Covid-19 has caused a global health scare and businesses have taken a massive hit. Tech-based functions transitioned to online work-from-home processes after the social distancing and lockdown norms came into action, altering the usage of office spaces. The future workplaces will see changes in functionalities as well as the requirement for human resources and technology– they would need to be multi-utility with cutting edge tech integration.
This presents a great opportunity for companies to redesign their office spaces. The post-pandemic days will see the social distancing practices being integrated into office culture. After the recent guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, both our new and prospective clients and the existing ones are coming to us with concerns about maintaining social distancing at the workplace.
We are trying our best to suggest flexible solutions and remote working scenarios wherever possible. For instance, conference rooms that can accommodate a lesser number of people and multi-purpose meeting rooms with video conferencing facilities. Going forward, the seating arrangement in offices should likely be with a 6-10 feet space between two people. Employees with underlying health conditions as well as those with small children might continue working from home as also elaborated in the recent guidelines. Greater importance will be given to compartmentalization of air ducts and air conditioning.
As for workstations and furniture we are exploring anti-microbial and germ-resistant finishes and installation of air filtration systems and air purifiers for healthier air quality. All these new scenarios need to be looked into and offices redesigned accordingly once regular activities resume. This is critical to ensuring optimal employee productivity and happiness in the years ahead. In the future, we see that office spaces would not be densely populated and would be planned very spaciously.