A few years ago, we all thought that the office had died. Cause of death? Working from home. The morning commute was a thing of the past. Gone were the days of gossiping by the water cooler. The future was here.
For a while, it all seemed perfectly normal. We spent years trapped in never-ending Teams meetings, doing business with muted microphones and custom backgrounds of high-rise buildings.
But then, something weird happened. People started coming back to the office. And now, if you wander into any city centre at 8:30 in the morning, you’ll see them. Workers. Career professionals. Young professionals. They’re all there, back at it again. The office is back; risen from the dead to bring people back together and forcing them to wear proper trousers.
So, is it back for good? Let’s find out.
Old Office, New Ways of Working
Just because we’re back in the office, it doesn’t mean that nothing has changed. First of all, the workweek is completely different. In most places, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday feel like normal, busy days in the office, while on Mondays and Fridays, the place is a complete ghost town.
Hybrid working is now the norm in most businesses, allowing employees – especially those with a longer commute – a better work/life balance. It offers the best of both worlds, where there is still a boost to teamwork and camaraderie, while acknowledging that being present in the office isn’t essential for the business to function. Sure, this doesn’t apply to every business out there. If you work for personal injury solicitors in Liverpool, for example, like Bond Turner, you can likely expect to be in the office every day.
How does an Office Justify Itself?
Although the office is back, it’s in the awkward position of needing to justify itself in the face of fierce competition from home offices.
This is a conundrum for business leaders, who need to get the most juice out of the squeeze for the two or three days that all members of the team are in the office. The best modern office environments build on the collaboration that communal settings thrive on; optimising processes through big conversations that revolve around problem-solving, or training sessions that strengthen weaknesses that you’ve previously identified.
Changing the space itself is also advised – especially if it’s been more or less the same for the past few years. Rows of identical desks aren’t particularly inviting. Instead, create communal areas that encourage people to sit together and talk. Just make sure that you follow health and safety regulations when you’re changing things up – you don’t want to make yourself vulnerable to multiple injury claims.
What About Cost?
Running a business isn’t cheap – and rental costs for office space plays a huge part in that. Rental costs have soared in recent years, which has been frustrating for business leaders ans most companies are actually making less us of the space than they used to, as most of the workforce isn’t in for almost half the working week.
Empty desks on Mondays and Fridays can be wasteful, but forcing workers into the office just to justify sunk costs can lead to resentment in the workforce.
So… Are Offices Back?
Sort of. It’s nuanced. Offices are back, but they’re back in a new, evolved form – we’ll likely never return to the pre-pandemic status quo across the board.