Flexibility in Workspaces: How Will You Future Proof Your Office?

Imagine yourself in 2019, telling your 2020 self that within a year, the entire world would be going under lockdown due to a virus, and we would have to find new entirely ways of living and working. You would probably have laughed it off. 

But that weird reality has come to pass, and some of us have to pinch ourselves daily, just to make sure we aren’t dreaming. Now, in our new, socially distanced world, our office spaces are having to be “Future Proofed”, to adapt to novel and unusual ways of living.

Be flexible

If COVID-19 has taught businesses around the world anything, it is that rigidity simply isn’t an option anymore. There is no hard structure when it comes to planning your office space, because as people rotate between working from home and working at the office, or just maintain a safe distance at work, flexibility is key.  

In open plan offices, cubicles as we know them may well disappear in the interest of flexible working spaces. Cubicles, as a rule, line up geometrically, with economy of space at the forefront of their design. This simply doesn’t work in a socially distanced world. 

What we are likely to see in the not too distant future, is more free-standing furniture that is easily moveable, as opposed to tightly packed cubicles going up and down, row after row. Maintaining mobility could also become quite an important factor, and we are already seeing more office furniture that incorporates lock off wheels, to accommodate different spacing requirements and interchangeable configurations of staff. 

The science of Malleable Movement

Movement within the office, and movement without, has fast replaced the once-traditional office layout – as working remotely is encouraged and office design becomes more fluid. We recently found out the hard way that the world can change overnight. 

Organic change waits for no one. And we need to adapt our workspaces to be more “Change-Friendly”. So, how exactly does Change-Friendly look? In order to be truly future proof, we must adapt to the concept of “Malleable Movement”.  

Malleable Movement is a new office design philosophy that anticipates change before it has occurred. It incorporates movable, modular furniture that can be rearranged and repurposed; optimising floor space so that appropriate distance can be maintained. It also means being prepared to arrange every workday on an ad-hoc basis if necessary.

In the workplaces of the future, the rigid old structures we knew will give way to more accountability, wider spaces and extended autonomy for employees, as remote and office working go hand-in-hand – in the interest of both safety and productivity. 

Workplace flexibility that suits you

Novex Solutions in Chertsey has been designing and kitting out offices in the area and surrounds for 20 years. We are familiar with the local business landscape and are updating the products and solutions we offer to fit the post-COVID-19 world, every day. 

Call or email Novex Solutions for a chat about how we can use functional design to optimise your workspace today. And download our “Stress-Free Guide to Workplace Refurbishment” here, to get going. 

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