According to the 2022 Office Space Report, 75% of organisations intend to decrease office square footage. This represents a nearly 30% rise since 2022. A significant 80% of workplaces have also contracted since the COVID-19 pandemic. That marks a 20% increase since 2022. It indicates that more companies have scaled back in 2023 and consequently, have enhanced the utilisation of their smaller areas.
As organisations shift to hybrid work, they are finding opportunities to cut down on real estate costs and improve their existing office spaces.
Nonetheless, adjusting your office space is more complicated than it seems. A comprehensive understanding of how employees utilise office space is essential for making well-informed decisions regarding your commercial property. This is where a good office interior designer in Bangalore can offer valuable insights.
Continue reading to explore practical tips and techniques used by leading office interior designers to manage the decline in office space usage.
Office Space Is Losing Its Appeal and Here’s Why
The pandemic created an urgent necessity to transition to remote work. It is clear how office space became effectively unused.
However, employees continue to seek flexibility in their work environments, even in a post-pandemic landscape. Hence, technological innovations have facilitated team members to meet and collaborate without having to be in the same physical location.
In Bengaluru, in fact, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Wipro Ltd and Infosys Ltd experienced a reduction in their real estate footprint last year, company disclosures indicated. The three firms concluded the previous financial year with an office space of 103.2 million sq. ft, a decrease of 3.7% from 107.25 million sq. ft the last year.
Embracing hybrid models allows for versatility while providing effective face-to-face interaction areas.
Although a hybrid model presents numerous benefits, it also poses challenges. The number of employees in the office may fluctuate, and engaging an office interior designer can assist in determining how much space you require by creating flexible and efficient work environments.
The 2023 Workplace Strategy Report underscores several of the difficulties in forecasting office space requirements:
- Desk reservations rise by 150-250% on peak days.
- Most organisations do not have a universal company policy regarding in-office attendance. Tailoring it to each department or location is more prevalent.
- Only one in five decision-makers possess clear workplace objectives with established metrics to monitor progress.
Tips to Level Up Your Office Space Game
Various factors affect in-office and remote workdays. Information on how employees genuinely utilise office space plays a crucial role. However, it is also essential to comprehend employees’ reasons for being on-site to implement efficient space management.
There are three vital insights to remember when designing an office environment that fosters a hybrid workplace. Reaching out to a well-known office interior designer can help ensure these insights are effectively translated into your workspace layout.
- Time to Redefine What the Office is All About
Historically, all employees could be found within an office building. Physical space was essential for communication and collaboration. However, today, we have technological tools and applications permitting employees to work from anywhere with an Internet connection. These innovations present a chance to rethink how an office and its workforce can function.
Some leaders may prefer to cling to traditional methods of overseeing employees. However, the reality is that the office is not always essential for employees to accomplish individual tasks.
Nevertheless, forward-thinking office interior designers believe an office environment can play a significant role in the hybrid work model. Each organisation will have distinct requirements for in-office attendance. The aim is to ensure that the office space facilitates important in-office activities such as collaboration.
- Supercharge Your Workspace for Ultimate Positive Energy
A good office interior designer knows that enhancing your office environment is more than ensuring a company achieves an ROI from every square foot. It is also about cultivating a space that promotes productivity.
In a hybrid office, optimising work environments necessitates thoughtful space planning. Employees require just the right amount of area to be effective and engaged.
Enterprises previously depended on manual methods like Excel spreadsheets to assess how much office space was utilised. Nowadays, various data types can offer real-time insights into office space occupancy.
Collecting information from sources such as badge swipes can illustrate the actual usage of office space. Surveys can uncover employee requirements for physical offices. Companies can leverage this data to gain clarity in their workplace and identify areas for enhancement.
Numerous organisations are renovating their workspaces to accommodate their hybrid workforce better. The 2023 Workplace Strategy Report indicates that survey participants are planning to implement changes to their office environments:
- 35% are incorporating collaborative areas
- 31% will enhance social zones
- 26% will introduce private spaces
(Source: OfficeSpace)
- Get on Board with the Hybrid Culture
An office interior designer understands that decision-makers must embrace flexibility as they create a hybrid work environment. It may require some experimentation and time to discover the ideal hybrid workplace solution for your organisation, team or location.
Gathering precise data is essential to assessing workplace effectiveness. Without it, you lack trustworthy information to demonstrate that your hybrid workplace strategy yields positive results. By leveraging insights from various sources, companies can make informed decisions and optimise their workspaces accordingly.
Below are several metrics to consider when planning work arrangements:
- Space utilisation rate: The proportion of space occupied over a specified duration.
- Vacancy rates: Assessment of office density or unoccupied office space.
- Meeting room capacity: The number of individuals accommodated in conference areas.
- Desk occupancy: The count of desks currently in use.
Examining the information you gather will uncover ways to enhance your current hybrid workflow. When executed effectively, office space optimisation can utilise space in a manner that is both efficient and cost-effective.
Revitalise Your Office Space into a Hub of Innovation and Collaboration
As we navigate the shifting landscape of hybrid work, the chance to redefine office environments is more essential than ever. Embracing creative design strategies can transform underutilised spaces into dynamic centres of collaboration and innovation.
Collaborating with a premier office interior designer in Bangalore, like Phi Designs, can ensure that your workspace embodies your organisation’s values and enhances employee engagement and productivity. So, rethink what an office can be and unlock its full potential for the future.
