What next for the office?

Last weekend I spent some time catching up with an old friend who works for a prominent tech giant. We were chatting about how their organisation was adjusting to new ways of working post-lockdown.

Overall, she felt they’d reacted well, as had most of the other tech giants. Their transition from a centralised office to home office or hub has been a much simpler equation. In fact, most tech organisations already adopted working from home practices and have flourished during the pandemic. Increasing their market dominance and profit margins considerably as reliance on the internet and online services have sky rocketed.  

On my way home, I reflected on our conversation and two questions stuck in my head:

1. How will other organisations fare, post-lockdown as they continue to face the need and desire of employees to embrace remote working. Especially when most don’t have access to the same budgets or resources to sufficiently do so?
   
   and,

2. What impact will the home office have on relationships and company culture when so many colleagues are no longer in close proximity?

Since lockdown, almost half the UK's workforce have been working from home. It’s irrefutable that our relationship with the office has changed. Our reliance on having people physically present or the notion that they’re only productive when overseen directly by managers, has been turned on its head. Sir Martin Sorrell has already said he'd rather invest the £35m he spends on expensive offices in people instead.

However, for many organisations and employees, a return to business as usual couldn’t come fast enough. The office will be a familiar, safe haven that will help add a sense of normality and reassurance after the uncertainty of the past few months. For other organisations who either own their building or are tied into long-term leases it won’t be a choice they get to make lightly.

So, what of the future?

It certainly feels like we’ve turned a corner in the office revolution, but it isn’t new. Seasoned professionals, all too familiar with office inefficiencies have been talking about the remote office for years. The opportunity to embrace a new way of working, that redresses the live/work balance more favourably will be welcomed by them with open arms.

But what of new employees or graduates fresh into office working? How will they learn the ropes to their new roles? How will they meet or form relationships with their co-workers? Online video-conferencing can surely only take us so far. I’m sure I’m not alone in experiencing frustration as technology fails or calls drop out. As humans, we thrive on social interaction and the office has played a major role in this for generations.

Lucy Kellaway, who has written both fiction and non-fiction books about offices says "I think we should all howl at what we're losing. I think the most important thing about the office is it gives some sort of meaning to what we do. Most of what we do at our laptops - let's face it - is pretty much meaningless. The best way of thinking there's some point to it is having other people who are sitting all round you doing the same thing."

The roles we play and the relationships we form at the office often turn into lifelong experiences or even friends and partners. Many of my own lifelong friends have been made through jobs I’ve had. These relationships have continued long after I’ve left one job and moved to another.

The impact of all these factors are sure to have long-term implications, not just on organisations and their cultures, but also a host of other interdependent suppliers and services. From high street shops, bars and restaurants to transportation, technology and office suppliers, and even landlords. Like a finely tuned ecosystem, if you change the variables that make it work, the system inevitably falters.

Professor André Spicer, from City University's Cass Business School says "Unfortunately I think if we're not careful a lot of companies will get rid of the magical things that made work so productive and creative." Here at Keshi & Co. we’ve long believed that collaboration and environments that foster it can significantly enhance an organisations creativity.

Workplace collaboration is an approach that’s been heralded by experts from city planners to architects. Companies like Apple, Google, Amazon and even Volvo have spent millions on building office environments that adopt collaborative practices for employees. Apple’s headquarters­ - Apple Park, which only opened its doors to employees in 2017, was envisioned as a centre for creativity and collaboration by Steve Jobs himself. The building was designed to draw employees out of their offices and into the common areas where chance meetings and discussions could happen.

As the office space evolves and our relationship with it develops, it will be interesting to see how organisations adapt to the challenges and changes ahead. One thing is for sure, remote working doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere, anytime soon. 

Here are our top 5 tips for successful remote working.

1. Elevenses
   Find space and time for a cuppa and a chat. Partner up with other people in the company and have weekly or a bi-weekly chat. I used to have a folder full of interesting articles and stories I’d collected or links to inspiring Ted talks that I would share with colleagues. They became a great way to share ideas and catch up but would also enable me to keep a pulse on how everyone was feeling.

2. Water-cooler moments
   Those serendipitous moments of discovery you get over talking to someone during a break can be recreated in creative ways. We’ve all been part of many a Zoom-Quiz over the past few months but why not make one for colleagues about work, people and culture.

3.  Comb through company communications and take note of any interesting facts, figures or developments. Turn them into a series of quiz questions and jump on a group video chat to launch a new company tradition. Be sure to record them and share with colleagues in other time zones who can’t join.

4. Make time for offsite face-to-face gatherings
   Now restrictions for travel have been relaxed you can gather together colleagues somewhere neutral. In the past we’ve had mini company summits, sometimes held in the park, over dinner or at a planned activity. These meetings give people an opportunity to meet and greet new staff but also to catch up with old colleagues and even suppliers. Getting the balance between ‘shop talk’ and ‘free time’ is vital to their success. We always use the morning for company business and the afternoon/evening for play.  

5. Keep channels of communication open
   It’s vitally important to maintain your channels of communication. Sharing news and information that impacts people on a day-to-day basis will ensure people remain informed and connected.

6. Managing and mentoring
   Don’t lose sight of the importance for these roles, especially amongst new or junior staff. With so many people working from home, traditional structures can become flattened. This may give individuals more autonomy or freedom, but managers can add a lot of value and act as a vital support structure. People like having someone they’re accountable to, someone who they can talk to regularly or share the challenges they face.