REVEALED: Office of the future post Covid-19

By Jennifer Macdonald

Working from home has become the norm for many office workers with 68% of working adults reporting that they have had to work in new ways since the pandemic began.

As a result, Glass Digital have been researching how offices might change post Covid-19. For example, company owners will prioritise touch-free technology, hygiene will be of the utmost importance and employers will do more to support workers’ mental and physical health.

Here’s some of the increased trends Glass Digital found according to Google data:

• Standing desks +174%
• Air purifier +22%
• Antimicrobial material +3,100%
• Voice activation +321%
• Sensor toilet +80%
• Virtual projector +300%
• IOT devices +23%
• Smart coffee machines +48%
• Hygiene station +320%
• Outdoor office space +540%

To demonstrate these changes, Glass Digital have created an interactive slider comparing offices now to what they will look like in 10 years time.

Bridie Gallagher, Managing Director at Glass Digital, says: “The past few months have been a whirlwind for most businesses, ourselves included.

Business owners have had to adapt their office spaces according to new Covid-19 guidelines in order to have a suitable place for employees to work safely.

Here at Glass Digital, most of our staff members have been working from home since mid-March and while we have tailored our business around this model, we have made changes to our office environment for the future.

There is no doubt that over the next 10 years, the current measures will influence how employers design their office spaces. For example, I predict that there will be a continued focus on hygiene and hands-free technology post Covid-19 to prevent spread of future viruses.”