HOT POTATO: Is The Office Space Essential?

Thu 17 Feb 2022 11:00 am UK Time
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• There’s no doubt that hybrid working is here to stay…
• …but what exactly does that mean for your office space?
• We’re putting this topic to debate, and we need you to weigh in. Join us and the rest of the Agency Hackers team and share your thoughts.

Could it be time to downsize your office? Or maybe get rid all together?

“Work is evolving. We’re evolving. Our consciousness is evolving. If our work is all about people, our world of work needs to evolve with that consciousness.”

We can all agree that hybrid working is here to stay. But what exactly does that mean for your office space?

Some agencies have got rid of it all together, while some never had one in the first place. 

Hands Down is one of those agencies. 

“I looked into the psychology behind it and the kinds of working environment people thrive in, and everything pointed to remote working,” says founder, Emma Sexton. 

“I’ve had nine years of testing and learning this model, and overall, it’s made our work better and our team better.”

“We’ve been brought up with this really archaic way of working that hasn’t changed since the 1930s,” she says. “All people really want is the flexibility to weave work into their lives, and not the other way around.”

“Because of that, I think the office as we know it is dead,” says Emma.

But what about the people who need a collaborative working environment to prosper?

Helen Banyard, director of Zest the Agency, reckons there are certain personalities that just can’t hack working from home. 

“It’s such an introverted lifestyle, and not everyone can adopt that,” she says. “Yes, I get more done, and I can be with my kids and walk my dog. But I just get so bored without other people around me, and that’s when my productivity starts to rapidly decrease.”

“I also think we work harder than we ever did in this way,” she continues. “I find that I log on at 7am because I can, or I’ll do a bit more at night because I can.”

“Suddenly I’m doing 13-hour days and I haven’t been to the loo or even had a cup of tea all day,” says Helen. “I might not have done that so much if I was operating from an office.” 

So, what do you think? 

We’re putting this topic to debate, and we want you to weigh in. Come along to hear Helen and Emma’s views and share your opinions too.