Over the last couple of months (particularly correlating with schools reopening) we have seen an uptick in office occupancy levels across the UK, resulting in businesses facing a new challenge in navigating increased office density, while also adhering to the UK Government social distancing requirements.
While the Government last week announced updated guidance that advised the public to work from home if they can do so effectively, the challenge of managing office densities and peaks will remain a permanent fixture for organisations as the pandemic continues and we find ourselves in and out of local and national movement restrictions.
Those businesses that have returned to the office must operate within a Covid-19 secure environment which requires 1m and 2m social distancing measures. This means that, on average, offices can operate at 35-50 per cent of pre-Covid-19 staff levels and we are working with a new peak point in the office: 50 per cent is the new 100 per cent.
However, what we have also seen during this first wave of workers returning to the office is that certain days of the week are more popular than others. Peak occupation tends to be reached on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with Mondays and Fridays less popular.
Factoring these preferences into managing office density, while still ensuring staff are using the office efficiently across the week is likely to present on-going issues for employers.
So what can businesses do to ensure that their office space is still being used effectively?
If peak occupation isn’t factored into an organisation’s workplace strategy then it can create counter-productive repercussions. The benefits of being in the office are undoubtedly the collaboration, interaction and social aspects that it offers, not to mention the enhanced IT facilities. However, if peak days are not managed correctly, the downsides are difficult working conditions due to a lack of desks and meeting facilities. At the other extreme, off-peak days become the opposite, where so few people are in that the benefits of being in the office are negated.
One way to flatten the curve is by control, which potentially limits the impromptu collaboration and removes an element of choice for staff, but it can ensure the most balanced office occupation across the week and also eliminate office density issues in terms of abiding to Covid-19 secure requirements.
Alternatives to managing peaks can also be considered, such as creating greater levels of informal meeting spaces as well as choosing future buildings where landlords provide shared facilities which allow occupational flex.
How buildings are occupied has always been a key consideration for landlords and tenants, however, it has never been more important in terms of ensuring a safe, secure and productive environment where staff can operate effectively.
The next few months are likely to see movement restrictions across the UK relaxing and tightening in line with the virus’s peaks and troughs and offices therefore need to be flexible to be able to react in line with this.
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