What People Can Expect From Their Workplace Post-COVID-19

Drawing on observations and experiences gleaned from decades of designing office environments, Martin Goldstein predicts some substantive shifts in what people can expect from the return to the workplace.

An extra 20 minutes of sleep. Daily meetings in shorts conducted via Zoom. Celebrating birthdays and long work weeks with a virtual team happy hour. These are some of our new realities during a global quarantine.

Around the world, companies and their employees have had to quickly adapt to the challenges of completely remote working. Despite the challenges and technical glitches (double-booking the office conference line, forgetting you’re on camera, etc.), organizations are staying connected and, in many cases, finding new ways to maximize their productivity.

That is not to say that any of this feels normal at this point. While we are all making do as best we can, there is a growing sense that things will not be the same after this. The big question is: will we all return to the workplace? What will corporate America learn from the “great distancing of 2020?” And how will this pandemic influence office design of tomorrow?

In addition to the basic human need for social interaction, most professionals’ work makes contact with their teams a necessity. Regardless of size or function, we still have peers and direct reports to meet with. Professional services still need to be completed. Training still needs to occur. The culture of an organization, how people collaborate and develop soft skills that will allow them to advance in their careers – all of these still largely depend on face-to-face interactions. And not all of that can be done via video conference.

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