With 2020 being such an unusual year (to say the very least!) we are beginning to look forward to 2021 and what that has in store for our working environment. 2020 has changed a lot of our working 'norms' and depending on who you speak to, some seem to love spending more time out of the office working from home and some people can't wait to get back to their normal working office.
Looking into 2021 what are our office spaces needing as workers begin to return to the workplace (in many cases in smaller numbers than before), will a more thought out office encourage employees back to work and will we be working differently from what we were before? Here we take a look at the key trends for the 2021 office...
Flexible Working
With people having now worked from home and in most cases proved to themselves and their employers that it is possible, many will want to continue working from home if not all of the time, then certainly for part of their working week. This change is also reflected within the workplace with office furniture trends moving away from structured meetings and formal meeting rooms to more relaxed open workspaces and open breakout areas.
The work desk will also notice a change with a shift towards hot desking spaces allowing employees to desk share more easily and offer increased flexibility when working between home and office. Office partitions will also be more flexible using mobile screens and such like to divide areas when needed rather than installing a permanent meeting room.
Modular furniture is key to increasing the flexibility of workspaces and employers are recognising this, modular furniture allows changes to the office layout whilst still keeping the office looking well designed and considered.
Flexibility is key to the 2021 workplace and office spaces will need to adapt, in turn increasing employee well being, loyalty and productivity.
Open Office Spaces
Following on nicely to flexible working, open office spaces particularly since COVID social distancing protocols are becoming more desirable. They offer the perfect space for flexible working but also for collaboration, team building and offer a variety of work settings such as one-to-one meetings, informal meetings, brain storming sessions and so on.
Open work spaces are often furnished with a variety of furniture solutions to meet these different working solutions such as soft seating, mobile seating, meeting booths, mobile screens, mobile tables, whiteboards and so on. Power is also an important consideration within these areas, colleagues often use a variety of technological tools so it is important that power sources are easily accessible, this can be achieved by incorporating power points into table tops and soft seating which can often be specified at point of order.
The Sustainable Office
An important factor for many years past and present and 2021 is no different for the sustainable office.
A sustainable office is not only important to the environment it also showcases your commitment to being eco-friendly and making informed, forward-thinking decisions within your workplace. Reclaimed wood, sustainable materials, reducing energy consumption and waste management are all becoming more common features of office design.
Our furniture is FSC certified, meaning we only use wood that is harvested from forests that are responsibly managed, socially beneficial, environmentally conscious, and economically viable. This ensures we can support offices that are looking at becoming more eco-friendly.
Office Breakaway
Having a space where employees can move away from their desk is not a new trend, staffrooms have been around for a while however, the typical 'staffroom' has evolved over the years and as staff wellbeing is being brought to the for-front particularly following this exceptional year, staff leisure areas are more important than ever.
Having a space for employees where they can move away from their desks is not just about practical reasons though, it can also create a wow factor for visitors, offer a USP to potential new employees and show current employees that you are invested in them. Typical leisure areas within the work environment often include more relaxed seating, different styles of seating such as benches and stools and quirky items and games making the environment feel completely different to the rest of the office and creating that desired 'wow' factor.
An added bonus when creating your breakout space is that the space can not only be used for leisure but can also be used for work when required, possibly a team brainstorming area or informal meeting space, it is nice to leave it as a completely separate environment though so that employees feel like they are having a true break away from their desk.
We like to work with the best office furniture manufacturers available, so from office seating manufacturers in Northamptonshire to office furniture manufacturers in Lithuania, we have access to them all. This means we can bring the best in office furniture designs direct to you at fantastic prices.
