Way back in the 1950’s
A typical office space used to be a warren of closed office spaces with a very clear hierarchy. That hierarchy was based on the size, location, if you had a private office or a shared office, or if you were in the general open office space. Then things evolved……..
Next was the “cubicle farm”
The walls came down even further, the doors came off and the noise ramped up. The positive outcomes from this was a decrease in the cost to reconfigure space and a decrease in the cost per square foot of real estate required per employee as well as an increase in the opportunity to share information and interact more easily with colleagues.
The downside was an increase in noise and inability for some to be able to concentrate (especially if you are beside or near a “loud talker”),
Followed by “hoteling”
Book your desk, book your meeting room keep all of your posessions in a locker. Work in the office, work in your car, work from home. This is still a fairly new way to work and ties into another concept called:
Agile and Activity Based Working (ABW)
At the end of 2019 a virus called Covid-19 began to spread in China and eventually caused a pandemic, causing countries to close their borders, businesses to close their doors and many were forced to work from home, or discontinue working all together.
Before the pandemic of 2020 people had already begun working from home more regularly then at any other time in history. The pandemic just pushed things into high gear.
the Home Office
.As people have begun working from home as the owner of a small business or as an extension of a typical office. Technology has also been evolving making it easier and simpler to work from home. That being said, there is no replacement for being able to meet with people in person, we are a social species after all. As I write this we are in the middle of a pandemic that is virtually shutting down commerce as we know it. Working from home is something that people and offices have now been forced into.
Working from home is not for everyone, then again neither is working in an office for everyone. As someone who has worked in an office environment and in a home office environment I can honestly say I like both.
Home Office pros/cons
As a design professional in a typical office environment the accessibility to executives, and colleagues as well as the spontaneous interaction, subtle direction and availability to a large sample library cannot be re-created in a home office.
For some a home office provides the opportunity to put your head down and grind out a project uninterrupted. For others the need to create and stick with a schedule and not be distracted by non-work related videos, social networking or even just laundry or home related chores can be difficult. . Setting up a schedule either mentally or in your calendar is important and will help keep you on track. Creating an environment that you can functionally, efficiently, and effectively work in is paramount. The kitchen table may just not be the best place to work if the rest of there are others milling about interrupting conference calls or creativity. Sometimes noise is an issue and needs to be addressed, other times storage and organization are a problem. Input, output they all need to be addressed.
Thinking outside the box, there are solutions for every problem, sometimes just a little help will get you over the mental, or physical hump that is standing in the way of your ability to work from home or to have a more efficient and effective office environment.
If you need a home office space, or need an upgrade to your current space, we are here to help. Give us a call (audio or video), drop us a line (e-mail, social media or snail mail) and lets figure out a solution for you.
