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PEOPLE WANT to come to the office two or three times a week once the pandemic is over and see the office as a collaborative and social hub where they can get together with colleagues. Tat’s according to several surveys carried out by Overbury through OnePulse over the course of the past 18 months. Tese sentiments echo numerous other industry studies conducted over that period. In a somewhat damning indictment of our current workplaces, 87% of respondents to one of Overbury’s surveys believe their workplace needs to change after Covid. Te most popular option was an environment that offers enhanced well-being and health facilities (49%) followed by a social hub with spaces to meet clients, colleagues or mentors (34%) and one with sustainable and environmentally-friendly working practices and construction methods (33%). Just 13% said that their workplace was perfect already and they didn’t need it to change. On a positive note, 75.5% of respondents believe their employer will make the changes needed.


But what do companies need to consider when designing the post-Covid workplace?


Te reunion


Left Employees are increasingly looking to get more out of their ofice space, from well-being and health facilities to areas for meeting and socialising


Below The Hill Hub in Dartford, Kent is a former court and police station transformed into a coworking space


Reconnectedness is key, says Sonia Brown, director and head of design at Quadrant Design and workplace arm HUMAN. ‘After the workforce remote working for so long, it is important companies focus on restoring employees’ link to the brand they work for. Employees will need to reconnect with their company when they are in the office. Telling a story within your office design will connect employees to the brand they love and influence a sense of belonging. Employers who want their workforce to reconnect quickly should personalise their workspace to reflect their organisation and its values,’ she says.


It is very difficult to connect to a culture without physically experiencing it, agrees Richard O’Keefe from front-of house firm Portico. ‘Without doubt,


THE HILL HUB, KENT CASE STUDY


Hybrid working is inevitably going to result in the creation of new spaces, but few can be as unusual as The Hill Hub. The former Dartford Magistrates’ Court and Police Station has been transformed by DMA Group into a state-of-the-art coworking space where people can work in former cells. Leading the heritage revival


project, Natalie Parkins, interior design director for DMA, was tasked with maximising space and light with multiple workspace specifications, while retaining and highlighting the historical features that tell the building’s tale back to the 1800s. The Grade II listed building includes luxury private ofices, coworking


spaces, a justice café and a bespoke business development programme to help mentor, train and fund the ideas of the future disruptive entrepreneurs. DMA’s team consulted on the specification, selection and design of the specialist joinery, including all the furniture, fittings and equipment throughout.


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