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For many office workers, this week marks a full year since the buildings were shuttered for a duration few could have foreseen. Throughout the last year of global turmoil brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, most people who were commuting to work previously have since been working remotely as a means to limit the spread of the virus. As a result, most offices are currently staffed by small crews, while businesses face continued overhead costs for the currently under-utilized space. While working environments that fostered a spirit of collaboration and community now feel like a distant memory, many people are seeing the silver lining of remote working, free of their daily commutes while being able to spend more time with loved ones.
With all the changes to our work environments in the last year, real estate investment titan Ivanhoé Cambridge is asking the question "Do you miss the office?" in a new podcast that debuts tomorrow. The first of five episodes opens up a discussion on how after years of in-workplace evolution, businesses are being fast-tracked into the future with the need to adopt innovative solutions to new realities.
The podcast series features a global roster of experts considering the future of the workplace including what it might look like when we return. Led by workspace design expert Annie Bergeron, Design Director and Principal at workplace design firm Gensler, the series begins with an episode that introduces questions we've all asked about offices moving forward."I'm very into what makes workplaces function well, and what makes them better, so when Ivanhoé Cambridge first approached me to host this podcast, I said yes immediately!" says Bergeron to kick off the series. "The pandemic has been in so many ways devastating, but it's giving us a chance to reset. At this stage, we have a lot of questions about what the office of tomorrow will look like."
In the premiere episode, Bergeron talks with Sylvain Fortier, Chief Investment and Innovation Officer at Ivanhoé Cambridge, about topics including pre-pandemic trends, some of the sweeping changes encountered in the last year, and how to use our current situation as an opportunity to reimagine workplaces with an aim to create a more human scale for workers.
One particular challenge discussed in the first episode is the strange mixture of desire and reluctance of office workers to resume their pre-pandemic routine, with the podcast quoting a poll that found 85% of office workers are seeking to safely re-establish the face-to-face connections that help foster community in the workplace. While underscoring the importance of collaborative workspaces and their many advantages, Fortier acknowledges the possibility of bringing about a new model of hybrid work weeks that combines at-home and in-office settings.
Still, companies are often eager to have their employees return to office space, especially those seeking to develop a corporate culture through workplace events that further encourage collaboration. "What we're hearing and seeing more and more is companies working on their corporate culture. Company culture should be about how your employees work together towards a common company objective, and how you get there in a more efficient, faster way. Having employees share a space really helps that," says Fortier.
An argument for the return to pre-pandemic conditions from the employee side is the accumulation of social-political capital that allows one to establish relationships and climb the employment ladder to bigger career aspirations. "Individually, you want to be seen, you want to be heard and listened to, and you want to participate in part of a bigger discussion. Someone who is looking to be better known within their company and earn a promotion will need to find ways to shine," says Fortier, addressing how workplace politics can be much harder to manage without a shared office environment.
Over the course of the podcast's run between tomorrow and mid-May, the podcasts will feature discussions with more industry-leading architects and designers, tech giants like Microsoft and Google, data scientists, researchers, journalists, and more, to get to the bottom of how these leaders view the future of the office.
The series premieres tomorrow, Thursday, March 18th, on Apple Podcasts. Additional episodes will be released on March 31st, April 15th, April 29th, and May 15th.
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