By Kelly Ennis, Erin Deason & Abi Knipscher

Even before COVID-19, we were creating spaces with intention. These spaces and places are, and always have been, thoughtfully designed to user and spatial experience. Users are employees and employers, organizations, non‐profits, tenants, patients, doctors, shoppers, diners, and developers. As of this writing, over 70 days have passed, in a completely disruptive manner that applies to all aspects of the built environment. The world of work and use of space, as we knew it in March of this year, has abruptly changed.

Having been jarringly removed from our offices to a work from home model, is resulting in shifts of behavior that have influenced work styles, connections to clients and colleagues, and most importantly, relationships that we’ve built over the last 5, 10, and 15+ years. Relationships in and of themselves are only one data point that impacts our experiences which have a direct correlation with workplace performance.

We have a long road ahead of us

Many manufacturers and organizations are in a rush to provide retrofits and not without good intention. However, with so many leaders struggling through a pandemic for the first time, some solutions may be transactional “quick fixes” to the workplace such as barriers on workstations and at reception desks. These solutions are costly, temporary and may eventually end up in a landfill, giving employees a false sense of safety, much like seat belts on an airplane.

While social distancing guidelines are an attempt to encourage germ spread awareness, we are social beings whose survival depends on connections embodied in every sense: touch, taste, sight, sound and smell. Six‐foot floor pattern allocations are not the solution, because right now, there is no solution.

Cleaning protocols that mimic a health care environment now need to be incorporated early into strategic workplace discussions. We must create policies centered around health, safety and wellness. This means washing hands, frequent disinfecting, wearing masks and, above all, encouraging employees to stay home when they are not feeling well (physically or mentally).

Out of the gate, scientists, engineers, and economists stated that the quality of indoor air will have a profound impact on the workplace experience. While air circulation is not the primary mode of transmission, it goes without saying that most office building mechanical systems need to be evaluated as a tool to a healthy environment. This includes ventilation, filtration, sanitation, fresh air intake, and humidity control and management. Automation technologies already available to us, but under-utilized, are going to become mainstream. Organizations and real estate firms (i.e. landlords) will be put in positions to improve the building infrastructure or at least plan for improvements over time.

Begin with the end in mind

Talk has been brewing (for years, really) around how the open office is too noisy, has too many distractions, both visible and audible, and now the prevailing sentiment seems to be that “Alas, the open office is dead.” COVID-19 may become an excuse for new office alternatives that will undoubtedly surface, but for what alternatives, we are not yet sure.

Is everyone going home and staying home?
Is everyone in a closed private office?
How will our square footage be affected?

This is ridiculous commentary.
Now is not the time to be reactive.
It is, even more so, a time to be proactive and strategic. Strategically designed workplaces have always been an ecosystem driven by experience.

Choice, variety, dependence, and autonomy are balanced space types that create varying degrees of experiences throughout the course of the day.

Human beings were never meant to be corralled into closed rooms or in rows and rows of workstations in a hierarchical command and control environment. It is the antithesis of human nature and is an undesirable experience.

Providing a great workplace experience creates and supports engaged employees. Research shows engaged employees are performance driven and brand loyal, which ultimately contributes to productivity and profit. When engagement goes down, turnover goes up. If engagement goes up, turnover goes down. There is a 43% correlation between the two.

The challenge will be that human behavior has a way of reverting to the mean. Recall the events immediately following 09/11. Experts predicted the end of globalization and a world with no skyscrapers. That prediction noticeably didn’t pan out.

The lesson being, regardless of what the future of work looks like, people fundamentally and tangibly need other people in order for the human race to survive. Therefore, spaces and places where we can live, work and play will always matter. We will continue to connect to each other, our organizations, our workplaces, our schools, homes, neighborhoods, and communities all through the built environment.

It is certainly an interesting time to be designers, strategists, and problem solvers.
We are here for you, whenever you’re ready. Let’s strategize.