By Phil Muir

HYBRID working, where people split time between home and office, is the consequence of a year of novel change in the workplace and looks set to stay. But even as businesses contemplate reopening they must remember that change is unsettling and a return to "normal" may feel anything but to employees.

Throughout lockdown, we carried out surveys to gauge how clients saw their businesses changing as restrictions tightened. And now, as they ease, many businesses acknowledge that office life will undergo significant change.

Accommodating flexible working means some fundamental aspects might be lost and others added. Hygiene stations and "Zoom spaces" are set to become part of office design, but the days of personal desks for every employee are numbered. And while this is a logical approach to flexible working, the wise business will bring their employees with them on the change journey, before implementing it.

Physical space has to support, and be aligned with, new working practices, rather than the other way round. Whether existing space is reconfigured or new offices acquired, it is vital to engage with employees on how best to use the new space to reduce old working practices or workarounds creeping back in.

We love our own desks, but our experience is that individual desk "ownership" leads to a lot of empty desks. The loss of a space to call your own can be unsettling for individuals, no matter how logical it might be for the business as a whole. Thought and consultation is needed to make "hot-desking" accepted. Some solutions might include personal storage or locker spaces, appropriate portable technology and providing smaller, more flexible private spaces where telephone calls or remote meetings can take place without disruption.

Numerous figures have been reported with regards to future space requirement (“30 per cent reduction in net internal area”, “seven per cent reduction in space demand”) and some organisations have declared the end of the office altogether, stating that their people can work from home indefinitely. Time will tell what the actual change will be.

One thing cannot be denied. People want to get back to their offices primarily to interact once more with their colleagues. The informal knowledge-sharing that comes from everyone sharing a workspace cannot be replicated through remote links alone. The sense of belonging that comes from feeling part of something bigger, and an understanding of a business culture and ethos relies on observation and interaction. This is especially true for new starts and junior staff.

Physical workspace changes, which might be cost-saving can have other costs in terms of workplace happiness and productivity. So as workplaces open, the transition will ultimately be so much better for those companies that make spatial design decisions that support how their employees want to work, bring staff into the change process and not impose it upon them.

Phil Muir is Group Director Consultancy and Design, SPACE