The dawn of Covid-19 shut down our offices in the blink of an eye. Home working became the new norm and the daily commute became nothing more than a sleepy-eyed journey from the bedroom to the cramped conditions of the spare room. And while we celebrated this for a time, survey after survey tells us that remote working is not an enduring love affair with British office workers. The UK Government’s own research states that the ‘positive effects of home working level off the more time people spend at home.’
So, what’s changed and why are people seeking a return to office culture?
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Offices guarantee workplace standards
When workers were told to stay at home, the idea of swapping the suit for PJs and the office desk for the couch seemed inspired. Yet, once we’d endured a zoom call squashed against a mountain of ironing, purpose built office solutions regained their appeal. By law, offices need to ensure that workers have access to equipment and are offered conditions that meet high standards. For many, working from home simply can’t provide the same specifications. According to Vision Direct, many younger people in shared accomodation simply don’t have the space to work from home. Serviced office space can provide a solution to those businesses looking to re-establish a functioning office for their staff.
Offices provide work-life balance
Work life balance is headline news. A sense of wellness – a necessity after years spent living through a pandemic. Yet, Vision Direct found that 4 in 10 office workers believe working from home for a further six months will have a negative impact on their mental health. A further 41% feel that being ‘cooped up at home’ has left them feeling anxious. Another study found that 58% of people think office working will repair their mental health.
Those ‘watercooler’ encounters with colleagues provide a sense of closeness and wellbeing that zoom calls just can’t replicate. Offices also give workers the chance to close the laptop and leave working life behind for the night. Working from the spare room means we may feel duty bound to be switched on 24/7.
Offices inspire innovations and professional development
Eye-contact, reading emotions and non-verbal communication are key to successful interactions between colleagues. Innovation comes from dynamic relationships and sharing best practice. Face-to-face human interaction can allow colleagues to ‘bounce off each other’ in a more productive way than trying to read people through a buffering screen. In the same way, studies have also shown that workers feel the isolation of home working threatens their personal advancement. Being present in the same place gives us the chance to demonstrate our skills as leaders and enable us to know who to turn to when we need support.
Offices support business culture
A post-pandemic study has revealed those who work solely from home lose their sense of business culture and lower their productivity. Business culture is vital for growth, well being, creativity and employee retention. It offers a sense of what the business offers – and why it’s important to be part of it. Serviced office space gives workers grounding, a sense of belonging and shared purpose. Something that the spare bedroom just can’t do.
It’s clear that remote working works for some – but not for all. The old phrase that the office is our second home, might be true. Maybe we do really need the balance of both places in our lives so we can find that post-pandemic peace we’re all searching for.
