“Is this the time you come to work?”
“Sorry, I was stuck in traffic.”
Many of us must be missing this conversation now. Indeed, the new norms of social distancing have destroyed some common excuses forever. With no more travelling, no more late attendance, no wasting of time gossiping during work, and no worries about how we dress every day – working-from-home has been the most desirable thing many of us wished for but never thought possible until coronavirus came into our lives. Now, surveys after surveys state that a large chunk of employees and employers across the industries prefer to continue working from home. However, remote working does not work for everyone or for all aspects of an organization.
The need for a physical work environment is inevitable. From onboarding new team members to collaborate on specific tasks, some things often just work better in an office. For instance, in an announcement to staff, Sundar Pichai – the chief executive of Google’s parent company, Alphabet – said that the future of work is flexibility. According to the media reports, Google expects about 20% of its workforce to still work remotely after its offices reopen this fall, while some 60% will work a hybrid schedule that includes about three days in the office and two days “wherever they work best.” Like Sundar Pichai and Google, many experts and companies now consider workforce flexibility as the way forward.
In this special issue of CXO Outlook, we have talked to industry leaders and experts about what they think of the future of workspace. The result is a collection of insightful articles and fascinating interviews by some prominent names across sectors. We hope our efforts will help our readers to understand the latest trends in workspace design and management.
Enjoy Reading.