BACK TO THE OFFICE?
The office is experiencing a (identity) crisis: remote working calls for a re-design of labour in the traditional sense and hybrid models that combine digital and physical presence. In future there will still be work spaces. Just not in the shape and form we are used to.
However, the home-office does not only hold advantages. Routine jobs can be achieved smoothly whilst working from home – but innovation processes and diversification projects are significantly harder to accomplish. The reason for this is oftentimes isolation, missing motivation and distractions just as the lack of collaboration and communication with colleagues. Large corporations already have ‘Chief Remote Officers’, who are supposed to maintain the loyalty and connectedness within the company. According to a study conducted by the Fraunhofer Institut, 73 % of the remote workers interviewed missed social interactions, 51 % direct cooperation and 40% the division between work and home life. The solution could be hybrid models, which combine working from home and working in the office. Last October, when Dropbox announced that it is was going to become a virtual-first business and that remote working was to become the norm for all employees, it also announced the creation of specific spaces for working together in person. In a number of different locations – the so-called ‘studios’ – the tech company wants to promote the development of a sense of community instead of isolated individual working. Dialogue motivates and inspires. Co-working spaces, private or public, as an alternative to the home-office have seen a boom on a global scale - at the same time, due to the decentralisation of the workplace, businesses are increasingly looking for low risk, scalable and flexible work spaces. The overlap of the two trends of remote working and rural flight, both accelerated by the pandemic, is illustrated by co-working spaces popping up even beyond urban spaces.
A PLATFORM THAT CREATES A FEELING OF HOME, BELONGING AN IDENTITY
So, in future, what are we looking for in the office at all? According to Vitra’s office-specialist it is collaboration, community and belonging. As the decision for an office space will be taken consciously in the future, employees should feel comfortable in that space. “The existence of the office is justified, as the physical working together shapes business culture and identity. And businesses have to retain their culture in order to be successful,” says Britta von Lackum, Specialist Workplace Development at Vitra. However, she says that the office is currently experiencing an evolutionary development. According to her it makes no longer sense to dress the office up as a home from home and to aim for colleagues to want to linger as long as possible. Instead of this Vitra has developed a solution for post-pandemic knowledge work in a shared-workspace-modus: the club office. The office as an exciting space that people enjoy leaving the home-office for. As a platform that creates a feeling of home, belonging and identity, just like a club house. As the heart of the business, promoting cooperation and innovation even in the times of social distancing – through creative workshops, one-to-one dialogue and team events. For Vitra the office of the future is characterised by three zones: the public zone for exchange and retreat, the semi-public zone for team- and non-territorial work and private rooms for individual and focussed work. As opposed to the open office the club office does not have dedicated desks, but workshops, open areas for team events and meeting rooms, a large table for meetings and briefings, just as social areas like garden, bar or library, where one can interact with colleagues free from digital intrusion…to then just slip away to the office at home for repetitive work without distractions. •
Angetreten für mehr Klimaschutz und Wertschöpfung: Das Team „DüsselRheinWupper“ hat den Landeswettbewerb zur Wasserstoff-Mobilität gewonnen.
However, the home-office does not only hold advantages. Routine jobs can be achieved smoothly whilst working from home – but innovation processes and diversification projects are significantly harder to accomplish. The reason for this is oftentimes isolation, missing motivation and distractions just as the lack of collaboration and communication with colleagues. Large corporations already have ‘Chief Remote Officers’, who are supposed to maintain the loyalty and connectedness within the company. According to a study conducted by the Fraunhofer Institut, 73 % of the remote workers interviewed missed social interactions, 51 % direct cooperation and 40% the division between work and home life. The solution could be hybrid models, which combine working from home and working in the office. Last October, when Dropbox announced that it is was going to become a virtual-first business and that remote working was to become the norm for all employees, it also announced the creation of specific spaces for working together in person. In a number of different locations – the so-called ‘studios’ – the tech company wants to promote the development of a sense of community instead of isolated individual working. Dialogue motivates and inspires. Co-working spaces, private or public, as an alternative to the home-office have seen a boom on a global scale - at the same time, due to the decentralisation of the workplace, businesses are increasingly looking for low risk, scalable and flexible work spaces. The overlap of the two trends of remote working and rural flight, both accelerated by the pandemic, is illustrated by co-working spaces popping up even beyond urban spaces.
Wo neue Klimaschutzideen reifen sollen: der EUREF-Campus Düsseldorf
A PLATFORM THAT CREATES A FEELING OF HOME, BELONGING AND IDENTITY.
So, in future, what are we looking for in the office at all? According to Vitra’s office-specialist it is collaboration, community and belonging. As the decision for an office space will be taken consciously in the future, employees should feel comfortable in that space. “The existence of the office is justified, as the physical working together shapes business culture and identity. And businesses have to retain their culture in order to be successful,” says Britta von Lackum, Specialist Workplace Development at Vitra. However, she says that the office is currently experiencing an evolutionary development. According to her it makes no longer sense to dress the office up as a home from home and to aim for colleagues to want to linger as long as possible. Instead of this Vitra has developed a solution for post-pandemic knowledge work in a shared-workspace-modus: the club office. The office as an exciting space that people enjoy leaving the home-office for. As a platform that creates a feeling of home, belonging and identity, just like a club house. As the heart of the business, promoting cooperation and innovation even in the times of social distancing – through creative workshops, one-to-one dialogue and team events. For Vitra the office of the future is characterised by three zones: the public zone for exchange and retreat, the semi-public zone for team- and non-territorial work and private rooms for individual and focussed work. As opposed to the open office the club office does not have dedicated desks, but workshops, open areas for team events and meeting rooms, a large table for meetings and briefings, just as social areas like garden, bar or library, where one can interact with colleagues free from digital intrusion…to then just slip away to the office at home for repetitive work without distractions. •
HOFFICE - Regeln
• Coworking zu Hause: Ziel von Hoffice ist, Ideen mit anderen zu teilen und möglichst zu sein .
• Coworker finden sich online in sozialen Netzwerken zusammen.
• Das Arbeiten beim Host ist kostenlos, für Kaffee und Getränke darf gespendet werden.
• Voraussetzung fürs Hosting: WLAN, Steckdosen, ein Raum fürs Telefonieren und genügend freie Arbeitsfläche.
• Jeder Hoffice-Tag beginnt mit einer kurzen Vorstellungsrunde, in der jeder Teilnehmer seine Tagesziele definiert.
• Gearbeitet wird 45 Minuten am Stück, in den 15-minütigen Pausen tauschen sich die Coworker aus.
• Co-working at home: The goal of “Hoffice” is to share ideas with others and be as productive as possible.
Words Karolina Landowski