Top Office Features to Help With Return-to-Work
Return-to-office policies have been a very hot topic for many companies. In 2023, it was reported that 90% of companies said they planned to return to the office by the end of 2024, but that doesn’t necessarily mean requiring people to come in for the traditional five days a week. However, many companies have struggled with getting people to comply with in-person work requirements and there’s a risk that employees could end up becoming disengaged or leaving all together.
Successfully implementing a return-to-office policy can take a lot of careful planning, but one thing that can help is evaluating your office and looking for ways to turn it into a space people want to spend time in. So what are the features people want in offices today?
Wellness Support & Stress Management
Generally speaking, amenities that focus on supporting employee wellness – particularly stress reduction – were popular before the pandemic and they remain in high demand today. These types of features can take many different forms. Access to lots of natural light is an excellent way to boost morale, reduce stress, and minimize other issues like headaches and eye strain so that people are happier and more productive at work. Creating outdoor spaces is another way to keep stress levels down and help people feel more engaged. Game rooms are a fun option to give people a chance to de-stress for a bit, while on-site fitness centers are great for helping people deal with stress and stay active during the day.
Image: Sebastian Scholz / Unsplash
Touchless Technology
Touchless technology grew in popularity during the pandemic as a way to minimize the spread of germs, but it has remained in high demand for offices for good reasons. Not only is it good for helping people stay healthy by avoiding high-contact surfaces, things like touchless entry systems and motion-activated sinks are appreciated for how convenient they can make everyday life.
Community Spaces
In hybrid work arrangements, a very common reason why people come to the office is because they need face-to-face connections. Sometimes, they have a client meeting planned or need to work with other team members on a project. In other cases, people simply feel lonely working at home and want to get out of the house and be around other people. And with how hard it can be to foster a sense of community and company culture when people are in hybrid work arrangements, anything that can help make the most of the time people spend in the office is very valuable. While community spaces like lounges and break rooms have always been important to have around the office, many companies are now making them a top priority.
A Variety of Spaces
When people work from home, they often like to mix up the places they work in. They might work in their home office a lot of the time, but they could move into other rooms of the house if they need a change of scenery or head out to their patio or deck if they want to enjoy some nice weather while they work. As people come back to the office, many people still want the flexibility to move around and choose the types of spaces they work in each day, whether it’s a traditional desk, a private workspace, or a less formal area like a lounge.
Convenience
One of the most common reasons why people prefer to work from home is because they feel it gives them a better work-life balance. Because of this, any feature that helps make the idea of going into the office more convenient can be very attractive to both new and existing employees.
For example, on-site parking or free access to a parking garage has become a very coveted feature, particularly for offices in urban areas. Having access to things like food and coffee on-site or being located near things like restaurants and retail locations are all things that can make people feel like they’ll have easy access to everything they’ll need during the day and not have to spend a lot of time running around to do their errands on top of everything else they need to do during the workday.
Is it time to update your space? Contact Premier Construction & Design. We have experience designing and renovating spaces for a wide range of companies in the Metro Detroit area. Be sure to check out our portfolio and case studies for examples of some projects we’ve worked on.
