Based on recent market research on the impact of offices during COVID-19, here are five broad themes that characterize the pandemic’s long-term effects on the workplace. Think of these as measuring sticks of sorts to evaluate all the micro and macro moves that will enable and entice employees to return safely—and enthusiastically—to the office.

Community Solutions - Understanding what motivates an organization’s workers and translating that into the physical workplace has always been indicative of the most effective offices.
Express Flexibility - Will this be the last time we experience a pandemic? Probably not. The workplace will become more resilient and exhibit flexibility to better accommodate disruptions to the work world.
Embrace Technology - Every meeting will accommodate both virtual and in-person participants, a mixture of employees who returned to the office and employees who remain working from home. Tools and technology that are not available at home will be the hallmark of the new office, and they will help serve as that compelling glue to entice workers to return to the workplace and practice real and effective collaboration.
Boost Collaboration - The workplace is an organic place that brings people together to do their best work. Although it’s true that most employees still feel productive working from home, human interaction is still desired. Those interactions we have with our coworkers, running into people at the coffee bar, brainstorming and group creativity is still best supported in the collaborative part of the workplace spectrum.
Employee Investments - Organizations are on the fence whether it is better to make the office compelling enough to entice people back or whether budgets are better leveraged to help people be as productive as they can be at home. Although the simple answer is to evenly distribute the budget, managers must keep the focus on business performance.

Investing in this new redefined workplace will be a competitive advantage to attract and retain the best and brightest. Once the economy comes back, talent will hold the upper hand, and employees will pick and choose organizations that invested in people through compelling work settings and flexible work models.

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