Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Bisnow’s Bay Area Architecture and Design webinar hosted a panel of experts that discussed the evolving workplace and what to expect from the future of the workforce.
Flexible work arrangements have been readily adopted over the past few months in order to keep employees safe and healthy, but the flexibility trend was already on its way to becoming the norm and the pandemic skyrocketed it into the limelight.
According to Armen Vartanian, Vice President of Okta Global Workplace Services, architects are now designing offices for infrequent use, such as the decreasing the number of dedicated desks.
Hao Ko, Managing Director at Gensler, added that remote working could open a door of opportunity for companies to value their employees.
“The office space is a place of equity, and we know that everybody’s home is not,” said Ko. “I have people in my office who, right now, 100-plus days into working from home, are still having to work in an environment with five other roommates; they’re working on a bed. Companies need to invest in their people and their spaces.”
Ko also said that offices will need to reconfigure their workspaces to create an environment that produces experiences and cultures, rather than just being a space for people to work.
