The little one-year-old COVID-19 outbreak has changed the face of everything around the world.
Among all, we’ve seen a massive shift in the workplace culture and priorities, which is resulting in some compelling office design trends for 2021. Well, if you’re building a new office space, then let’s be very honest; designing it isn’t that easy. Following on the ongoing pandemic, there’s a lot more to consider rather than just aesthetics. It is functionality, office culture, and (without any doubt) employees’ well-being.
To keep you up-to-date with other workplaces across the globe, we’ve mixed every aspect on just one plate and listed down the emerging office design trends. Have a look at it.
Open spaces are displacing cubicles
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that the concept of open office spaces is trending upward. They are transforming many employees’ dreams into reality with rows of desks going on beyond your vision, collaborating for work, and co-workers solving problems over a cup of coffee.
Let’s directly jump into its pros and cons. This concept will bring in more natural light (well, not adequate to get the daily dose of vitamin D), which will enhance your mood. With more transparency on the floor, teams will feel more closer, developing that mutual trust and comfort zone. When talking about its cons, communication between the employees suffer. According to the recent Harvard Business Review magazine’s survey, this concept has lessened face-to-face interactions by 70%.
With this concept, you can maintain a social distancing of six-feet and still imbibe the friendly vibe and feeling.
Nature to be welcomed inside
Plants in office spaces aren’t a new thing, but more owners are focusing on this area for better air quality and employees’ well being. For many employees, coming into the office post-pandemic can cause anxiety attacks. Being surrounded by the dancing leaves and green atmosphere can bring in serenity inside.
Earlier, you may only have a desk with artificial plants to add some pops of colours. Now, you can welcome the idea of nature inside the office. You can create a feature wall, plant partitions, or an indoor office garden (sounds interesting!). By the way, all these methods are gaining popularity to a great extent.
Apart from adding aesthetics, this idea will improve the health of your employees, the atmosphere of work as well as employees’ mood. Plants are oxygenators and air quality improvisers; a big plus point to embrace the trend.
Obtain sustainability in the space
No doubt, in this era, many companies are after reducing the carbon footprint for climate change and global warming. But, one of the vital trends in office design that is going to happen is a shift in the perspective. Many owners have already moved their focus to the well being of human assets from physical ones.
To include this trend in your office space, you can use natural woods or materials to promote sustainable decor in the office. Furthermore, use renewable energy, ensuring that traders are using fair products. Another way to participate in this concept is by using recycled products.
In 2017, offices had dumped approximately 12.2 tonnes of furniture and carpeting. So, to avoid filling the landfills, keep rental furniture in your office.
Furniture to move with employees
Keeping this theme in mind, owners want employees to feel relaxed and work productively. Notwithstanding, we are expecting the assigned desks to fall into the shadows down the road. And instead, there will be seen a rise in the usage of movable furniture.
Movable furniture can vary from office to office; the one thing in common would be you can take them with you wherever and whenever you need to work in the office. It includes desks and chairs on wheels, but they can come with other things as well. And that is movable partitions and walls. It will be vital when you want to create a six-foot space or merely change the workstations.
You can adapt the theme in such a manner that it allows employees to change workstations to work conveniently (if needed). It will not only promote efficiency but a high level of productivity too.
Incorporation of leisure spaces
Many companies have already implemented leisure spaces for their employees. Recreational areas in the workplace can include game rooms, pinball machines, pool tables, and many more. All of these will allow you to create a casual work environment making your company a modern brand. If we give a second thought to this idea, then you can press the pause button for the time being.
Now, the main focus of owners must be to give enough space to workers. Everyone will need the area to heat the food, take a kit-kat break, and have a relaxing moment. So, restrooms should be made mandatory.
If there are not enough rooms available, then you can modify your conference rooms and make it a break space. While doing that, do consider the social distancing and safety of employees in mind. This could be an easy way if the furniture in your workplace is movable.
Create a home-like atmosphere
This trend was creating an upward movement before the COVID-19 era. Although this theme is going to trend in 2021 and beyond, the quick transition can be a little tricky. Many workers are just returning to work, and many companies are opting for hybrid schedules wherein employees come to the office for one or two days a week.
If you still want to try creating a home-like atmosphere, then you can arrange coffee tables at the corners. Giving single-seating arrangements main focus, you can even place some bean bags and stools. Transform a standard lunchroom to lounge areas.
Implementing this theme has some merits. Employees will get positive and comfy vibes, and with relaxing moments, the chances of quality work will rise.
Agile workplace concept getting more leads
Do you agree: Comfortable employees are happy employees, and happy ones are more productive? It’s fair to say that the employees continue to work with a company if they LIKE the atmosphere. That’s where the agile concept is gaining a lot of fame.
Agile workplaces are generally to maximise flexibility. They enable employees to work how, where, and when they choose, providing required tools and technology. In short, employees are not locked with conventional 9-5 work schedules, and they can opt for remote working too.
The agile workplace concept can easily meld with an open space theme. All you need to bear in mind is social distancing needs.
Final words
We’re caught in such a situation wherein workplace evolution is speeding. The best way to stay on top is to welcome the change and make it worth it for you. All the above changes will help you to do so. But adopting all of these at one go may be a challenge for you, but at the same time, it would positively impact your revenue.
If you’re looking to invest in commercial real estate and new in this journey, then the upcoming changes will be handy. Along with this, you can go through the blog: Tips for investing in office space; it will help you minimise the choices and make a valuable decision. All in all, providing a healthy and adequate workplace for your employees will reward you in return.
