The 3 P’s: Creating a Workspace for the Next Normal

To build the workplace of the future, companies need to ensure that people-centricity is at the heart of all workplace policies and that work spaces strike an appropriate balance.

When the pandemic-related lockdowns and work-from-home mandates wound down across the globe and people began to return to the office after 18 months of upheaval and working from home, employers and employees alike found that the landscape had shifted entirely since they left.

Months of working from home had opened everyone’s eyes to the possibilities of a more flexible working life and how one’s surrounding can play a big part in productivity and wellbeing. It was also clear that many workplaces were not well equipped for a newer, more adaptable way of working.

As Sodexo’s Chief Growth Officer, Sylvia Metayer says, “We’re coming into a world where employers’ and employees’ views of what happens in the workplace are going to be more divergent than they have been in a long time” and with up to 41% percent of the global workforce likely to consider leaving their current employer within the next year*, organizations cannot afford to stand still. If they do, they will neither recruit nor retain the best talent. 

To build the workplace of the future, companies need to ensure that people-centricity is at the heart of all workplace policies and that work spaces strike an appropriate balance between efficiency and optimization, and adapting to the evolving needs of employees. A workplace design strategy based around the 3 P’s described below, might be a wise path to follow.

1.Place

Designing spaces that are adaptable to everyone – and for all preferences and work patterns will be key moving forward. “Start bringing employees into the conversation about the design of their workspace”, says Metayer.

Some people thrive in open-plan office spaces, with lots of noise and collaboration, others prefer a quieter, more introspective environment in order to be more productive. In reality, most people would want the option to choose between different atmospheres for different tasks or times of the day. The key is flexibility and to find a healthy balance between the requirements of the business and the needs of a workforce that may no longer need to be at their desk for the entire working week. This may provide opportunities to use space in a different way, perhaps by sharing work stations and having more more adaptable configurations in the office.

All workspaces need space for collaboration (meeting rooms, break-out rooms and 1-2-1 spaces) but we also need to be aware of the ongoing requirements of social distancing, a concept which looks set to be with us for the medium to long-term.