The Great Return: Post-Pandemic Coworking

Re-thinking the way we work in a post-pandemic world

As cities around the world ease regulations, it is back to business for many. But let’s face it: returning to your job post-pandemic isn’t going to be like heading back to the office after a long vacation. Just as it has shown the resilience of the workforce, the pandemic has also put the spotlight on the fissures between traditional ways of running a company and the needs of the people who make it.

We spot the big trends that will change the way we work: and some of them are pretty welcoming.

Breathing room in workspaces

It’s in with more personal space and out with densely packed offices. Global commercial real estate services organisation Colliers International notes that, given the recommended six-foot social distancing recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), office layouts will have to change. This could mean repurposing work areas, such as converting conference rooms into workspaces. Speaking to VOX, Kate North, vice president of workplace strategy at Colliers International real estate company also shares that every floor plan should be assessed for distancing and safety as we move into a post-pandemic future.

Stay nimble

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, large corporations had started placing some employees in coworking spaces as a way to  accommodate remote workers. This is likely to continue given the trend to “de-densify” – and also the heightened need to stay financially nimble in uncertain times. At The Great Room’s Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong venues, our multi-tasking spaces stand as a premium solution for corporations –  from expanding firms seeking flexible options to house remote teams to those who want to improve agility by transitioning from traditional office space commitments to flexible or coworking space arrangements. Speaking to Recode by Vox, Julie Whelan, Americas Head of Occupier Research at CBRE, weighs in: “If anything, this crisis highlights why flexibility is valuable for companies,”

Wellness at the office

We aren’t talking about ergonomic furniture or fancy sleep cocoons. A Forbes article proposes that, post-pandemic, companies should go straight back to basics when it comes to caring for the wellness of their staff, such as having good air quality and lots of natural light. Yet staff wellbeing is not just about the workplace environment, it is also in the simple, little things that impact emotional wellness: little perk-me-up treats just before the day closes, just to get to charging full speed to the finishing line; meaningful afterwork sessions that are enriching in many ways. Undeniably, not every company’s HR team will have the capacity to think so deeply into the ways to maintain staff wellness – which is why, at The Great Room, we do the thinking for you, offering a host of perks and activities for your staff. After all, our ethos is it’s all work, it’s all play.

A community that works together, recovers together

As the saying goes: if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Corporations and individuals alike need to stand together to face tough times, and to do that, having a community is key. The benefits are multi-fold: having a business community means the possibility of sharing resources – from costly IT infrastructure to something as miniscule as stationery. This spreads the financial outlay across more users, translating to better cost efficiency. Having a business community also accords one support – be it through collaborations or simply through knowledge sharing. And in that sense, coworking spaces are economic engines in their own right, says Forbes. Indeed, those who work together, also grow together.

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