YOUR OFFICE AFTER COVID-19

There could be a host of changes in design, layout and office policy. Others may never see their office again

As Canadians gear up to return to work, employers are putting into place a wide range of safety protocols to protect their workplaces from the threat of COVID-19.

As a result, offices in a post- pandemic world could look very different from before, experts say. And they might stay that way.

“There’s going to be a forced evolution at the office,” said Evan Hardie, who researches the future of work at Canadian workplaces.

Returning employees could see a host of changes, including spaced desks, personal lockers, voice- automated technology, staged elevators and one-way hallways, Hardie said. They may also have to follow new protocols such as varying shifts, cleaning surfaces after usage, and wearing PPE to the office.

Some employees may never return to the office again, Hardie said, as companies that have been forced to develop technology for remote work during the pandemic may not be able to afford the new cost of renovating their spaces.

Yet all this doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the traditional office tower, according to Lisa Fulford- Roy, vice- president with Toronto commercial real estate giant CBRE. “I think this is going to shine a lens on how can we be smarter about the spaces we’re creating for people to occupy safely and healthily and productively,” she said.

PHYSICAL LAYOUT

According to experts, the biggest challenge for firms will be having to redesign spaces that have been in place for decades to allow for physical and social distancing rules.

Since the last economic downturn, companies have been following an open office trend, where “essentially everybody’s sitting really close to each other,” Hardie said, to allow for more communication. “I think we’re going to see a change there, where you’re going to have employees spaced out, they won’t maybe be facing each other in the office too.”

To maintain physical distancing rules, companies are considering spaced desks, one- way hallways, and the reconfiguration of common areas like kitchens, utility rooms and staging areas for elevators.

Under new setups, workers may also be asked to come into the office at different times and bring their own equipment.

“Keyboards, mice, headsets, those things are going to be personal accessories now,” said Hardie. “So you’ll have either a locker at the office that you can lock yourself or you’re hauling it back and forth every day.”