As we enter into a new year and the pandemic continues to rage on, it is clear that our “new normal” is not so new anymore.
The way our economy functions has been completely upended, from grocery shopping to workplaces, and everything in between. So what new workplace trends can we anticipate to have a long-lasting impact in 2021?
The past year, remote working has slowly eroded workplace culture and instead forced professionals to simply focus on tasks, meetings and communication.
Moving forward, companies will need to reconfigure office design to fill in the gaps that remote working cannot, without putting employees at risk. This means improving digital capabilities within the office that keep workers safe, such as touchless technology, occupancy monitoring and more.
“As we think in terms of the office in a pandemic world, the number one issue is the safety and well-being of the user,” said Adam Segal, CEO of real estate software company Cove. “The next six to 12 months will be more about effectively managing capacity and less about any drastic design changes. The most effective way to do this is by using technology to overlay the office and building experience.”
Prior to the pandemic, open floor design and mix-used buildings were skyrocketing in popularity.
However, businesses are adapting these layouts in order to meet the new needs of employees. One of the biggest emerging solutions to this is the adoption of hybrid workplaces, allowing workers to have a choice to work in the office or at home.
