Lockdown forced us to participate in the world’s biggest ‘Work-From-Home’ experiment. Having experienced some clear benefits, our attention now turns to how our working lives will be resumed and impacted in the post-pandemic office.

As of March 2020, every company is aware that remote working does work, which has undoubtedly changed the function of the office. While there are aspects of home working that employees will want to retain, face-to-face interaction is irreplaceable and has been missed by many. The future workplace will be reimagined in a human centric way, taking the best out of the home and office.

We will see a rise in workspaces that support activity-based working, allowing employees to choose a specific working mode that fits their to-do list. Flexible, mobile products will be key to create a space that can easily adapt to Government guidelines and support social distancing. Laptop and smart phones will deliver the agility people require, negating the need for desktop setting on touch-down areas. Traditional workstations will decrease as focused work at a desk can be carried out at home. The office will become a space that cannot be replicated at home, designed to stimulate group dynamics, encourage agility and creativity.

Digital technology massively supported the function of businesses during the lockdown. Video platforms quickly become part of our daily routine and technology that has been around for a while is now finally trusted. We will see this integrated into our work environments, making it imminently possible to connect to those working remotely.

Simon Narbeth, our Design and Projects Manager explained one of the benefits he experienced during lockdown;

“As our client base spans a diverse market sector with strategic coverage throughout the UK, the implantation of video conferencing has allowed us to reach out and support our client base with multiple ‘face 2 face’ meetings on a daily and weekly basis across a national scale. Many appointments that were logistically difficult to achieve in the past have now become more viable and economical in return - thus providing an enhanced service than that traditionally offered”.

It’s been proven that we can communicate and collaborate seamlessly from any destination and the office will continue to evolve to support the virtual way of working.

Despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have undeniably gained wisdom to take forward in our everyday lives. Working from home will become more of a commonplace, but the benefits of impromptu get-together's and knowledge that can be shared will always keep the office alive. These redefined environments will provide us with a space to learn, create and inspire. Not through a webcam, but together in a real place – the office.