Many office workers have now established their home offices.
Whether they have converted the dining-tables, brought garden furniture in from the outside, or repurposed a child’s Ikea desk.
The adaptation from the office to working from home, or WFH, has been quick, and relatively painless, for many.
In fact, so painless it has sparked questions about why people have not been working from home more often.
Presentism has often been cited as one stumbling-block.
Managers sometimes feel the need to see their employees working to know that they are actually working. However, the pandemic has taken the decision out of the hands of bosses who were wary of trialling staff working from home.
In the past week there has been no choice but to trust staff.
The rapid response has meant that many being forced to self-isolate were not as ready to set up at home as they would be in the future, if they were to start working from home.
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Ben Cottam, head of external affairs for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Wales, believes that once this current crisis subsides it’s important that companies do not simply resort to the way they were, but actively question whether this experience has taught better, more effective ways to do business.
“This current crisis has forced many businesses to look at ways of continuing to operate while working in different settings, such as home working,” said Mr Cottam.
“For so many businesses, remote or home working has been on the ‘to-do’ list for a long time, and now this issue has come about through necessity rather than planning.
“While this isn’t appropriate for all businesses, we know that some will be finding it easier than anticipated.
“It’s perfectly possible that a good number of businesses will start to question whether they need a physical premises at all.
“There are obviously real benefits to home working for many, including flexibility and a reduction in congestion.
“However, it requires businesses to have the right culture and support in place to ensure people are adequately supported but also able to work in the most productive way possible.”
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In her column for the Western Mail Angharad Neagle, CEO of the Cardiff-headquartered communications consultancy Freshwater, cited a 2019 Harvard University study that found people who are given the freedom to “work from anywhere” were 4.4% more productive than those who have more rigid workplace requirements.
However, Ms Neagle also found that what remote workers gain in productivity, they often miss in harder-to-measure benefits like creativity and innovative thinking.
As the coronavirus lockdown has continued Ms Neagle’s company is taking advantage of the latest video technology, which has seen them collaborate, meet and even pitch from the comfort of their living-rooms.
“When we return to some kind of normality, I can see there being a more fluid blend of home- and office-based working, as we continue to embrace these new ways of working.
“With climate change in mind, we may also be more open to questioning whether that business journey really is necessary, while also recognising that, sometimes, there simply is no substitute to building relationships face to face with our clients, colleagues and industry peers.”
Darran Hughes, the commercial and corporate director at Cognitia, a South Wales-based health and safety training and skills provider, hopes that when businesses transition through this adjustment period, they start to realise that there are a lot of advantages to remote working.
“We may well see a new way of working, where larger teams rotate use of smaller office space, working remotely during non-office days,” said Mr Hughes.
“The reduction in overheads, not to mention the environmental benefit, could become very attractive when employers realise that productivity is not directly correlated to hours sitting in the office under supervision.”
If a business decides to have more staff working from home, either on a permanent basis or through a flexible, hot-desking arrangement, then they may think about reducing the square- foot area of the office.
Richard Ryan, director at commercial property specialists Fletcher Morgan, believes that in the same way the financial crisis of 2008 forced many businesses to reconsider their office requirements, the Covid-19 pandemic will see a change in work life.
“Improvements in technology have enabled many larger businesses to offer employees an element of home working and together with the introduction of hot desking this has led to a reduction in floor space by occupiers by up to 30% in some instances,” said Mr Ryan.
“This current period of enforced office closures will once again mean occupiers will re-evaluate their spatial requirements and innovate their working practices.
“As many larger organisations already operate an element of home working it is unlikely there will be a sizeable reduction in their floor- space requirements.
“However, the major impact is likely to be upon more traditional businesses who have not previously considered home working.
“Will these occupiers grasp the benefits, and what will happen to the older and more traditional buildings they occupy?”
Mr Ryan says changes in the way many larger businesses work have already been implemented in the new Grade A city-centre office buildings, such as the Rightacres’ development in Central Square and JR Smart’s in Capital Quarter.
“These developments not only provide efficient office space, hot desks, but also breakout areas in addition to their own café areas, which enable workers to meet, socialise and innovate,” he said.
“Therefore, whilst the nature of the space may change, demand for accommodation will undoubtedly increase again once the economy settles down.
“The office market is not dead, it will just adapt to the current circumstances and plan for the future.
“Demand for the best buildings in the best locations will continue to grow stronger whilst we will probably see a shift away from office uses in the more traditional cellular buildings or their redevelopment to provide more efficient space.”