Office spaces, work culture in city to see paradigm shift in post-pandemic era

A large majority of corporate executives, IT workers and those in the service sector might still have few more weeks to return to their offices, but company leaders

A large majority of corporate executives, IT workers and those in the service sector might still have few more weeks to return to their offices, but company leaders in the city have already started to plan and anticipate the changes they will have to incorporate when people return to their jobs in the post-lockdown pandemic-affected world. Architects, HR personnel and those involved in running and managing these offices agree that there is going to be a radical shift in how these spaces look and operate in the time to come.

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In the last two decades, Gurugram has emerged as an IT and ITes hub and is home to more than 300 Fortune 500 companies based in India.

Experts engaged in planning and designing offices suggest that in the long run, hands-free features and functionalities will be the order of the day, like mobile operated light controls, automatic doors and copper-coated metal/plastic handles (as several research papers mention that bacteria stays on copper only for four hours, as opposed to 24 hours on stainless steel).

“I am not suggesting we will go back to cubicles like the 1950s but I do think the density in offices will change. We will move away from the open-plan, the height of workstation separators will increase, there will be more natural ventilation along with less use of upholstery like carpets and chairs,” says Mudita Dhankhar, an architect and associate director, sales and projects at Garage Society, a co-working space provider.

In the shorter run, experts envisage an increased focus on disinfecting premises, cleaning doors, tables and maintaining social distancing. According to them, the use of elevators will be controlled with only three or four people allowed to enter, not including a member of staff operating it.

Human resource leaders from different companies say that caution would be the keyword when work resumes—the entire workforce will not be called in at once when the lockdown ends. Discussions would be held within firms and strategies would be changed to meet the challenges of the post-pandemic world, they add.

Shilpa Narang Jerath, director of human resources, Oppo India, says that only those employees whose jobs absolutely cannot be managed from home will be asked to get back to work if they can. “If the employee says that they don’t think it is safe, we will not ask them to come. We are people first, so he or she will get to choose if they want to come back to the office then. But until the situation is completely safe we will keep checking and assessing the situation,” she adds.

HR personnel also predict that there would be significant changes in how workers travel, socialise in canteens and cafes, and hold discussions in meeting rooms.

“Workers might not be able to huddle together and chat. Minimum distance has to be maintained for their own good and of others. Meeting rooms will have fewer participants. For example, if it is a 12-seater room, then it will be reduced to a five-seater one. When the lockdown is lifted, everyone will not be able to rush to their respective offices at the same time. Offices are also going to open up in a graded manner—initially, companies are going to operate with 20% or 50% of the staff,” Pravin Kutty, vice president and head of HR, Snapdeal, says.

In IT companies, where the usage of workstations and dedicated computers is critical, companies are planning to ask workers to come in on alternate days, introduce staggered timings and ask employees to sit at alternate desks. “We will focus on fewer meetings in closed spaces, eating food at work stations will be allowed, coffee breaks can be taken in open spaces and other SoPS for sanitisation and disinfection will be a priority,” Mamta Yadav, practise leaders, talent acquisition, IRIS Corporate, an HR systems company, says.

Workers could also be asked to come on alternate days, say HR leaders.

Professionals engaged in designing corporate office spaces further opine that going forward, offices will tend to become more flexible and agile from a space-planning aspect to accommodate any change in terms of a safe environment and safe distancing.

“While there will be higher value around spaces where people can come together, the attention towards securing those spaces in terms of minimising touchpoints, materiality, establishing distance norms and maintaining overall hygiene will be equally critical,” Titir Dey, design director, Space Matrix, says.

For companies located in Delhi-NCR, managements are considering the plausibility of access to public transport for employees post the lockdown. Employees commute across the region to reach their offices. With the government still not clear on when Metros, buses and cab services will resume operations, companies are keeping the work-from-home option open for employees.

“Once the lockdown is lifted, we think that public transport might still be restricted and/or risky. Therefore, we are likely to make work-from-home an option for all employees until the situation is completely back to normal,” Sudhir Kamath, CEO and co-founder, 9Stacks, a tech-based gaming company, says.

Businesses that engage in manual work in the city are taking into account the efficiency of washing hands periodically to beat the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). They are also considering adding washrooms with bath facilities to ensure employees shower before they start working.

“Earlier, we had a dry locker facility, now we are working on a wet locker facility wherein as soon as the employee enters the premises, they can take a shower—we have made this mandatory. Also, the employees who do not handle food will be given a separate locker room to change in a different area,” Chef Karan Talwar, managing director of Kitchen Kraft Luxury Catering, says.

He adds that the company is also following standard procedure wherein all employees wash their hands every two hours.

The work-from-home phenomenon, which was thrust upon companies, has been providing better than expected results, particularly for IT firms. Companies are likely to stick to this as they reduce spending on expensive real estate and maintenance. “The post-pandemic world will see a new work culture evolve, leading to firms reducing their office space footprint and also help workers spend less time on commuting. The cost of air-conditioning and running glass and chrome offices is significantly high,” Sanjay Sharma, a real estate consultant based in the city, says.