Knight Frank’s Lee Elliott, Global Head of Occupier Research, maintains that the office is still necessary and essential, pinpointing three reasons why the workplace will continue to be relevant even post-pandemic.
- Socialization
The office remains a social setting with the ability to create and cultivate connections with colleagues, something that even Microsoft Teams and Zoom video calls can’t quite fully compete with. Post-Pandemic Elliott believes that the office and the workplace will be critical as a place for innovation and productivity.
- Client engagement
There is growing recognition that the future of work is more flexible and there will be multiple workplace settings in the future – the office and home being just two. That said, the office will still be an essential setting for establishing and developing fruitful client relationships and the social capital that derives from them.
- Education
The office and workplace play an essential role in supporting and development needs of staff. There is still the growing need for educational facilities within large office buildings
This will become ever more important in a business world requiring greater re-skilling and up-skilling of employees. According to Elliott, it is not just about formal education; a number of senior managers within the professional and legal services sectors have stated that junior staff are desperate to return to the office to gain exposure to the learning opportunities that derive from working alongside senior colleagues.