Reinventing The Workplace: Space, Technology & Culture
Many workplaces have felt displaced over the past year. With no idea what the future held, people set up offices in whatever environment they could and worked with what they had.
Now, businesses are trying to find a more permanent solution. With things slowly getting back to normal, employers need to decide what their new workplace be.
Will they let everyone stay fully remote or bring employees back into the office? Will the office transition into a hybrid workplace, where a portion of the staff works from home and the others go back to the office?
Whichever workplace you choose, your business will need to reinvent the workplace and update technology depending on where and how you plan to work.
Remote Working Vs. In Person
One of the biggest challenges companies are facing right now is whether to increase remote working or go back to the pre-pandemic normal of their offices. It’s a highly personal decision. Employees might enjoy working remotely or hate it, your business might have been boosted by the isolation or hurt by it.
And there’s also unquantifiable issues to contend with. Is the lack of socialization harmful to employee retention? Do colleagues rely on in person support?
It’s hard to predict what the majority will do, but it’s possible that many businesses will turn to a hybrid workplace which asks employees to come to the office a few days a week. This model allows employees to keep the comforts of home life, encourages collaboration on days when the team is in office and allows the option to reduce office size (thus potentially lowering costs of rent, office furniture and equipment).
Business Office Technology Upgrades To Help The Transition
No matter what your “new normal” workplace looks like, it will need technology solutions to go with it. Fully remote companies will have to invest in stronger networks, video conferencing platforms and better video and home office equipment. Otherwise, they run the risk of looking less professional than their in-office counterparts.
If facility managers are reopening the office (hybrid or fully), adapting your office for better video conferencing will be crucial. Purchasing new monitors, projectors and using a floor-mounted wireway system to hide their accompanying wires are simpler updates you can do right away.
How Will This Impact Company Culture
Some of your company’s values and work styles will change with a new workplace. If you were a company built on remote work already, it might stay the same. Offices and locations could move, impacting workplace friendships and employee lifestyles. These will all need to be balanced in the new company culture you create.
Your business is unique and will have its own specific challenges during this time. Whether you’re navigating large scale changes or smaller, more personal ones, ProfTech can help you navigate them. Through space planning and design, a wide range of office furniture and home delivery services (perfect for a remote workforce), we’ll help you to reinvent your workplace so that it fits your new normal. If you don’t see what you need or an item is out of stock, give us a call and we’ll help you find the products and solutions you’re looking for.
