Adapting offices to support COVID-19 secure workplaces and emerging work patterns

COVID-19改变了我们的工作环境。2019年，5%的英国劳动力主要在家工作，这一比例于2020年5月达到44%，并于2020年7月封锁限制放松后保持在27%（国家统计局，2020年）。家庭工作提供了灵活性和工作与生活的平衡，但大多数产品和服务都来自协作和讨论-工作完成和绩效本质上是社会过程。组织必须设计办公室，技术和工作实践，以促进这种社会结构。企业正在计划重返办公室，并正在调整办公空间和工作实践，以保留远程工作的好处并支持混合工作。一个大小的办公室设计将不适合所有人，我们不能假设什么解决方案“将工作”。企业正在质疑如何最好地返回办公室，保留多少空间和什么类型的空间。这个多学科项目通过确定有效的办公室设计和工作实践的适应来支持经济复苏，以最大限度地提高收益，最大限度地减少远程和混合工作的负面影响。在这个项目中，我们应用社会技术方法来1）建立适应COVID-19限制、远程和混合工作的办公室设计和运营范例; 2）调查不同的办公室和工作安排（例如，混合工作）影响社交网络、工作流程和绩效，方法是研究员工在适应办公室中的工作（通过访谈、高频日记研究、社交网络分析、建立数据）; 3）为支持员工重返办公室提供建议; 4）为指导办公室需求规划提供证据基础。我们的项目合作伙伴（WorldCC、阿特金斯、利兹市理事会、Coreus、步行者莫里斯、OneMedical Group）帮助我们覆盖一系列行业，并提供数据、建议和网络。

COVID-19 changed where we work. In 2019 5% of the UK workforce worked mainly from home, this reached 44% in May 2020 and remained at 27% in July 2020 when lockdown restrictions eased (Office for National Statistics, 2020). Homeworking offers flexibility and work-life balance, but most products and services result from collaboration and discussion - work completion and performance are inherently social processes. Organizations must design offices, technologies and working practices that facilitate this social fabric. Businesses are planning for a return to the office and are adapting office space and work practices to retain benefits of remote working and support hybrid working. One size office design will not fit all and we cannot assume what solutions "will work". Businesses are questioning how best to return to the office, how much space and what type of space to retain. This multidisciplinary project supports economic recovery via identifying effective office design and adaptation of work practices to maximise gains and minimise downsides from remote and hybrid working. In this project we apply a socio-technical approach to 1) establish exemplars for design and operation of offices adaptable to COVID-19 constraints, remote and hybrid working; 2) investigate how different office and work arrangements (e.g., hybrid working) impact social networks, workflow and performance by studying employees' in adapted offices (via interviews, high-frequency diary study, social network analysis, building data); 3) offer recommendations for supporting the transition of workers back into offices; 4) an evidence base to guide office requirement planning. Our project partners (WorldCC, Atkins, Leeds City Council, Coreus, Walker Morris, OneMedical Group) help us reach a range of industries and contribute data, advice and networks.