A little more than one year after companies sent their office workers home because of the
pandemic, many corporate leaders and executives are now working to safely reopen the office.
As people are beginning to return to the workplaces, there will be many changes ranging from health and sanitization to the rise in the use of technology. The transition will bring about corporate flexibility in order to successfully have people want to switch from remote to office working.
1. Increased hygiene
Decline in touchpoints, often temperature checks, daily deep sanitation, and social
distancing are only a few of the measures put in place to guarantee a clean office
for employees to return to.
2. Less populated
Many companies have made the decision to make the return be slowly staggered.
There will be strict scheduling and rotational shifts to ensure the office will never
be at maximum capacity until proven that the safety of the employees is ensured.
3. Better surface design/air circulation
Seeking out more cost effective options and easier to clean surfaces, companies
are changing the designs of their office. These new layouts can also improve the
air circulation within the office, creating a more hygienic environment.
4. Rise of technology
Many companies are beginning to automate and use artificial intelligence to
complete the tedious work. To decrease all of the touch points in the office, many
companies implemented automated lights, washrooms, and other amenities.
5. Distributed offices
Companies and headquarters have had to downsize their offices, either because of
the lack of profits to pay rent or the lack of employees to fill the large offices. The
distributed offices allow for a more collaborative space, easier commutes for
employees, and a greater balance amongst employees and their work with
coworkers.
6. Increased use of automation or freelancers
Because companies were forced to downsize and layoff many employees in the
beginning of the pandemic, employers are now turning to freelancers, technology,
and automation to aid the leaner, existing workforce.
7. Helps to find the work-life balance
Many employees feel that they can never put their work away when they are
working from home because the computer and messages are always there.
However, transitioning to the office, allows employees to separate their work
from home life and decrease the risk of burnout.
8. Office may be used differently
Because many companies are downsizing and changing the design of the office,
employers are gearing the office to be used for the collaborative work that was
difficult to do when everyone was working from home.
9. The work can become less repetitive
Though the smaller workforce can lead to an influx in work in the beginning of
returning to the office, after creating automation systems and relying more on
artificial intelligence the workload on employees will decrease exponentially.
10. Retaining the company culture
The pandemic has proven it to be difficult for employees to communicate with
other employees outside of their immediate group those they work directly with.
People are not making the same amount of connections with their coworkers,
making it difficult for the company’s workforce to interact with others who share
similar interests, behaviors, and values. Therefore, though productivity increases,
the overall company morale and culture decreases.
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