June 2021 is the month that could mark a return to normality in many places around the world, including NY. We may not return to the world prior to 2019, but to a new state of things, where many changes are developing in real-time, and the world of office is no exception.
But at the moment, by the second half of June, all the major financial system, the core of the activity of the city, is expected to be working presently, and with it, all the services sector is expected to join, too.
In the search for balance between the need for cooperation and communication, and the need for privacy and safety, there are current office trends that will fade, while others will surprisingly rise. If you are willing to engage in a full renovation in NY, you don’t want to miss these trends. In Manhattan Office Design we will come along with you all the way. Let’s take a look.
Trend 1: Resimercial Style
The rise of the WFH revolution, and its long-term perspective, led us to a redefinition of furniture style within the office. The full professional space of plexiglass, fiber, and metal is giving some room to a more eclectic aesthetic, where plants, wood, and warmer details are welcomed. In a Resimercial Style, ergonomics and efficiency are not forgotten, but the sense of a colorful, natural place is desired, which is a real challenge for Interior Designers.
Trend 2: The Zoom Culture
One of the outstanding trends that emerged by the Covid 19 pandemic is the popularity of video meetings. Whether with Zoom, Skype, Google Meetings, or any app, this is a new element that is now a permanent fact: work teams have Present members and Remote members. This reality takes us to consider alternative ways to hold a meeting: A regular crash meeting around some popular teammate workstation may not work. Besides, there are some requirements of availability of energy, internet, acoustic conveniences, and privacy needs to make sure everyone is attending effectively.
The popular practice now in work meetings of alternating one seat for a present member and one seat for a remote member (with a monitor), is a great sample of what is now working in a modern office: Virtuality and social distance in just one act.
Trend 3: Redesigning the office layout
As a direct consequence of all these new sceneries, is evident that the standard layout of an open office is not enough, and some changes are unavoidable. There are some interesting innovations to watch out for.
The Hot Desk and the fade of personal workstations.
There is increasing evidence in favor of using “no-name” workstations, and offering standard places for anyone who gets there, looking for better management of your office space, and a healthier workspace. It is known that anonymous workstations are kept cleaner than private ones, and even some medical researchers find that the toxic level in personal workstations may be pretty high.
Office Phone Booths or Phone Pods
While workstations are now more distanced and isolated providing safety and privacy to their users, the requirement of meetings or phone group calls is always present in the office. To help you with these requirements, the installment of Office Phone Booth is a recurrent trend.
Pods are personal cubicles, provided just with the essential furniture: A chair, a desk, power and internet access, and a skylight. To ensure that sense of silence and isolation, the walls are soundproofed, but with glass windows, so you don’t have to feel claustrophobic in a reduced cell. The Office Phone Booth helps you to hold meetings when acoustic requirements are significative, or when privacy is really appreciated.
Station Distance
Just as it happens in the street, the six feet of separation are in the office. A more distanced, isolated workstation is present and some privacy features are going to be common, any time soon. Wall separators, inflatable walls, and of course plexiglass panels, will provide that level of security for the employee. Ask us in Manhattan Office Design about the great alternatives in paneling that HON Furniture has for you.
Offices with assigned seating, desks have been proven to be dirtier than many toilets. That’s because cleaning crews are typically instructed not to touch anything on a person’s desk. But in unassigned environments with a clean desk policy, the desks can actually be cleaned every night and are more sanitary.
Hygiene and safety
One obvious field of action when it comes to the new office in 2021 has to do with hygiene and cleaning conditions around our workspaces. To make it easier for employees to maintain proper hygiene, especially when it comes to washing and sanitizing their hands, is definitely a must. Additional sinks in kitchens and break rooms, just as the availability of hand sanitizers all over the place.
So, there are some things to think of, right? but don’t worry. If you are about to start your office renovation in NY, you have the perfect partner, Manhattan Office Design, to help you through the way. Trust in Manhattan Office Design, the reliable NYC dealer for office solutions, with the best brands in the market, at really affordable prices. Why don’t you give us a call?