With the new Covid protocols and guidelines set, offices have adapted to the new needs, behavioural and environmental changes, adjusting to production demands.
Today officers are implementing many commendable facilities which were hardly thought of even a decade ago. These include mental health and wellness-centric amenities with child care services and mother’s rooms to nurse as well.
With the work from home scenario full of video conferencing, zoom calls and webinars in the last two years, corporate professionals are looking at various techniques and office space trends to lure the employees back to the office today.
The global pandemic amplified and expeditated an office evolution which had already begun. Let’s discuss some of the office space trends to look out for in the post-pandemic era:
OFFICE SPACE TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2022:
Bringing the outdoors in for more natural light and air so as to support immunity and mental well-being is the new in-thing in the post-pandemic office space design. Studies have shown that exposure to nature has recorded lower levels of cortisol, which is referred to as the human stress hormone, as well as stimulating creativity. And the employers to are competing for the best employees using outdoor amenities as a tool to show they care about their staff's well being.
There have been news reports about how the developers and owners of urban office buildings are known to be adding terraces and transforming the once-barren rooftops into a park-like setting where the employees can take a break and recharge or have meetings, happy hours and host guests from outside.
Those who do not have the desired space to have an outdoor space to unwind within the office premises, have to incorporate outside elements inside the office, Taking cues from a landscape consultant, one can include indoor plants and green walls in the office space to make it soothing, calm and peaceful inside the office as well as the indoor plants cleaning and filtering the air inside.
- Having Internal Staircases:
Just like incorporating greenery and natural airflow in the office layouts, elements like internal staircases are also to be considered. Having internal staircases is a must for the companies and even in the newly constructed buildings, landlords are adapting to this by pre-planning for the internal staircases and even building staircases for the old ones.
Internal staircases are known to come with the added benefit of more natural light. The floors to accommodate a staircase will increase more natural light as well as create an illusion of higher ceilings.
3. Double Height Ceilings:
Ceilings that are high add a positive and broader perspective towards life as earlier people in offices that had low built ceilings often felt suffocated. To understand how employees view their workspaces, we need to provide them with a healthy atmosphere and give them more room to breathe and think.
Open floor plans which researchers believe encourage and foster innovation and collaboration and provide the employees with a feeling of transparency and benefits of more open air and natural light are in demand today.
High, exposed ceilings are now an essential part of the office space where employers are looking to increase their mental wellness of being at work. Today, you do not need to hide the building’s HVAC systems with ugly drop ceilings. Instead, expose them by painting them with bright colours to fit into the vibe of your office space. More buildings have come up with fitness and food concepts in their retail spaces to benefit the employees working in the offices on the same premises. Fitness and food act as the most important selling point in these places.
5. Building A Community By Attracting Talent:
Creating a sense of community by including a food hall in an office building or cafeteria on lease with those restaurants and food joints that have suffered deeply due to the pandemic in spite of providing great food and service. The restaurateurs can set up small food takeaway units to expand their business in these food halls and in this way people can also recognise potential talents.
How would you like to see your workplace as you go back to your office after the pandemic? Let us know in the comments.
Also, read our article on "
12 INDOOR PLANTS TO ENERGIZE YOUR OFFICE SPACE"
