2022- The Year of (Mostly) Boring Offices
Return to the office, hybrid workspace, work from home, work in the office, work anywhere... It changes every other week mainly depending on who's saying it. Yes. You'll see many on Linkedin preaching that trains are crowded and office workers are grinding in the office and then hanging for drinks with co-workers afterward (ah the good ole days). Reality is a bit different. There are days when NYC is rocking and rolling followed by a week with empty elevators. Not the greatest environment for companies committing to long-term real estate plans, and a problem if your business is in any way connected to corporate real estate. Companies are playing it safe when it comes to office plans.
In fact, punting is one of the more significant trends that has emerged in 2022. Companies just aren't sure about so many things (economy, staffing, remote work, political climate, talent retention, safety, etc) that the safest decision is often not to make a decision. The decision-making process has also become more convoluted. Three years ago a decision could be made over a quick meeting in a conference room. Now decisions require more sign-offs from people who are either reluctant to approve or have moved to another position. My wife works almost exclusively from home and it takes weeks for samples to get mailed and approved by multiple parties and that has real-world consequences on productivity and quality. She works long hours due to no commute but there is certainly room for a middle ground. Her bosses don't press, because they still fear people leaving. In the corporate real estate world uncertainty has led to increasingly dull uninspired office spaces.
What a mistake.Shouldn't now be a time when bold companies redefine what workspace is? Not a destination that one arrives at after a two-hour-long crowded slog on a subway. But an oasis that emerges once elevator doors open injects one with energy and enthusiasm. A destination that motivates you to get out of bed at 5 am when it’s dark and freezing outside, just so that you can get to a place where your mind is active and other opinions force you to think and create? I feel that it is a huge mistake for companies to punt now when they can lead through office design. and yes there are those bold enough to risk getting their heads chopped to do so (Elon).
The topic has come up recently with industry leaders and here are a few thoughts I've heard expressed on how organizations can take risks, yet not stick their heads just too far out of the wack-a-mole box.
Move people to the front of the office - I've seen incredibly designed modern spaces that feel like law libraries. The receptionist is unenergetic. There are no people buzzing about around the reception area. There are just a few people in the cafe area, one is the barista and the other is taking a TikTok video of how amazing their new office is despite them only going once a month. If people are not in their office (and yes they should be encouraged that it is in their best interest to go) then it’s not going to happen organically. Once you become used to rolling out of bed to your home office you aren't willingly coming back to the office unless there is a strong reason to especially if your commute is a long one. And, if you are asked to come to the office and it’s a ghost town the first thing that you'll feel is resentment. If it is bustling, you'll wonder what took you so long. Energy and enthusiasm are contagious but to think it will happen 100% organically is ill-conceived. I'm not saying that everyone should be forced to come into the office all the time, but the people that are in the office need to be working in highly visible areas at the front of the office. Companies could maintain high density in the most visible areas that are in close proximity to reception. Amenity and meeting areas should also be front of office. This creates an instant shift in mindset and is a low-risk high reward way of creating buzz in the office.
Offices should be ever-evolving and have different areas for different types of work - Agreed, there is no "office of the future" crystal balls so why not take this opportunity to try something new as long as it’s not overly risky? Technology and innovation allow office spaces to evolve. Furniture can be repurposed, lounges can serve many functions, and even cleverly designed lockers can double as meeting areas and hubs that can be easily relocated. Offices should be thought of as labs where the things that work get promoted and those that do because they were not permanent structures get shelved. If nothing is permanently affixed there is less risk to experimenting and being bold.
Office as getting out of the house- For many, working in an office is the only way to get "stuff done". Crowded apartments and Starbucks counters are not enticing places to work, but that beautiful corner office view where you can grind and focus is and this is often employees’ main reason for looking forward to being in the office. The idea is that with the exception of the front of the office, high-energy areas should allow employees to do head-down work with no distractions. I'm dating myself but in my college library, the social and activity hub was on the ground floor directly behind reception. The computer lab (yes we had one) was in the back, enclosed (and super quiet) and the heavy-duty overnight studying was upstairs and in the back. The ironic thing, most of my college peers that became super successful hung out downstairs (or forced themselves to if they weren't social butterflies). Even if you are an introvert we all need to push ourselves out of our comfort zone and they realized early that networking was as important as studying. There is nothing wrong with an office as both a social space and a quiet space.
Non-Assigned Desks are easier than ever - It has taken a while but most have become comfortable with working at an unassigned desk. it’s never been easier to reserve a desk via phone app and with office lockers and (shameless plug) office totes to leave your work items in you don't need to lug everything into the office when you go. Most hybrid-based offices have external monitors that can be used so that you have multiple screens to work off of. Although it never ceases to amaze me how 20-somethings can do so many projects effectively on just a laptop screen, God Bless! When all you need to do is grab your laptop and head to the office it makes doing so that much easier.
Great spaces need to be promoted now more than ever! - We are all driven by FOMO (Fear of missing out). When companies like Linkedin, Google, Marriott, and United (I'm just listing a few that I've read about recently) make bold spaces and promote them as tools to hire great people and inspire employees others follow. Often for no other reason than fear of missing out on the opportunity to do the same. No facilities director wants a call from their boss saying - "Did you see what (insert company name) did, why aren't we doing that?". These windows of opportunity to present to management unique cutting-edge spaces don't come up often.
If spaces can be presented as less risky by being fluid and bold enough to stand out without appearing overstated, then why not?