The WFH Revolution

It has been almost a year since the UK Government declared a national lockdown forcing all non-essential workers to work from home. Although some companies have been front-runners in introducing more flexibility to suit their employees' lifestyles over the last decade or so, equally many companies have been reluctant or very slow to make use of the digital opportunities that exist for employees to be able to work from home.

With the start of the pandemic, these companies were thrown 5-10 years into the future in a matter of days, having to adapt fast to the new situation.

Employees have certainly had to adapt too. Gone are the days of stepping into well-thought out office spaces to make use of ergonomic furniture and equipment every day. Instead many have found themselves having to adapt to whatever the possibilities at home look like, perhaps by throwing together a makeshift home office using what is available, or having to share small spaces with others in the household.

We’ve seen those brilliant images of people using ironing boards as standing desks, having to take conference calls from the toilet for some privacy or working all day from their kitchen table (which from experience we should add is a recipe for pains and aches!).

Depending on who you ask you might get a different response. The sudden shift to full-time work from home has led to various struggles for a lot people. Both physically, with aches and pains as a result of poor furniture, but also mentally in being more disconnected from other people or feeling stuck inside.

But many have also welcomed the change. Working from home may have provided people with the opportunity to reassess their lives and prioritise the things which are actually most meaningful. Office workers who commuted far every day may suddenly have had time to eat dinner with their families at night or spend more time on enjoyable hobbies or activities that there normally wouldn’t be time for.

However, on the flip side there is the risk that some companies are taking advantage of the situation - resulting in employees putting in more hours than they normally would . And even if the company isn’t to blame, it can be hard to distinguish between work hours and leisure hours, when they both take place in the same space. 

Many people have realised that making the best use of the space they do have at home is key in order to adapt to this new normality. You just need to have a quick look at social media to learn that mass clear-outs, more plants and decorations and even pets for company have been high on a lot of peoples priority lists this past year. Perhaps we now show more appreciation towards our home and the spaces we use, possibly resulting in a positive effect on our wellbeing (to offset some of the negative impact of being stuck at home). 

Most people agree that even in the world that comes after lockdowns and office closures, things might never be the same again. A lot of studies suggest that  once the pandemic has passed many companies will settle into a hybrid work-from-home / office routine, alternating between the two a couple days a week. It is likely that many employees will have more freedom to work from home if they want to, only coming in for important meetings and face to face collaboration. Big offices with a dedicated desk for each employee might therefore become a thing of the past whereas hotdesking, lockers for personal items and more focus on collaborative spaces is likely to gain more traction.

Co-working could boom, with people needing their fix of human interaction in an office environment of their choice to avoid working from home every day.

And as for our home offices, it is unlikely that the average UK flat will get any bigger, so we will just need to keep doing our best to optimise the space we have at home. Smart solutions and decor to create a mixed environment that is suitable for both working and leisure is achievable even in the smallest of flats. 

Many have turned to standing desks or a complete makeover of their home office to make it more ergonomic whereas for others it might have been enough with just some new plants or lighting to make the space feel more suitable. 

With more people working from home in the future, it is likely that society will catch up and adapt, with more regulations and technology put in place to help people separate between their work and personal lives. 

Reach out!

Did you make any changes in your home office that you'd like us to share with us for inspiration to others? Do you have any ideas about the future of work? We'd love to hear about it! Connect with us on @zenkki.community on Instagram or send us a a note on hello@zenkki.co.uk. 

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