Commercial Integrator January 2021 - 34

MARKETS: CORPORATE
Working in a COVID Era Should Spur Major
Changes Across Business Landscape
Pandemic presents opportunities for leaders to make major changes to how and where business is
done - and integrators can play a major role. by D. Craig MacCormack
STOP SAYING we're entering " the new
normal. " We're in what HOK director of
workplace Kay Sargent prefers to call " the
new now. "
" There's nothing normal about what
we're going through right now, " said
Sargent during the opening session of the
second day of the Almo E4 Evolution virtual
event this morning. " We're living in a time
when things are changing faster than they
ever have, even while other things are
moving so slowly. "
Remote workers, said Sargent, generally
work one to three more hours while
they're at home than when they're in the
office, in some ways a function of having
extra time that's not tied to sitting in traffic
going to and from work. But not everyone
has a sustainable place for remote working
long-term.
That includes young people who live
with their parents or multiple roommates
or those who just plain would rather work
in an office than try to find a permanent
solution to working from their homes, said
Sargent.
" Remote work will absolutely play a role
going forward, but a whole lot of people
can't or don't want to work from home, "
she said. " It should be an option, not a
Remote work will absolutely play a role going forward, but a whole lot of people
can't or don't want to work from home. It should be an option, not binary.
Reimagining the Ecosystem
The idea of returning to the office is a
flawed notion, since there were so many
elements that weren't working well enough
even before the COVID-19 outbreak.
" We need to be reimagining the ecosystem, "
she said.
Business leaders need to help workers
who are dealing with high levels of stress and
" We need to be reimagining the ecosystem... Most of us
are doing this already, but we need to put the policies
and procedures in place. When we're designing spaces,
we're doing it for five to 10 years from now. " - Kay Sargent,
director of workplace, HOK
binary either/or situation. " With a mixed
work arrangement, " you'll appreciate your
time in the office and you'll appreciate your
time at home. "
The transformation of the business
world going forward " isn't just about the
workplace. It's about the workforce, " said
Sargent.
34
burnout, address the underutilized and inflexible
space in their offices, focus on increased
cleanliness, turn productivity into innovation,
stay socially connected but safe and embrace
the rapid evolution of technology.
The five big issues that are in the crosshairs
are: health and safety, remote work,
the purpose of place, business resiliency
Commercial Integrator JANUARY 2021
and environment and governance.
Creating an ecosystem of spaces -
ranging from home to the spoke to the
hub - will be a better long-term strategy
than simply thinking about and focusing on
going back to the office, said Sargent.
" Most of us are doing this already, but
we need to put the policies and procedures
in place, " she said. " When we're designing
spaces, we're doing it for five to 10 years
from now. " That means you need to be
thinking about fledgling technologies with
staying power or keep the design flexible
to be able to add.
Personal and group mindfulness, divergent
creativity, enhanced acoustics and
membership models for furniture and other
office equipment are emerging opportunities
for business leaders. The future will
bring biometrics, augmentation, robotics,
holograms and sabbaticals to the forefront,
said Sargent.
" If we don't address the problems we've
had, this could truly be our Kodak moment, "
she said.
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Commercial Integrator January 2021

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