FOCUS INTERIORS
DRAWING DESIGN
A Steelcase report has found that despite the threat of the pandemic receding,
over half of sta still prefer working from home. Rocio Diez, Comms Manager
EMEA at Steelcase, looks at how good workplace design can help draw them back
Over two years ago the world
of work shi ed almost
overnight. The home became
the o ice for many. While it
was a novelty at first, it quickly
became deeply ingrained in the
national psyche. So much so that
while most aspects of a return
to normality was celebrated,
heading back to the o ice was
not embraced by many with open
arms. In fact, our Global report,
The New Era of Hybrid Work,
highlighted that six in ten (58 per
cent) workers now prefer to work
from home to the o ice.
With expectations shi ing, working
in the o ice needs to be an enjoyable
prospect to tempt people back into
the workplace. In an e ort to curb
the great resignation, organisations
need to redesign their o ice space
to become an environment that is
suited to the hybrid working style
craved by workers in this postpandemic
era. So, what is it sta
want most from their hybrid working
space?
WHY DO EMPLOYEES WANT
TO RETURN?
The first thing to address is why are
organisations going through all this
e ort? There are many selling points
to coming back to the o ice for both
34 JUNE 2022
the organisation and the employees.
Culture is a very important part
of returning to the o ice. Globally
30 per cent of employees feel
more connected to culture when
in the o ice. Steelcase’s study
found that enjoying working in the
o ice has the biggest impact on
engagement, connection to culture
and productivity. Shaping spaces
and environments that people want
to work in can positively impact all
these factors. Twent eight per cent of
people also shared that (only second
to tenure) enjoying working from
the o ice contributed to staying in
the organisation. Around the world,
people enjoy being a part of the
environment in their workplace and
space and design contribute to this
satisfaction.
WHAT EMPLOYEES WANT
One of the most appealing attributes
of home working for two-thirds (65
per cent) of UK employees today is
to have a dedicated space for work.
However, the norm is anything but.
In most o ices, the majority (59
per cent) have desks in open areas,
o ering minimal privacy. Giving
employees their own space in the
o ice is therefore an important
part of creating an appealing
environment.
One thing workers obviously
struggled with at home is the ability
to work alongside and collaborate
with others. Data showed that 64
per cent of workers value hybrid
collaboration spaces. Yet, for many,
traditional hybrid collaboration
spaces come with too many
inconveniences; not least of which is
the inadequacies of the technology.
However, the biggest issue with
such spaces sits more in the
design. Nearly half of people think
the spaces are too small to work
collaboratively and can be noisy.
These issues need to be addressed.
THE MANAGEMENT EFFORTS
For management teams, the
pandemic has been a challenging
time to be running a business. From
financial worries to the constant
need to adapt working practices,
keeping on top of how to keep employees
engaged and happy has vexed many.
While it has been a hurdle, organisations
can utilise it as a catalyst for change. The
hardest battle to fight is disparity, but it
is worth the e ort. Management needs
to make sure they are designing the best
possible spaces to lower disparity levels.
Listening to employees needs from their
environment is the best way to make sure
all sta remain engaged, no matter their
location.
Engagement is o en linked with
enjoyment. Unfortunately, there is a clear
di erence between the enjoyment of
management and employees when in the
o ice. Seventy nine per cent of leaders
say they prefer working from the o ice,
while only 56 per cent of employees
say the same. The reason for this divide
could be determined by the work being
completed and space on o er to do so. As
an organisation, giving private workspaces
and areas to your employees will help
balance this disparity and create an o ice
where sta are comfortable, and can work
optimally and collaboratively.
WHAT’S NEXT?
People are social animals and work is
inherently a social undertaking. Keeping
people tethered to a computer screen is not
the answer, nor is keeping them tethered to
a workplace that doesn’t help them do their
best work.
It’s time to put the needs of people in
the forefront and design policies and
places that help people and organisations
thrive. Communities are living systems,
whether they are places people live or
groups connected by a shared purpose.
Neighbourhoods at work are a base for
people, teams or departments. They include
a variety of interconnected spaces that
support a mixture of uses, feel organic and
flow naturally from one to another.
Earning the commute of your workers has
never been more important and this post
pandemic working style is something for
all members of a company to get used to.
However, hopefully this article goes some
way to help outline what can be changed
and improved in an o ice to create a