At long last, restrictions are lifting across the UK. With that, workplaces are making plans for staff to return to the workplace and enjoy their office space, putting the safety, comfort and collaboration of their employees as big priorities.

If you’re planning to re-open your office, here are some key changes you should consider to comply with new, safe working standards.

Reimagining the Workplace

We all know that our working life cannot return to how it was before. Offices will need some degree of reimagining and change to operate in the new world. But with that brings new opportunities to ignite a new culture and create a positive attitude towards the office and what it can achieve.

So here are a few changes that are suggested:

• Allow for social distancing: Keeping our distance is a safety requirement that will take a long time to go away, so it’s important that your office can accommodate this need. Whether you need to move offices, create a rota for your team, introduce hot-desking, or simply re-design the layout of your office, the way in which you ensure social distancing will differ on a case-by-case basis.

• Really think about your space: Every inch of space will need a purpose, a way to serve its users and the aims of the office – not just its operational and business aims, but also the personal needs and mental well-being of its users. There’s never been a better time to get inventive with office layout, and there should be no ideas off the table – so really think about what your employees need, what potential employees will be drawn to, and how you can communicate what you’re about. Everything from space division, to colour schemes, to lighting can go a long way towards achieving all of this. You may also want to consider whether you’re now able to lease out areas of your workspace, or whether you have the capacity to upsize or downsize to save money.

• Create collaboration zones: Everyone has felt the sting of being away from their colleagues, and so it’s important to rebuild this sense of collaboration and team spirit. This can be accomplished through smart office design, and especially through the creation of collab zones, break-out rooms, brainstorming areas, and meeting rooms. Setting aside these dedicated spaces for socialisation and joint creativity will help to nurture the collaborative spirit and tighter teamwork that all workplaces are looking to establish – something that is more important now than ever before. Through lighting, furniture, technology set-up, flooring and other interior design elements, these zones can serve all practical needs while helping create a culture where people can thrive. And with a large portion of your staff working from home for some of the week, you may now have more space to play with to realise these aspirations.

• It’s all about hybrid working: Most employees have seen the benefit of working from home – but have also learnt to appreciate the good parts of working in the office. That’s why many workplaces are setting up a hybrid working arrangement, whereby employees will be able to profit from both home and office working. There are many ways to achieve this, ranging from rotas, hot-desking, booking systems, and of course, an office layout overhaul to make this a seamless system.

Looking to reimagine your office? Here at Arc Business Interiors, we design and fit commercial interiors to suit your needs, goals and aspirations. We craft functional offices that work for the people who use them, as well as bringing some pop and personality to a workspace. To discuss your ideas, simply get in touch with our experts today – we serve the whole of the UK.