Will the hybrid office ever feel like home? | CPT PPP Coverage

Cryptopolytech (CPT) Public Press Pass (PPP)
News of the Day COVERAGE

200000048 – World Newser
•| #World |•| #Online |•| #Media |•| #Outlet |

View more Headlines & Breaking News here, as covered by cryptopolytech.com

Indeed, some research shows familiarity breeds routine, which stabilizes workflow and leads to increased creativity. There is even research that family photos on desks can keep employees subconsciously more honest. Lee says personalisation also enables self-expression and conversation starters between colleagues, helping to boost employee motivation. “Having your own distinctive identity and personality in the workplace means being able to express yourself, that you feel acknowledged.”

But as many workers no longer have an assigned space of their own, they may have to work with unfamiliar people in unfamiliar locations. “If you had a good relationship with colleagues previously, you might miss those types of interactions,” says Lee. “It can have a negative effect, with fewer opportunities to talk, complain and celebrate achievements together.”

The risk is employees have to make do with impermanent, transient environments whenever they venture into the office, which can breed stress, anxiety and exhaustion. “I’ve heard of people going and troubling to find a seat to work, let alone a familiar one,” says Lee. “It’s comparable to walking into a library to study: you may get work done, but it’s an impersonal space that will never feel like yours.”

Rethinking personalisation

Experts say in this new world of work, the answer to making the office feel less sterile isn’t necessarily bringing back seating plans and family portraits. Employers are aware of the jarring changes; in response, many are bringing in design experts to recalibrate the workplace’s function, and consider what a worker-friendly space actually means in the hybrid age.

“It’s still important to give people a sense of belonging in a physical space,” says Chris Crawford, studio director at design and architecture firm Gensler, in London. “They still need a home base to anchor themselves. Although that’s still often a desk, the aim is to get people out of the mindset that a one-metre by one-and-a-half-metre piece of office furniture is where they belong.”

Crawford says architectural features now prompt workers to think of their entire floor as their own physical environment: interactive elements encourage employees to move around; open staircases connect disparate workspaces; lockers mean personal items can be stored for safekeeping, rather than kept on a desk.