Elevating the workplace experience through health and well-being
As the year draws to a close, Dr Lee Elliott builds on his prescient thoughts in the 2020 edition of the Wealth Report regarding occupational wellbeing and the changing role of the office
3 minutes to read
There have been many bold and revolutionary claims made during the last nine months in relation to the long-term influence of COVID-19 on the office.
As time has moved on, the debate has shifted from notions of an existential crisis for offices towards a recognition that the office will embark on a period of increased evolutionary cadence, shaped by twelve key dynamics operating at the corporate, market and office asset level.
The re-setting of the form and function of the office in a post-pandemic world will see a turbo-charging of many of the features identified within our recent research output; perhaps none more so than well-being agenda that was central to this year’s edition of The Wealth Report.
From a health crisis emerges a healthy response
Clearly, in the immediate term, the roll-out of effective vaccines will move us towards greater re-occupancy of offices than has been possible during 2020. That return will be met with a different workplace experience.
In the short-term, our very health and safety will be at the heart of that experience and, as has already been witnessed in Asia, will lead to the greater adoption of technology to enhance workplace health and safety. This may be in the form of body temperature scanners in ground-floor receptions; the use of building sensors to monitor the flow and interaction of workers in office space to support track and tracing; or the use of holographic keypad entry systems to reduce the surface transmission of disease. This is an essential step towards greater re-occupancy.
Hybrid and healthy workstyles
There are longer-term implications too.
Of course, the pandemic has challenged our thinking on the how, where and why of work. Companies have had no choice but to embrace remote working. While the personal and corporate benefits of this enforced remote working were perhaps overstated in the early months of the pandemic, there is clear evidence that workers favour a more flexible working style that dispenses with the previously binary distinction between working from home and working in the office.
The idea of hybrid workstyles that combine these two work settings are growing in popularity. They have done so because they better support personal work-life balance; drive more productive and better work-outcomes; and support strengthening corporate ambitions to limit carbon footprint through reduced commuting patterns. They are also part of an emergent new contract between employer and employee, which has well-being at its very heart.
Amenity to support well-being
In this hybrid world of work, the office will be required to provide the quality of space and amenity conducive to a productive and enjoyable workplace experience. So we will continue to observe a flight to quality in global office markets. We will see increased occupier requirements for amenities that go further in supporting staff well-being. Three years ago, when I wrote (Y)OUR SPACE I advocated the idea of the corporate spa as a central component of the future office experience. Intended as a provocation, today it is beginning to emerge as shown, for example, by 101 Collins Street in Melbourne.
Both (Y)OUR SPACE and The Wealth Report also made the case for the provision of sanctuary space within office buildings to allow people to escape the grid and refocus or reconnect with themselves. Interestingly, the experiences of the last nine months, and in particular the cabin fever induced by enforced remote working, has brought great attention to the issues of mental well-being at work.
In 2021, as we move back to offices, for at least part of our working week, they will also need to support mental wellbeing. We fully expect to see increased occupier demand for best-in-class office buildings that offer sanctuary space, quiet or focus rooms, biophilia and outdoor terrace space, in addition to the collaboration and socialisation space that will support the future role of the office.
Offices have a vital role to play in the future world of work. The experience they present will be key to their allure. Central to that experience is greater health and wellbeing.
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