New Season, New Norms
Higher temperatures nationwide, plus social distance guidelines starting to ease up, has created the opportunity to have the perfect work summer. We can finally escape the isolation of our homes and get outside and be a bit more social and we can finally return to our commercial offices. Many of us have been longing for this time and now that it has arrived, we must embrace it.
Office Parties
There are two types of office parties that stand out when we think about the topic. There is the formal indoor banquet, which usually takes place around Christmas time, and the summer cookouts. We are entering the prime season for grilling and outdoor activities and outdoor events are still safer than indoor ones. That being said, a great way to increase workplace morale and productivity is to have a bit of fun. This can be done either formally or informally. A simple cocktail hour might be just what your team needs to get comfortable with being around each other again or a full-blown barbeque potluck might be called for. This, clearly, all depends on budget, practicality, and peoples overall comfort level. What matters most is we break the habit of always being isolated and only seeing our work friends through a computer. COVID created a lot of lifestyle changes that we got used to. It is important that we slowly begin to adjust to normal life again and a workplace social gathering could be a great way to get started.
The Environment Matters
Have you ever walked into an office building and thought about what it looked like? Was it clean? Was it furnished well? Was the outside landscaped? These questions might not have a lot of importance by themselves, but collectively they create an environment. The way a place appears affects people’s mood and their responses to the place. As we begin to return to the office, it is important we make sure we are comfortable. This can be done in countless ways. For some of us the way our desk looks matters. Others care about the luxury of common spaces like lunchrooms and break rooms. A window looking out into a professionally landscaped patio is ideal for some and some people prefer darker spaces. The most important thing to think about is does the environment make you comfortable and more productive. Now is the perfect time to rethink our workplaces. We have spent the last year trying to figure out what makes us productive at home. All we need to do is translate some of what we learned to a workplace setting and we will be in business.
How We Work
Chairs with high end mechanisms and lumbar supports are a must for some of us, but many people prefer to be active when working now. Working while standing has been an on and off again trend for the last several years and there are countless standing furniture and sitting furniture options out there. Additionally, there are even variable height work set ups that let us choose how to work based on how we are feeling. Many of us experimented with these different work positions and options over the last year and now is a great time to translate what we learned to the office place. When you finally return to in person work, spend some time thinking about what can be done to improve your space. A full office remodel is nice but for most of us it is not in the budget. However, there are little things we can do to make ourselves more comfortable. There are aftermarket desk accessories that add a height adjustable platform to an existing desk. You could swap out your chair for something more complex or simpler. Or you can simply change your existing furniture orientation. The most important thing to remember is you do not have to return to the same old office. Take some time to make the space feel comfortable again. A year is a long time to be away. It is okay to want to change things when you return.
The summer of 2021 will likely have some new challenges to overcome. Once again, we must change our routines and adapt to a new lifestyle. Just remember that this can be an incredibly positive thing. Change can be scary, but we must embrace it and move forward. If we do so, we will ensure that this year will be better than last. Afterall, the only thing we can do is learn from the past and use these lessons to create a better future.