Six reasons why the office still has a purpose and isn't dead!

What is the role of the office in the post-pandemic world and is it dead?

Let’s address the main question right off the bat, yes the office still has a purpose in the modern world of work and most certainly isn’t dead. The role the office plays hasn’t changed but the emphasis has shifted away from tasked based working to creative, innovative work, and a space that understands its value to the cultural, social and human elements that inevitably drives businesses forwards. The office is the binding agent that facilitates the business and cultural change.

If you trying to understand the office’s role in your organisation post-pandemic, don’t worry your not alone. We are finding that many organisations are trying to find their feet in the post-pandemic world in which we now live. 

Here are our top 5 reasons why the the office has a purpose in the modern age! 

1) The office is a place to nurture and develop organisational culture

Everyone of our clients over the past 18 months has mentioned how the office is a cultural hub, whether the office is just the next step that strengthens strong cultural values, or a new business looking to develop a cultural identity, it is the town hall of the working environment, that aligns your people with the business and each other, facilitating micro-moments of connection that build trust, rapport and goodwill within your organisation that makes people inevitably go the extra mile for each other and for the business.

2) Collaborate and innovate – a place that enables spontaneous moments of creativity and innovation

The collaborative aspect of work has been difficult over the past year and I think everyone on this call has missed the ability during lockdowns to get people around a table to solve a problem or sound ideas off. Ideas sharing has had to be via a pre-planned zoom call, its not been spontaneous, it’s not being over heard by a passing team member making a brew, who adds that intangible value to an idea in its infancy.

It goes hand in hand with the idea of building those organisational cultures, every space we have ever created in our 30+ years has had elements built in to nurture collaborative  creativity and innovative thinking.  But since the pandemic and the way we are re-assessing how we work, the focus and need and value for spaces to support innovative creative thinking in the form of collaborative social spaces, are so key. These zones in a hybrid working style environment bring your employees together to connect and share, if people are working from home 2-3 days in that week these areas become even more important. They are the reason to come to the office to share ideas, solve problems write on white boards, place sticky notes on walls whilst enthusing and animating others.

3) Supporting mental and physical wellbeing

Connection and belonging although one of the most difficult things to quantify its one of those sometimes hidden benefits, as people don’t usually like to express personal feelings in the work environment, but we have to understand that we all crave some kind of social connection, we want to belong to something, even if it’s just for a day a week, the routine of leaving the house and connecting with others can be important. In a survey last year commissioned by Total Jobs, 74% of young workers said they had experienced loneliness during lockdown.

We have seen many businesses where one of the main comments has been its great to be back in the office with my colleagues my friends, we have to understand that the office can play a key wellbeing role just as much as the choice of working remotely can.