JDDK Millmount News - Winter Edition 2023 - Magazine - Page 21
W H AT’S T O P I C A L
Why today’s of昀椀ce
is designed for
difference
By Nicky Hodgson,
JDDK Associate Director and Architect
Across industries, return to of昀椀ce (RTO) is being discussed as the
next big shift in our working patterns, as the widespread adoption
of home working 100% of the time post-pandemic is turned on its
head, in an effort to boost collaboration in the workplace. Big brands
like Amazon, Apple and Zoom have already begun to mandate RTO
for their workers, and a recent survey by KPMG found that 63%
of UK CEOs are predicting a full RTO for their teams by 2026.
While few businesses are ever likely to have teams back
in the of昀椀ce full time, there is a widespread trend towards
balancing the time spent between home working and in
shared of昀椀ces. As business leaders prepare to welcome
workers back into their of昀椀ces more often, a key question
must be asked: what should the of昀椀ce of the future look
like to help encourage this shift?
RTO will look different for everyone, but all businesses
will have to adapt to meet the demand for hybrid working
between home and an of昀椀ce that helps people to work
better together. Currently, some businesses are reducing
their of昀椀ce portfolios, while others are reimagining how
their of昀椀ces can be best utilised as a collaborative space
that helps staff thrive when they come together.
The new core bene昀椀t of of昀椀ce working is to foster creativity
and community spirit across teams. People want to come
in to work and feel that their of昀椀ce allows them to work
comfortably, in the same way they would at home, but to
do so side-by-side with their colleagues. At JDDK, we’ve
noticed that this cultural shift has already prompted of昀椀ce
retro昀椀t projects to focus more on 昀氀exibility and employee
experience. To hear from a mix of industries on how they
are approaching of昀椀ce design in the new era of hybrid
working, I recently headed to the Workspace Design Show
in London.
Discussions at the event made it clear that across the
country, of昀椀ces have become a major recruitment tool for
businesses. Many industries are facing a ‘war on talent’
and a key consideration for job seekers’ is the 昀氀exibility
to work between home and a modern of昀椀ce that uplifts
their working experience. From hearing about different
approaches to of昀椀ce design, I found that our ethos of
putting the user experience at the heart of our designs
means we are more than ahead of the curve when it comes
to creating the of昀椀ces of the future.
For business looking to the future at what their of昀椀ce needs
to become to make RTO effective, I explore my tips for
making the best out of the space available to set teams
up for success.
Winter 2023. Millmount. 21