention towards robots. If artificial intelligence is going to affect any industry, it’s more likely to be something aligned with production, not business or administrative work. 

However, that doesn’t mean that different types of technology won’t find their way into the contemporary office environment and make changes. With streamlined software packages, more jobs can be done with the touch of a button, rather than a manual approach. Automated dictation is one area which could change in the coming years. This reduces the need to transcribe minutes of a meeting or dictation of correspondence. The information will be recorded and transcribed by the software instead. Of course, that simply means that a job role would change from typing out the content to processing it instead. 

If new types of technology are utilised within your business, it’s vital that you speak to your employees and involve them every step of the way. It’s very easy for anxiety to creep in when a new change occurs, affecting morale detrimentally. Of course, this has an impact on profits too!

When new technology enters your office, help your employees to understand what it is, what it can do, and why it is of benefit. You should also ensure that they know it isn’t going to take their job or make their life harder. 

Protecting The Planet

Perhaps one of the biggest shifts we’re going to see over the coming months and years is an effort to become more green and sustainable. Climate change is happening right now, all around us, and businesses need to work out how they can do their bit for the planet, whilst remaining productive at the same time. It’s also worth remembering that a business which focuses on giving back in this way is more likely to receive positive press, than a business that refuses to see the harm they may be doing to the planet we live on.

It is thought that sustainable businesses are more likely to attract highly talented millennials and Gen Z’ers. This doesn’t mean you have to rebuild your office in line with every green advancement around, but it does mean you need to take a look at how you’re currently running your daily endeavours and make changes. 

You could look towards solar power, make a concerted effect to cut down on the carbon emissions you create, and encourage your employees to take a greener approach to how they’re working. By doing this, you’re saving money, you’re doing your bit for climate change, and you’re attracting new talent because they can see what your efforts are trying to do. None of this is bad, and when it comes to trying to be more sustainable, the happy side effects is money saved on your monthly energy bills too. 

Conclusion 

Hopefully, this guide will have helped you see that the office of the future isn’t going to be run by robots and completely automated! Many employees worry about the technological advances that are going on all around us, changing everything so fast, but that doesn’t mean that they all need to be implemented into a regular business all at once. Businesses need to choose the advancements that suit their needs and use them in a way which suits everyone.

As a business, you also need to look towards creating the right type of working environment for your employees and examine whether flexible working could be a route forwards too. 

The office of the future is not a place to fear, it is a place to welcome. This is an office which will be a much happier and healthier place to work. It will be comfortable, impressive to visitors, and it will be highly productive as a result of all of the above. In addition, the office will also be green and sustainable, creating a healthier outlook for the planet too.

Businesses need to change and evolve as trends come and go, and whilst that doesn’t mean you need to follow every single trend that comes your way, it does mean assessing which may be of benefit to you and then working to create a positive atmosphere as a result.