Do we already have the office of the future?
Since the last Corona measures were lifted last April, workers are increasingly returning to the office. Many are happy about the social contacts at work. The home office has established itself as a new form of work, which has developed into a mixed form of presence work and home office after the pandemic measures were lifted. Because: Many want to stick to working in a home office one or two days a week.
The pandemic has triggered a change in the world of work and a rethinking of the choice of workplace. The transformation is still underway: Should there be more workplaces in open-plan offices and fewer fixed workplaces? Or does the future lie in small-scale workplace units such as the individual office? Which working models will prevail? The ideas and expectations of employers and employees are numerous. The Steiner Office Barometer 2022, which was conducted for the second time last spring, provides insights into the challenges of office space today and tomorrow.
Changing workplace models
The digitalisation of society and the business world – accelerated by the pandemic – places new demands on the interaction between technology and office space. According to the Steiner Office Barometer 2022, 27% of respondents expect workplaces to be geared towards new working models. 64% of those with workplaces in companies with more than 250 employees think that this has already happened. This means that almost half of all respondents work in new work models. This result confirms that the transformation is more advanced in larger companies.
Adapted office environments
Large companies with 250 or more employees in particular have adapted to the new situation and realigned office space – especially in western Switzerland, where office space has been reduced most significantly. It can be seen that acceptance of new workplace models is highest where experience has already been gained with open-plan offices.
For more than one in ten respondents (13%), fixed workplaces have already been abolished and flexible workplace models introduced. Among other things, new retreats for video conferences have been created. Younger employees and people with jobs in the city or agglomeration are increasingly affected by such changes.
Fixed versus flexible workplace
63% of respondents still want a fixed workplace (single office or office with several workstations). The results indicate that although many employees do not want to do without a home office, they do not want to compromise on office comfort. About half (52%) could imagine flexible single offices and another 43% flexible workplaces in an open-plan office. About a third (32%) would be willing to do without a workstation in the office altogether.
Retreat and communal spaces are in demand
A work environment that meets the need for concentrated work is in demand. This takes the form of separate rooms (66%) or individual offices (64%) that can be used as needed. Video conferencing rooms are considered important by 60%.
When it comes to the design of the working environment, 62% want rooms for spontaneous exchange, and 43% would welcome more meeting rooms. Spontaneous exchange is more important than planned exchange. As much as most respondents appreciate home offices, they also seek social contact with colleagues. That is why a workplace in a central location with good public transport connections remains the first choice.
The boundaries between working time and free time seem to be becoming increasingly blurred. As a consequence, companies need to create new quiet zones for their employees. The results of the Steiner Office Barometer confirm the desire for places of retreat within one’s own office premises. Spaces for concentrated work are desired. We are living in a new age of work-life blending, where business and private increasingly merge and new, flexible working models are therefore required.
Steiner AG has recognised this and organised an internal competition on the topic of the “working world of the future”. The three winning concepts capture the spirit of the times: healthy lifestyle with a lot of added value, merging work and private life, self-realisation, living out creativity and exchanging ideas with like-minded people.
It remains to be seen where the trends will develop further. The geopolitical situation, socio-demographic changes, globalisation and the increasing integration of digital technologies influence the trends and determine the pace of change in the world of work as well. Find out how these and other megatrends may affect our society and the office of the future in the latest Steiner AG blog posts.
