Work Better

Work BetterIt's time for an experience that's fundamentally better.

The pandemic has reshaped many aspects of our lives, including where and how people want towork. Their experiences working from home, and what they face when they return to the office,have influenced what they want and expect to see in the workplace going forward. The things theyliked about their office before the crisis have become even more important, while the things thatfrustrated them will become an even bigger barrier if not addressed.

People have had vastly different experiences while working from home and learned from whatthey’ve been through. Those experiences shape their expectations for what they want work to belike in the future.

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What People Need and Expect

To understand the impact the pandemic has had on what people need and expect in the office,Steelcase conducted research in 10 countries and engaged over 32,000 people in multiplestudies. Synthesizing these studies uncovered five overarching needs that will drive macroshifts in the overall work experience and lead to new ways of planning and designing offices.

Download the full Global Report: Changing Expectations and the Future of Work here.

To Be Safe and FeelSafeOffices never had to help mitigate thespread of disease, but people are nowpandemic-aware. They will makedecisions about where to work based ona new set of safety standards to helpprevent transmission in the office, just asthey expect safety standards for thingslike fires or tripping hazards.

New Health + Safety Priorities

1. Adherence to safety protocols2. Air quality3. Facility cleanliness4. Physical distancing + boundaries5. Density6. Visitor protocols7. Food and beverage safety

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A Deeper Sense ofBelongingFeeling isolated while working from homeis the biggest concern people identified inevery country and their top reason toreturn to the office is to connect with co-workers. People want to feel a sense ofbelonging at work, which is not only goodfor their wellbeing but it also helpsbusiness results — feeling a strong senseof community is the top indicator ofpeople’s productivity, engagement,innovation and commitment to theorganization.

The top reasons people want toreturn to the office:#1 Connect with colleagues#2 Reconnect to the organization andshared purpose

To Be ProductivePeople’s desire to accomplish somethingmeaningful, has only heightened duringthe crisis. While some experienced “panicproductivity” in the early pandemic days,most simply want to be of value and feeltheir work has purpose. The mostimportant things people want theirworkplace to support are very pragmatic.

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Holistic ComfortPre-pandemic, 40% of people said theyneeded to change postures frequentlybecause of physical discomfort. Duringstay-at-home orders many people had toimprovise and work from sofas, kitchentables and even beds. Pain, distractionsand stress have caused people to yearnfor a broad interpretation of comfort,especially after such a disruptive time.They need the ability to work in a rangeof postures, change settings and to movethroughout their day. They need a quiet,distraction free environment when theyneed to focus and to feel connected totheir coworkers and the organization’spurpose.

Greater ControlPeople want options so they can choosewhere to work or to adapt spaces basedon the task they’re doing or how they liketo work personally. While some peoplefeel working from home has allowedthem to navigate their day and avoiddistractions, nine of 10 countries rank a“quiet, professional environment” in theirtop five reasons for wanting to return tothe workplace, suggesting that home isnot always ideal for focus. Teams alsoneed control over the level of privacy andthe flexibility to move things around tobest suit their work.

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Macro Shifts In The WorkExperience

People’s expectations about their work experience changed during the pandemic. Living through alife-altering experience has caused many to think about what’s most important to them and toquestion assumptions about how work should happen. And leading organizations are listening. Theysee this moment as an opportunity to reinvent their policies, offices and overall work experience.This will lead to macro level shifts in four key areas.

Design Safer WorkplacesGlobal employees rank adherence to safety protocols and air quality as their top concerns whichmeans behavioral strategies, such as mask wearing and distancing, need to be augmented withchanges to the built environment.

Organizations can make the workplace even safer by intentionally designing the built environmentto help mitigate disease transmission. Understanding how pathogens move through an environmentwill help companies develop new systemic strategies to help prevent infections at work.

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Design for ProductivityPeople’s desire to accomplish something meaningful, has only heightened during the crisis. Beforethe pandemic people were frustrated with workplaces that didn’t give them ways to control theirprivacy and do focused work. During the pandemic, working from home didn’t make that any betterfor many people: engagement declined 14% and productivity dropped 12% among employees whowere unsatisfied with their work-from-home situation, especially the longer they did it. The top threethings people say they want from their office are all about being more productive: to collaboratewith others effectively, easier access to tools and resources and the ability to focus. People want abetter experience in which they can easily shift between group and solo work in both physical anddigital environments.

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Design to InspirePeople who have lived through a crisis want inspiration — they want to feel a part of somethingmeaningful. The top two reasons people say they want to be back in the office are to connect withcolleagues and feel a sense of shared purpose with the organization. These are both attributes of astrong community, along with trust, inclusivity and resilience. In turn, a strong community correlateswith key business outcomes — engagement, productivity, innovation and retention. The workplacecan intentionally foster meaningful interactions and signal that change and adaptation are part ofthe culture and something to be embraced.

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Design for FlexibilityHistorically designed for permanence, buildings and offices have been dominated by fixedarchitecture, power and furnishings. Going forward, organizations will offer more flexible workpolicies and they will need places that can adapt easily to the changes in where and how peoplework, and respond to changing business circumstances. Workplaces will need to embrace multi-usespaces that can support diverse types of activities. Furnishings will easily move to allow spaces toexpand and contract as needed.

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While living through a crisis has not been easy on anyone, it has caused people and organizations tothink about our shared humanity and what we want to achieve together. We can use this moment asa catalyst for reinventing an office that is not just a container for work, but a place that creates acommunity where people can feel a renewed sense of belonging, resilience and purpose.

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Work Better: Four NewDesign Principles for a BetterExperienceThe pandemic has permanently reshaped the waywe live, work and learn — and it will lead to abetter work experience.

Work Better: Explore theDesign Principles in PracticeIt’s time to put human metrics ahead of buildingmetrics. Explore four foundational spacetypologies.

Global Report: ChangingExpectations and the Futureof WorkInsights from the pandemic to create a betterwork experience. We surveyed 32,000 peopleacross 10 countries to reveal the blueprint forcreating a better work experience. Discover howthe workplace must change.

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