During the past nine months everyone has been debating, predicting, and even mandating the return to the office based on a few very consistent assumptions. This never ending discussion has made some impact on our beliefs that when we do make the choice to return to our buildings full time that certain things will need to change, the recent “great resignation” has fueled this debate even more. People who are quitting their jobs based on a variety of reasons, but the most consistent has been since the pandemic’s sudden switch to remote work, people are deciding what they want and need in the workplace, and they do not want to be told when, how, and where to work.

Designers Are Not Human Resource Managers

The planning and design of our office’s spaces will require a shift in perspective. Designers who design workplace environments are well aware of the issues surrounding the return of office workers. What we are all saying and this if anything will be the most critical part of the equation: Human resources and management at all levels need to be present and accountable during these discussions.

Remote work, flexibility and even a change in how accountability for productivity is assessed will need to be in place before anyone who’s job requires a building will return with confidence. Those who design workspaces for people, these designs work best when there is a symbiosis between the physical space and the operational policies that run the business.

Workplace Solutions Should Be Fluid

Interior Designers, Architects, Workplace Strategists, and allied professionals who address the office design conundrum will be challenged with various opinions and suggestions from a variety of perspectives. Everyone has their own take on how to recreate the office space plan so that it accommodates a sense of security and privacy. But because we have agreed that flexibility and preserving the company’s culture need to be at the forefront; careful evaluation of the most recent office designs may be the answer to this problem. We already know what wasn’t working in the pre-pandemic workplaces.

Now we know more. The pandemic has shown a bright light on all of our buildings and what issues they present to our wellbeing. Workplace design will need to address more than just furniture and finishes, it will need to account for the buildings ability to keep us healthy.

What Statistics Have Shown on Worker Occupancy Demand

Design is all about adaptation and addressing challenges that come from the complete physical environment (the actual construction and mechanical limitations of that building) to the organizational challenges that are constantly present whenever people are involved. The current statistics show that human resource management has been predicting what the return to the office will look like in terms of actual employees being present in the office based on these assumptions:

• That there will be a 30% reduction in headcount due to change in job duties or decision to work remotely permanently for another company

• Of the remaining 50% there will be a need to be in the same place at the same time to work efficiently in permanent teams who interact not only with customers but with each other using more than just a computer screen

• Then of that 50% the time they will need is only two days a week (which two days are up for debate