W 10 SME magazine


orkspaces have always been evolving. From grand clubby suites to small, partitioned silos to open-plan zoned spaces, shoulder-high partitions or cubicles made of glass, they have had to constantly adapt as businesses sought to do everything from impress clients, engage staff or simply create a productive environment. Producers of the BBC sitcom The Office


managed to combine most of these to good effect, allowing characters to gossip in private, fight turf wars in corners or embarrass themselves in full view of everyone on the payroll. But aſter months in which offices were


literally out of bounds and an estimated 60 per cent of us found ourselves working from home, those who are finally starting to make their way back are returning to something even David Brent wouldn’t recognise. Those, that is, who actually want or feel the need to return. Working life changed in unprecedented


ways in March as millions were sent home with laptops, company phones and Zoom accounts.


But what was surprising perhaps was that a situation many approached with scepticism soon became a welcome norm for many who actually relished the opportunity to find a new work-life balance and ditch both the commute and the suit. What’s more, there were even early signs that suggested this new relaxed way of working had actually seen productivity rise. One poll from the business consultancy


Hoxby claimed that almost three quarters of employers were pleasantly surprised at the way staff had adapted to it and more than half admitted their teams were more productive than they were in the office.


“ Fifty per cent of those able to work from home wanted their employer to be flexible and 25 per cent said that their employer should measure their output rather


than time spent.” Louise Lawrence, Winckworth Sherwood


A


series of others throughout the summer went on to reinforce the suggestion that working from


home may well become the so-called new normal in future. The digital marketing platform


Adzooma recently surveyed 447 workers with more than 90 per cent insisting were able to perform their jobs as normal from home.


The findings were interesting in other


ways. More than half told researchers that home working was now their preference and a similar number said they simply didn’t want to return to normal office life. Most described working from home as


enjoyable - more than eight in ten, in fact, a surprisingly high number given that there was a global pandemic. When asked why, they cited such things as flexibility, the lack of commuting – or just having the space to concentrate. Another, commissioned by lawyers


Winckworth Sherwood more recently, revealed that as many as three in five employees working from home would be happy if their office remained closed indefinitely, even if there was a sustained


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