Maintaining Connection in the post-Covid office space

Steffan Davies, Development Director at Hawks Associates

We all know that there is a strong likelihood that the traditional office space is a thing of the pre-Covid world. But what does the future look like? As part of a series of articles we plan on exploring the link between human behaviour and the post-pandemic office space.

Our first article focuses on how an individual’s needs are met, and on the potential impact of no longer having a shared office space on the psychology of those teams.

Proximity to other colleagues has a significant impact on interactions. In some research completed by Stephen Turban in 2018 you are 6 times more likely to interact with people on the same floor as you, and 9 times as likely to interact with people in close proximity to you (1). With the 2m restrictions currently in place, this clearly will limit interactions. One study completed by Panasonic registered a 70% reduction in eye contact when they migrated to open plan offices. We also know that remote workers tend to communicate 80% less about the projects they are working on, than workers who are in the same office space. (Amazingly 17% of remote workers won't communicate at all about the projects they are working on!) (2)

Psychologists have long known that every person has specific human needs that need to be met in order for them to feel fulfilled (3). There are primary and secondary needs that if met will provide a much happier, more productive & content employee. These are commonly identified as:

Connection – the ability to have a deep routed social connection with others
Certainty – knowing and understanding exactly what will happen (also known as security)
Uncertainty – variety, and change
Contribution – knowing that what you do contributes to a bigger goal
Significance – recognition that what you do matters
Growth – the ability to grow and develop

The traditional office space, with pre-assigned desks, fed into Certainty and Connection. It offered a routine and structure to an employee’s day through the creation of rituals and routines that left them feeling fulfilled and in control of their environment. Organisations who recognise and provide the ability to maintain these routines are generally happier workplaces.

The change to open plan office & hot desking created Uncertainty, as there is always variety around where you will sit and who will be around you.  This has led to conflict within some organisations, as the needs of individuals are not fully met. Leaders and Managers who recognise this are able to ensure that those employees who have stronger Certainty needs are supported to reduce this conflict. The ability to socialise freely that open-plan space provided, fed into connection and contribution, as well as creating a growth environment by allowing the free flow of ideas and opportunities. 

The recognition of Significance is an important motivator for a large number of people. They want to be recognised as being essential to a success, and often like this to be done in front of an audience. Does your office space provide a Covid-safe area where this can be done? (We will explore feedback and how to use this space in the third of our articles)

We believe that offices of the future will incorporate a split schedule - e.g. 2 days in the office, 3 days remote working. This appears to be the best compromise of offering flexibility to work remotely and also maintain team cohesion and connection. Having the opportunity for quiet spaces where needed, and also smaller meeting rooms are important to provide working spaces that are flexible and allow employees to be comfortable. 

A shared communal area can be extremely helpful to aid cross pollination of ideas and to help breakdown the silos that inevitably form within an organisation. One of the best examples we’ve seen of this was at an estate agents Main Office, which had what can only be described as an in-house coffee shop taking up the entire ground floor. It allowed employees as well as visitors to freely integrate in an informal way and provided discrete booths for conversations which were informal but discreet.

We have seen several of our clients create a degree of Certainty by having a booking system for hot desks, with a digital sign off to show it's been cleaned in between users. Other solutions have been to allocate desk space on a week on - week off rota.

Weekly “Connect” calls (also known as Toolbox Talks, Town Halls Meetings) certainly have a place, and can help foster a sense of connection. One of the issues with them is that they can become formulaic, especially when on virtual platforms. It’s all too easy to switch off from the call and write that one last email.

How does your office meet these seemingly opposite needs in the Post-Covid world? It’s certainly a question to consider before you begin any renovation work.

Our next article will focus on how to Maintain Motivation whilst operating in the post-Covid office.

If you would like to know more about the Leadership & Team Consultancy services we provide, go to hawkassociates.co.uk