Home Office Designers

03 Jun Home Office Designers

Home Office Designers

The future of offices due to the effects of COVID19 and why it’s here to stay

Multiple reports (The Atlantic, CNBC)have engaged in the prophetic theory that COVID–19 will change the working space. Working from home or what would be termed a Home Office – not to mistaken for the British government branch bearing the same name – will soon be a familiar staple in the American workforce, triggering a need for architectural designers/ home office designers.

The two main reasons for maintaining this transition to the Home Office, beyond its initial catalyst (COVID-19), are simply productivity and cost. (Fortuitous environmental results will be a trouvaille and later a herculean guard to this new way of Home Office life.) (Fortune)

Under emergency safety regulations many US states allowed only essential businesses to continue conducting out-of-home services. Other businesses, in an effort to flatten the curve, were required by their respective states to work from home. The fear among several business owners was their ill preparation for digitization. Could they successfully make a smooth transition with little to no interruptions to their business? The answer is still be written with results yet to be seen. But substantial evidence indicates this change to the Home Office conduit is occurring at a rapid pace with no signs of reversing any time soon. A few businesses, prior to the virus’s catastrophic effect, had already had their employees working from home; these businesses had reported higher productivity from said employees.

Mobile/Virtual productivity tools like Google Hangouts, Slack, Microsoft Teams, were already on the market and in use by a plethora of business clients. And because these tools work via the cloud, they can be accessed virtually anywhere with internet service. Venerated designer Robert Propst invented the Cubicles, a controversial work station now all too familiar with many offices around the country. Despite the cubicles’ now disdained appearance it was designed for productivity. Many work stations, whether the aforementioned or Google’s sprawling office spaces, are all designed for that one thing: productivity. Individuals who work from home will eventually need a Home office workspace to isolate them from the many distractions the home is sure to provide. Home office designs are affordable and work with most homes. Whether an apartment or house, big or small, a home office has many shapes, and sizes. Working on the couch will eventually take a toll on a person’s vertebrae and health, thus hampering the wellness of employees and eventual productivity of services. A Home Office will require design and coordination. Purposeful tact and inventiveness, with style to match.

The other driving force towards this rapid adaption to the Home Office is cost. Like with many conditions of change in society, cost is a prevalent factor. As productivity from home is improved, the question that will and has been asked is: was there, and will there be any need for commune offices? Is there a need for WeWork, for long-term leases? The answer to this question is no, there is no need for an office in the foreseeable future. (Exceptions will be, other than for the sake of perhaps vanity, unique services requiring the physical presence of employees in one location.) As COVID-19 ravages its way through states and businesses, the uncertainty and cause for concern hang heavily on employees and employers. Do they feel safe? The answer again is no. Georgia relaxed its shelter-in rules, allowing businesses to reopen, but a resounding number of employers have disputed the state’s recommendation, citing fears and uncertainty towards reopening.

The Home Office will be the new staple in American society. And with that a new crop of interior designers will emerge, a new industry perhaps termed Home Office Designers or Home Ergonomic Designers will be conscripted for their unique skills. New technologies will also emerge to serve as tools towards this metamorphosis of the new workplace. One of the supervenient results of COVID-19 is the discussion of the office space.

For the reasons outlined above, Presidents and Heads of States of many countries work from home in their offices, so why don’t you?