In this commentary for Constructing Excellence, Croydon Club, IRS director Bob Dickinson shares his thoughts on the future of the workplace, isolation and working from home.

It certainly is a weird time at the moment! Here are the changes we may see in the not too distant future:

• A dramatic shift of importance for break out and communal workspaces
• The controversial effect that ‘We Work’ had on the industry and how the workplace could be improved to maximise return on investment and productivity
• Using the unlikely scenario of most offices/workplaces being shut down to answer some of those grey areas of social interaction that result in the progression of any business.
• The working contract in recent years between employer and employee has been undergoing changes – how will that develop when the lockdown is over?
• Relationships and dynamics between groups may change due to the extended time apart and isolation

It seems that just before the pandemic, ‘’well being’’ was dominating all conversations on the workplace as much as cost. Perhaps now the reports that will come out as a result of the past few weeks, will further quantify and justify those considerations and that just because staff can work from home, isolated productivity perhaps isn’t the complete future.