Have you been considering renovating your workplace, but muddling over when the right time would be? While it might feel like a low priority to take these steps during the current pandemic, where remote work has become the new norm, there is in fact no better time than now!

The benefits of proactively renovating your office before team members return include reducing move management expenses, getting ahead of the curve, and adapting your workplace to meet the demands of employees before they return to the office. The future of today’s office has been somewhat unclear, however as companies begin to transition employees back together there are necessary changes to ensure everyone is ready for a safe return.

Unoccupied Office Space.

More employees than ever are working from home resulting in office buildings being partially or completely unoccupied. This scenario creates an opportune time to not only plan for what a new space should look like, but to physically begin the build-out. Once your space is reoccupied, there is the added expense of phasing, relocating staff, and move management becoming an unwelcome burden during construction. Space limitations may cause interruptions to the workday and impact efficiency. Alternatively, implementing renovations while your employees are working remotely can help you save time and money while maintaining productivity. Vision is also clearer with limited people. Current times call for intentionality, creativity, and flexibility in the workplace more than ever.  

Ahead of the curve.

The completion of a successful office remodel is deep-rooted in clear communication, a precise plan, and staying on schedule. While businesses are transitioning back at their own pace, there may be a time in the future when nearly everyone comes back to the office environment in mass. The inherent surge in demand on the construction industry can lead to increased costs, limited subcontractor and material availability. While there is uncertainty in what the future workplace should look like, simply kicking the can down the road can have major impacts from schedule delays to paying more for less. Currently, the industry is hungry and looking for work. Get ahead of the curve and ensure your office space is ready for a safe return. Completing work before employees return shows them you are thinking proactively about their health, well-being, and comfort.

Open and Collaborative Areas.

We’re all hearing that the population in general is starving for contact, connection, and interaction with others in-person. Many current workplaces are not set up to accommodate the new normal. Changes to the modern office are not going to be short-lived, they are the future. As daily activities slowly return, office spaces need to adapt to account for the various comfort levels of everyone returning to work. One of the biggest transitions will be moving from all individualized workstations to more collaborative and open areas to work together. To accomplish this, first evaluate your current office, find areas to reduce existing workstations and open them up for collaboration. Even if your company is considering a more standardized work-from-home plan, group meetings will periodically be deemed necessary, so it is important to evaluate current meeting space, size, capacity, and technology. Digital interaction will still be prevalent so figuring how and where technology fits into these areas is imperative. New work areas need to be welcoming as a safe and secure new experience. Research suggests employees believe the workplace must be deemed worth the commute, while encompassing safe practices.  This process will take some trial and error to find what is most suitable for your space and employees.

Times are different, it is no secret. While statistics show work productivity has not diminished in the past several months, according to CNBC three out of every four workers claim they want to return to an office in the near future. In anticipation of this pivot, the actions taken now will surely make the transition more streamlined. There is no better time than the present to get started.

Contact Ron Henry, senior vice president, at rhenry@sachse.net to learn how Sachse Construction can help optimize your office rebuild in 2021.