NLA Expert Panel on Work

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Head of Workplace Strategy and Design
KKS Savills

The results are in: let’s reimagine the office

The Gramophone Works, Studio RHE, Heyne Tillett Steel, Dowds for Resolution Property

Much has happened since the NLA Expert Panel on Work first met in July 2020, and for the fourth and last meeting of its first cycle, panellists came together to review the NLA Members Survey, part of the upcoming research WRK/LDN: office revolution?

One of the first questions in the survey asked about the impact of COVID-19 and the successive lockdowns on the workplace. Unsurprisingly the highest rated for the most significant effect was the shift to working from home, followed by adapting to new collaboration techniques and new technologies. The panel discussed the potential differences between the personal and the organisational viewpoint. It was determined that the respondents were answering as individuals and possibly not party to decisions being made by the wider leadership. What became clear is that the panel agreed that the timing of the survey was a ‘point in time’ and that ongoing surveys would be valuable to see how sentiment changes. The employer and employee experience of the pandemic will have been different, and responses affected by this.

The next section of the survey focused on the time spent pre-pandemic working in the office, time spent working from home during lockdowns and what was expected in the future. 84 per cent of the respondents worked a typical five-day week in the office pre-COVID and just under 9 per cent four days a week. 60 per cent have worked consistently from home since March 2020, though interestingly a number of the panellists were in their office for this meeting. In terms of future attendance, 55 per cent thought they would be working two to three days per week in the office. This is very much in line with the data that has come from other employee surveys. The panel discussed how employers would manage the duality of office and remote working that a hybrid model would create, and the potential hierarchy that may ensue for those who are not physically present in the workplace against those who are. The feeling was that once lockdowns and social distancing has passed this will shift again, a further reason for ongoing surveys, to see the trends and patterns as they emerge.

From the WRK/LDN: Office Revolution? report

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The question around the greatest impact felt from working from home again broadly mirrored wider survey results with work-life balance the most positive at 29.5 per cent followed by the ability to concentrate. One of the panellists noted that work-life balance typically is cited as a positive to work-from-home but anecdotally many respondents said that they were suffering high levels of stress. It was noted again that the employee versus employer response will be different with many of the leadership teams finding that they are spending significantly more time on remote management and calls.

The possible future scenarios of work generated a great deal of discussion with the consensus being that greater definition of the different future office models would be beneficial. The binary nature of home or office should be viewed with other options that are available such as flexible and third spaces. Panellists were surprised by the results of this question and wondered if the respondents considered what kind of office they would return to and if they assumed it would be exactly the same space they had left last year. 77 per cent responded that they would like to see a flexible work week in a hybrid office environment. Clients have been looking for different ways of providing flexibility, buildings are being designed more flexibly, with more co-working spaces, either built out or shell ready to build into.

For the return to the office, collaboration was the most important ambition at 44 per cent alongside other activities that required face to face interaction. People want to feel like they belong, have in-person interaction, and receive learning and mentoring. It was rightly pointed out that senior staff should be in the office to deliver the mentoring to less experienced members of the workforce.

With the focus on health and wellbeing continuing after the pandemic, the needs for the future office that rated most important included flexibility, access to public spaces and outdoor space, and physical and mental wellbeing. The pandemic could be seen to have a silver lining with the focus being on health. Transportation is also important as is adopting emerging technologies. Carbon neutrality was clearly important to the panel who questioned: now that net zero pledges have been made, how is it going to be achieved? Client and developers say it is important until the consequences are demonstrated to them in terms of costs and construction.

80 per cent of respondents wanted to commute less often to maintain a work-life balance. The group agreed that there are challenges around safety and hygiene, and less commuting was not a surprise. People will start to ponder active travel initiatives and business travel is being considered carefully. The question was posed whether people simply do not like to commute with many agreeing that at the present time their commute to work is both pleasant and enjoyable, but all agreed that this may change when public transport is being used to a greater extent. One possibility that was felt to be missing was around people choosing different transport options such as cycling, running and walking.

It became apparent that there is a perceived tension between employers and employees and that both were going to make concessions moving forward. The focus should be on smaller teams, how they can get together, be autonomous and agile. Flexible working is one of the real challenges ahead and how employers react to it. Spaces will have to work harder, but how will this impact on the office footprint? The important factor will be utilisation of data-led evidence to enable balanced views of headlines. Culture will be a big topic and, as the pandemic has not been an equaliser, diversity and inclusion will be more important, with panellists suggesting for instance that if there was one person not in the room then all participants could join the meeting virtually to ensure inclusivity.

In conclusion this period should be a significant driver for innovation and creativity, designers will be asked tough questions and clients will have more complex briefs, designers will be working harder to deliver the client’s wish list. However, it was agreed that this is an exciting time for rethinking the office.

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Katrina Kostic Samen

Head of Workplace Strategy and Design
KKS Savills

The results are in: let’s reimagine the office

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