Are offices a relic of the past? On Focus Online, Stefanie Tannrath, CEO UM Germany, talks about the importance of the office and how incentives can be created for employees to return to the office.
Attendance requirements, fixed working hours and prescribed seating arrangements determined everyday work in many offices before the pandemic began. home office? Hard to imagine today without it, before March 2020 the term was a rarely spoken foreign word in many places, after all most bosses wanted to meet their employees on site in the offices. Digital meetings via teams, Zoom and Google Meet – this was rare before Corona. With the beginning of the pandemic, our world of work turned 180 degrees and with the change finally come modern, flexible and digital solutions While the world is slowly but steadily freeing itself from the corona rigidity, it is now important to establish the so-called „New Normal“ in the world of work after two years of the pandemic.Corona has changed our everyday working life, and thus also our workplace. So there can’t simply be a „back to the Stone Age“.
The future of the office is characterized by one term in particular: hybrid. Neither the way back to the outdated work and office structures nor the ongoing home office situation offer employees sufficient flexibility and agility. What we will need in the future is a mix of being in the office and working from home or another location of your choice. The New Normal is characterized by the merging of two worlds: the old normality before Corona with the positive experiences since the pandemic, in order to create something new, something better.
New working time models, new work trends and the introduction of agile working methods – the interaction of home office and office presence can create exciting new work opportunities and a new form of cooperation. The life of „New Work“ has a major impact on the functionality and design of the offices. And it’s not about setting up a ball pit or gym. New Work has to be thought of much more holistically and that also includes the office. In order for us to happily return to the office and leave the safety of our homes, a transformation needs to happen in the workplace. Finally, over the last two years we have learned that working from a location away from the office is quite possible and productive.
Why should a person who has set up a quiet workspace at home that promotes concentrated work return to the old-fashioned office? Employees will only be happy to return to their jobs if the offices offer incentives other than a safe home. In short, it is important to bring focus and collaboration back into balance and to reflect this in the offices: Quiet zones for concentrated work, conference and meeting options for personal exchange and inspiring solutions for creative work.
Read the full article here on Focus Online.
