Why an all-or-nothing approach to where we work cannot last

COMMENT Lately, I have been faced with a dilemma. Offices are a commodity to me. I let them, I acquire them and I help develop them – they are fundamental to how I earn my living and I therefore have a clear investment in their future. Yet, with conversations across the industry prophesising the death of the office and fears that homeworking may cause loneliness and poor mental health, my personal experience over the past months has dramatically influenced the way I advise tenants on their workplace strategy. My view is that the pandemic has changed working patterns forever, and mostly for the better. I do believe, however, that an all-or-nothing approach to where we work ultimately will not last. In the future, many white collar workers will adopt a mixed approach, combining remote working with time in the office. The trick is to perfect the balance that works for each individual. I’ve worked from many places. My office, my car, the local coffee shop, my clients’ offices, and recently I have been working from my home more than ever before. From March I went with it – pivoted until I was dizzy – and did what was needed to continue advising clients via Zoom calls and socially distanced chats. As the pandemic progressed and we shifted out of emergency mode, I’ve had the chance to reflect and realise how important the structure of a shared physical work setting is to me and my mental wellbeing. The office as an anchor Everybody’s experience of lockdown has been unique to them, and most people I’ve spoken to have discovered new things about their personality during recent months that they didn’t know about themselves. I like to believe I am a free spirit with the mental agility of a gymnast, but the reality is that my personality craves leaving home on a daily basis to interact with other people. The office is a vital place for me for social encounters, developing networks and building team spirit. Over the years my career has been helped by relationships made and nurtured in the office, and this still rings true. I’m genuinely worried for the next generation of talent and new joiners who desperately need a shared physical environment to build these relationships and networks. The anchor of having an office, a place where I can talk to people in 3D and can have coffee together, is crucial for my mental wellbeing. Even things that might have irritated me about that workplace – like the regular distractions of an open plan office – don’t seem to matter anymore, as I’ve come to accept them as going hand-in-hand with my wellbeing during the week. The feeling of arriving home on a Friday evening and shutting the world out after a tough week to spend time with family and friends provides a sense of comfort in a chaotic time. For those who continue to work from home, even if it’s only one or two days per week, their living and working spaces will increasingly become one and the same, which may make it even more difficult to maintain a good work-life balance long-term. Hybrid approach Despite offices very much being ‘my thing’, I can’t deny I liked working from home – for a while. There was undoubtedly a novelty factor. I dislike my commute and I love the extra family time and access to regular exercise in the open air. It even, in parts, felt like an extended holiday. On the flip side, there were longer hours spent helping to navigate our business and clients through unprecedented turmoil, while providing remote leadership to people who needed and deserved to be communicated to and kept safe. Despite the very tangible benefits to being at home, it never felt like a true, long-term sustainable working model for me – I was working at home due to necessity rather than a conscious choice and I knew that I couldn’t suppress my cravings for the shared work setting. We are social beings, and there are simply too many advantages to shared working spaces – on a personal and professional level – to ever be replaced fully. What does that mean for the role our offices play in the future? There are no clear definitions or blueprints to adopt – work practices going forwards will be very personal to businesses and individuals and the working footprints that are designed need to be approached in a consultative way that underpins revenues and productivity, as well as mental and physical wellbeing. It is my hope that through a hybrid approach, we will be able to work and live better as humans in a more rounded way – be it at home or in the office. Chris Cheap is managing director, UK regions at Avison Young