With office occupancy finally surpassing the 50% threshold in major U.S. cities three years after the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly emptied cubicles and break rooms, businesses are looking for the best ways to adapt their space for the changing ways their team members work. 

Prior to the pandemic, average office occupancy rates in U.S. hovered around 95% before plunging to around 15% in the middle of March 2020, according to data collected by Kastle Systems, a provider of technology solutions to protect commercial real estate.  

Kastle tracks electronic access data from 41,000 businesses it secures across 47 states, publishing  weekly occupancy reports for the 10 largest metro areas in the U.S. to create a picture of how Americans are returning to the office.

The slow creep upward in Kastle’s Back to Work Barometer is indicative of lasting changes and continued evolution in the way we work. 

 

Shared Spaces Have New Significance

 

Whether your team enjoys a flexible hybrid approach or you’re striving to bring more of your team back on site, gone are the days of sterile, one-size-fits-all working conditions. Provide the right environments for various work styles and plenty of opportunities for colleagues to come together for cooperative work.

Areas to spread out can be useful for individuals involved in special projects while cozy nooks can be furnished for employees needing a quiet area for solo work or a calm spot to take a quick break from screen time.

Comfy areas where people can gather informally foster a sense of community and encourage a creative exchange of ideas. Having a chance to move around a space, sprawl on a sofa or squat on an exercise ball yields a very different energy than sitting around a conference table. Look for unique and flexible pieces that invite movement and fun, like the modern and stylish Millennial Collection by OfficeSource.

 

Infuse Design with Technology

Modern offices rely heavily on technology to create a seamless experience between those working onsite and those in other locations, according to Jessica Morin, who leads the Americas Research team at world-wide commercial real estate firm CBRE.

“It’s less about me space and more about we space,” Morin says. “Offices need less space for desks and more meeting spaces and technology to help people get work done in a collaborative way.”

Mobile training tables can be deployed to tailor a meeting to the size of your group. Modular desk systems with flexible configurations, like the Variant collection by Office Source, can be structured around screens to facilitate video meetings or clustered together with divider panels that give a sense of privacy and personal space without walling people in.

“Providing options to optimize the work environment achieves better productivity and supports overall employee happiness,” says J.D. Ewing, chairman and CEO of COE Distributing, a leading wholesaler of office furnishings in the U.S.  “Our mission is to make work better by creating environments that inspire — and that means different things to different people.” 

 

Making Work Better 

CBRE’s U.S. Real Estate Market Outlook for 2023 indicates many businesses are likely to reduce their footprint, but upgrade the quality of their space to better support new ways of working.

Working at home and trying out different office configurations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic helped workers discover what makes them most comfortable and what helps them thrive. Many people are looking to maintain the casual, comfortable environment they enjoyed at home when they return to the office. 

“Customizing the typical office environment with relaxed and welcoming, yet professional, functional and contemporary looks is a huge priority for the return to the office,” according to Melanie Ewing, chief marketing officer for COE Distributing. “Through our exclusive OfficeSource brand, we’re developing new products with efficient designs and a modern aesthetic to make it easier for companies to create environments that will attract and retain talent in this new era.”

Learn more about COE Distributing’s private-label brand OfficeSource at NeoCon! Visit us June 12-14 at booth 7-2018. 

Become an authorized dealer today!