COVID-19 has significantly affected work model strategies. Hybrid, rotating systems have started to function in companies, remote working is practised to a much greater extent. Attitudes towards health, safety and interpersonal relations have also changed. It seems that the notions of well-being or work-life balance have gained new meaning. Well-being has come to the attention of employers because it can be seen in the expectations of employees. And flexibility, not only in relation to remote working, but also the management of the working environment - the office space and its functions - has become important.
The next waves of pandemic and the shift to remote work have definitely set trends for the office market in 2022. Restrictive safety rules or a reduction in number of employees, working at the same time, have influenced office functions and space management. The health factor has determined the design of interiors, and it's not just about distance. Well-being, i.e. physical conditions accompanied by mental comfort, has also gained importance. The office as a second home, this is the aim of office design.
2022 will be the year of hybrid working. The past months have shown that partial presence in the office gives good results. What's more, this is the solution that employees expect. A flexible approach to time and place of work is especially called for by young people, who participate in recruitment also because of that. Certainly, in some sectors, division into remote and in the office work will ultimately not be possible. However, in IT, administration and accounting, finance or marketing, a hybrid system can be expected to gradually become more widespread.
Assuming that some work could be done from home or another location, the office space becomes a more important place to meet with colleagues. It is a space for working in teams, providing an opportunity to interact, to be in community. On the other hand, with open space (even at part-occupancy), it can be a challenge to hold multiple online conferences simultaneously without disrupting each other's work. Therefore, modern offices rely on multifunctional design. In such an office there are common spaces, meeting rooms, and quiet areas. The social rooms are no longer just for preparing or eating a meal. Mobile furniture and partition walls with an integrated vertical garden or other flexible solutions that allow the function to be changed freely depending on the needs of the company and its employees, will certainly be popular in office arrangements in 2022.
