BY VIVIAN BENISHEK
BUSINESS AND FINANCE HEAD
The Business Update with Vivian Benishek
Friday, May 15, 2020
A Re-Examination of Office Life
The typical American workplace serves as a “social beehive.” It’s home to collaboration and productivity, where creative ideas come together and form new innovations. Effective office layouts allow for workers to engage in face-to-face interactions and ensure rapid communication. However, due to social distancing measures sparked by COVID-19, offices will have to conform to these new guidelines and create an environment that protects the well-being of its workers. In other words, office jobs will never be the same again. Even though America’s youth may not currently be focused on entering the workforce, such as finding summer jobs, it is important to consider the vast transformation that will redesign the dynamics of the traditional office space.
As the United States starts to loosen its grip on coronavirus restrictions and begin to slowly reopen the economy, current circumstances feel like a massive experiment that can quickly take a turn for the worst. Keeping in mind public health regulations, companies must decide if they want to safely bring back employees or allow them to work at home. In fact, according to the Bangor Daily News, after the pandemic, 41 percent of employees expect to work remotely at least some of the time, up from 30 percent before the outbreak, according to 220 human resources executives it surveyed. Remote working has clearly appealed to workers and has given them a sigh of relief when it comes to low disease or germ exposure. Jes Staley, the chief executive of Barclays, the British bank, states how “the notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past.” Now, more than ever, workers have established a newfound confidence in their ability to work from home and find the motivation to get the job done. However, Anthony E. Malkin, the chief executive of Empire State Realty Trust, argued that “the absence of social contact through which people are living today is not sustainable.” It is evident that working from home is not a miracle cure for businesses and technology simply can’t replace the intimacy of in-person conversations. It’s also crucial to consider that when office buildings fail to reopen, surrounding restaurants, grocery stores, bars and retailers greatly suffer from a lack of clientele.
In recent weeks, experts have painted a never-before-seen picture for office spaces. Now, the coffee pots are unplugged, apps control floor lighting and the cafeteria is shut down for good. Architects want to bring back cubicles and partitions. Tech-savvy companies are developing new technology that supervises and manages employee distribution on each floor of a building. One-person elevators, six-feet separated desks and regular temperature testing may soon become the “new normal” of working during a pandemic. Even simple actions, such as opening doors, can come with dire risks and help the spread of the coronavirus. Hygiene will become a top priority as routine sanitizing and cleaning measures are implemented. Further, some top business officials hold a positive outlook on the redesigning of offices as a necessary step towards change. John Furneaux, CEO of Hive, a New York City-based workplace software startup, has claimed that the pandemic “gives added impetus to allow us and others to make changes to century-old working practices.” Overall, it’s evident that the American office space will be redefined in the post-coronavirus era and change how business is conducted in day-to-day life.
That’s it for this briefing. See you next time!
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