After endless months of working from our sofas, kitchen tables and spare rooms, businesses were given the unique opportunity to rethink their working environments and delve deeper into what worked for their employees and, more importantly, what didn’t.
The pandemic has changed the face of office design and forced businesses to think about their workplace requirements and the safe spaces offices need to be for employees. Throughout the pandemic, our in-house design and build team Dthree Studio focused on helping and advising clients to navigate the immediate uncertainty, and contributed to their thinking regarding the evolving purpose of office design.
We believe that people are a business’s greatest asset and, as a result, their primary concern. The pandemic highlighted this more than ever.
Engaging staff with inspirational yet functional working environments has never been more crucial, especially for those that will work from it. In light of this and to help businesses continue to bring their people back to the best possible working environment, Dthree are sharing their top tips for creating an office that adapts to the new ways of working whilst also attracting and retaining the best talent.
People-Centric Design:
For many, the appeal of working from home has well and truly worn off, and people were starting to feel burnt out from the lack of work-life balance.
Years of social restrictions, health concerns, and economic crisis have taken a significant toll on the emotional wellbeing of workers across all sectors of the workforce, making the purpose of the office post-pandemic and the significance of people-centric design more critical than ever.
Employee productivity, engagement and happiness all begin with positive wellbeing.
People-centric design is about understanding what makes a functional space and the importance this can have on supporting your collective success.
Biophilia, considered furniture choices, optimised lighting and ventilation, and sustainable material selection are all design features that can contribute to your employees’ wellbeing.
Team Morale and Culture
The return of the office was awaited by many and created a ‘hub’ that brought people back together, providing a sense of belonging and community for all who used it.
After months of working solo, with restricted support and lack of physical interaction, the office was and should continue to be redesigned with this in mind, to be a place that not only enhances your company culture but increases the opportunity for those long-desired social interactions. In other words, your people should be returning to an office worth commuting for.
Maximising Productivity
Rethinking your workplace is the best opportunity to understand what your employees’ working needs are and how these can be supported through the physical space they use. A redesign enables employers to gain a better insight into how each department works, providing the rare opportunity to assess what office areas are most beneficial.
Whether it’s having additional meeting rooms, more flexible hot-desking areas, a larger breakout space for collaboration or is it a mix of all three that is required in the form of booths? Whatever it is that enables your employees to thrive and perform to the best of their ability is exactly what your workplace should provide.
Your Brand and Values
Integrating your identity into your workplace shouldn’t end with hanging your logo above your reception desk.
Redesigning your office is the ultimate opportunity to ensure it tells your story to anyone who enters it. Your brand, core values and purpose can be reflected and defined in the materials, installations and details used throughout your working environment to help create an emotional connection with your employees and clients.
Flexible and Functional
We believe that an expertly designed space is not just about how it looks but about how it works. Overnight, employees were forced to challenge their usual working practices and adapt to the new normality of working remotely. Business meetings of all tiers have been conducted online, collaboration has been achieved from the comfort of our homes, and teams have proved they can work efficiently whilst being separated from the wider workforce.
Because of this, office design now needs to lead the way for the new flexible working approach we have all come accustomed to and redefine the function of the workplace by providing a variety of environments that meet ALL working needs.
Essentially, a flexible and functional workplace is a space that will promote you to be better than you used to be.
Get in touch today to learn more about how we could help you throughout this extraordinary process of returning to the office.
