Returning to Work: Redefining The Role of the Office in a Post-Covid World
The end of the government’s ‘work from home’ order has not heralded the immediate return to pre-Covid work routines. Our director, Oliver Lowrie discusses the opportunities and challenges of welcoming staff back to the office, and how good design can help overcome obstacles…
“Design is a collaborative process, and over the past 18 months of home working, I have felt the frustration of not being able to pick up a felt pen and some tracing paper and sit down with our team to brainstorm. From our team’s perspective, I think there is a lot missed by not being in the office; younger members learn by absorbing the conversations around them, and without this their development is slowed. This is without even mentioning the stress experienced by younger people who don’t always have the best home working setup, as well as the impact of reduced social interactions on mental health.
“However, this does not necessarily mean that staff members will be beating the office door down to return to work. As employers in the post-Covid world, the responsibility is on us to provide working environments that engender interaction, provide a wide variety of different spaces to work, as well as allow space to play, socialise, and relax. When the alternative to the office is only a few footsteps from your bedroom, the office is going to have to work much harder to compete.
“Here at Ackroyd Lowrie, we’ve spent the past six months redesigning the office to encourage staff back to work. Our studio is a double height, well-ventilated and naturally bright space within which we have added hundreds of new plants hanging from the ceilings and down the walls to improve air quality and soften the warehouse aesthetic.
“We have banks of hot-desks which are cleaned every evening, but have also focused on creating a series of breakout spaces to encourage interaction and different styles of working e.g. laying out plans, making models, drinking tea, Zoom rooms, private rooms, etc. We’ve also created designated spaces for our VR reviews and design crits. Our meeting room wall has been built to fold into three different configurations- meeting room, board room, and party mode, and a mobile ping pong table top can be used in here or on the terrace.
“One of the benefits of Covid is that more meetings occur outdoors, and so we have invested in our roof terrace so it offers another space for collaboration as well as access to the outside and fresh air.
“For those anxious about returning to work, we’ve implemented a flexible structure but also followed Covid risk assessment guidance and implemented daily lateral flow tests for all staff, increased workplace cleaning, sanitiser stations, limited number of visitors and temperature checks for further reassurance. Wellbeing is so important too, 44% of people said their mental health has suffered more in the 2021 lockdowns than last year*, so we’re strongly emphasising our culture of inclusivity; focusing on mentoring, asking for help, being active, having fun and teambuilding. Our portable table tennis table encourages lunchtime/after work socialising and just recently we’ve played five-a-side football with the Jason Roberts Foundation and ten of us completed the Land Aid 10k. There’s also a study trip to Belfast planned within the next quarter.
“Our practice ethos is built on creating sustainable, high-quality places and spaces and this applies just as much to our own environment as it does to the schemes we design. We know our team not only thrives but excels from face-to-face interactions so reopening the office was never in question. Seeing everyone back together again, sharing ideas, knowledge and helping each other, is what drives Ackroyd Lowrie’s success. Come and visit us very soon.”
