Work

Findings

01 Operating in Parallel Universes

• The workplace must be productive at all times.

• When there isn’t a viral threat, it should offer the best possible human experience.

When there is a threat of unknown qualities and proportions, it must offer different services that isolate, mitigate, and enhance the welfare of the workforce.

02 Plan ahead for change in the Workplace

• Second to sleeping, we spend more time of our lives engaged in work than any other activity.
  We’ve broken down your entire life into years spent doing tasks, Huffington Post

• Whether offices or factories, these places are designed to be changed to meet new challenges.

  • Uninterrupted space dotted with columns as far apart as practical can house most productive activities of any worker.

  • In multi-story buildings elevators connect floors often allowing thousands of square feet of space to be easily accessible on foot.

• Transforming Buildings responding to a pandemic

  • Usually change responds to a change in occupancy or a change in business needs. The nature of such change is not predictable, but it can be completed over time.

  • The challenge of a pandemic inverts this paradigm. The nature of the change is predictable - mitigation, but it has to be completed quickly, even overnight.

  • The solution - plan ahead.
    Post-pandemic economy favour fastest moves, WeForum,

• Workplace buildings are uniquely suited for advanced planning.

  • Have consistent large-scale human traffic patterns

  • Offer robust scale and infrastructure

  • Accessibility is usually controlled and monitored, this hardware and software can be modified to respond to pandemic.

03 Making the Workplace safe(r).

• Using Touchless Technology wherever possible.

• Employer-provided “placemats” and disinfectant dispensers.

• Building Scale Employee Monitoring (and Tracking in emergency periods)

• Making onsite medical services available supported by integrated telemedicine.

• Implementing cleaning and disinfecting protocols and regimens, specialized air handling, and material considerations.

• Dual Purpose Pandemic Emergency Facility (PEF)

04 The workplace will always be integral to one’s holistic health.

• Successful leaders will make this a priority.

• It is critical for recruitment and retention of top talent.

• Introduction of Chief Medical Officer (HIPAA Trained)

• Holistic Health

  • Augmented Wellness

    • Sustainable Practices

    • Outdoor Space and Air

    • Improved Materials

    • Sophisticated Air Filtration/HVAC

    • Sanitizing Lights

    • Touchless Technologies

    • Organic Healthy Food

  • Onsite Medical Access Supported by Integrated Telemedicine. 
    Telemedicine workplace reducing healthcare costs and employee downtime, AMD Telemedicine

  • Mental Health Awareness and Support
    THE BIG RESET: Why COVID- 19 present s a blue moon moment for mental health technology, OxfordVR

•  Biophilia, natural light, views of nature and an awareness of the natural world.

  • Since the late 1970’s, the white collar offices have been designed with biophilia in mind.

  • Blue collar factories should be designed or renovated with Biofillia in mind.

05 Workplaces will always enhance social human interaction and cognitive development.

• Physical workplaces support person-to-person engagement, which are less successfully replicated virtually, and allow for:

  • Spontaneous Collaboration and Innovation

  • Informal Communication

  • Teamwork

  • Training and Supervision

    • Formalized Professional Development

    • Informal Mentoring

    • Learning By Osmosis

    • Managerial Oversight

  • Sense of Purpose

    • Clarity on Company’s Mission

    • Alignment around and Pride in Shared Values

    • Altruism
      Commercial Offices, Carter Jonas

• Physical workplaces provide tools and technology, which are not as successfully replicated in one’s home office.

• Future workplaces will focus on optimizing spaces used for person to person, person to tools and person to technology engagement.

  • Negotiate (Board Room)

  • Celebrate (Dining Room / Flex Space)

  • Innovate (War Rooms)

  • Teach (Coaching and Training Rooms)

  • Test (Lab Space)

  • Make (Workshops)

• When under threat, the office will only be a place to meet, and not to work.

• Our WFH environments will be efficient and allow for productive future work.

• The factory is also a place of important social interaction, where teams of workers are building products.

• In the foreseeable future, blue collar workers will still have to come to work, and making the factory a safe workplace cannot depend on distance. The solution is protection, testing and tracking.

06 Under threat amenities have new meaning: Ease stress, improve work/life balance

• Childcare / Kids Rooms

• Fitness Classes / Personal Trainers

• Amazon Locker Hubs

• Instacart Pick Up Hub

• Dog Runs

• Scalability

  • Smaller companies will share amenity resources

  • Landlords will rapidly expand existing “tenant experience” trend

  • Corporations will integrate across regional campuses

07 Under threat the Workspace will be BYO.

• Unassigned Desks and Focus Rooms

  • BYOP: Bring your own protection

  • BYOT: Bring your own technology

  • BYOS: Bring your own supplies
    Post-pandemic economy favour fastest moves, WeForum,