Building owners, property managers and occupiers will need to collaborate more closely than ever to reshape modern workplaces during and after the coronavirus pandemic, says the chair of the technical affairs committee at the British Council for Offices.
Neil Pennell, who is also head of design innovation and property solutions at Landsec, said that as talk grows of the UK’s lockdown being lifted, building managers and tenants that had worked together to wind down offices “will need to manage the wind back up again”, potentially in a very different environment. And he added that the planning needs to start now.
“We have all got used to queuing up outside the supermarket two metres apart,” Pennell said. “How do those things translate into the world of work?”
Pennell spoke with EG as the BCO published a paper exploring how work in offices may need to adapt as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, including changes to working practices, a renewed focus on cleanliness and fresh opportunities to draw benefits from technology.
Real estate’s reaction will be only one aspect of how the country gets back to work, Pennell acknowledged – there is little property owners can do, he said by way of example, to influence journeys to work on public transport. But the moment workers step into their building’s lobby, the work begins.
“One of the key aspects is the journey from you entering the office space to getting to your point of work,” he said. “Once you are in the office, it’s about trying to minimise the touch points, and regular cleaning and sanitisation.”
Suggestions in the BCO’s paper include the use of screens that would protect receptionists from visitors who could be carrying the virus; the installation of toilets that have touchless doors, taps and soap dispensers; an end to communal cutlery and other kitchen items; and greater use of destination control systems that can limit the number of people in individual lifts.
Desk sharing is likely to become “very unpopular”, the BCO’s paper said, although more regular cleaning could help to reassure employees.
Despite changes on the horizon, Pennell believes talk of the demise of the office is premature, even as several big companies suggest that they may scale back their property portfolios once this crisis has passed. The office is “a great social meeting place”, he said, and many people will be eager to return once the lockdown is over: “Human interaction is a very strong thing in our DNA.”
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