News

Preparing for a new norm – split office and home working.

News | October 21, 2020

1 min read

Three days in … two days out. Meeting the ever-changing requirements of the employer and their teams.

Despite the lockdown proving the resilience of technology and effective home working, all those who had to contend with sub-standard broadband speeds, bad backs brought on by being hunched over a laptop and the constant hubbub of children during lockdown will testify, home working is not the holy grail. The message in this piece is that whatever happens, landlords should continue with preparing for a new norm and a new way of working – split office and home working.

With further tier restrictions announced for parts of the country and the possibility of another lockdown at the forefront of many people’s minds, it would seem that working from home is continuing to be one option to avoid commuting and slowing the spread of the pandemic.

However, it is worth noting the latest survey commissioned by the British Council for Offices (BCO) asking how office workers planned to work for the next six months – after all this will be over one day. http://www.bco.org.uk/News/News46982.aspx

In the study, they found that of the 2,000 office workers surveyed nationwide (before further restrictions were announced) almost half (46%) looked to split their work between home and the office, with 30% set to go back to the office five days a week and only 15% of the respondents looking to work from home.

A second lockdown will no doubt create anxiety for many – particularly those who crave the buzz of their office environment and working with colleagues. One could ask is there a future for the traditional office? But we know that when building businesses or creating new ideas, it has been proven that innovation cannot be created in isolation. Lack of team cohesion and silos can negatively impact on progress and, it would seem, on mental health. Therefore, the office is very much alive – but trends are pointing towards a new norm and a new office model.

Whilst the country attempts to fight off the virus, what can Landlords do in order to keep making the most out of their properties? Keep progressing those fantastic concepts of fully serviced offices, plug in and play, pay as you use and flexible short-term leases – these are continuing to prove attractive to large and small businesses.