There is an overwhelming consensus that the workplace – and hence our cities – have no alternative but to confront the ‘new normal.’
What exactly that might be is much more elusive to define – like the green light at the end of Daisy’s Long Island dock in The Great Gatsby, it’s an aspiration that’s ever present but frustratingly and persistently just out of reach.
The Labour Government’s proposals to make work more family-friendly are being greeted with confusion and concern from business leaders.
What is the ‘right to switch off’ and how will an employee’s right to demand flexible working and the four-day week be achieved while beleaguered business people continue to face the challenges of a chilly economic climate?
It’s something the British Chambers of Commerce plans to address in its round-table discussions between those in business and ministers – but in the meantime others are preparing for a significant shift in how we work, live and interact within urban environments.
#DesignPopUp, a specialist in events for the building sector, recently announced an event in Edinburgh focusing on mental health and wellbeing in the property sector.
Alasdair Steele: “Occupiers are looking to move into offices which have green and wellbeing credentials”
Gillian Stewart: “Tenants are taking less space but are more demanding of the landlords to provide alternative amenities”
Titled ‘Architecture for Wellbeing vs Wellbeing in Architecture’ on 3 October it will explore how design and architecture contribute to enhancing wellbeing in society, and how designers and architects can safeguard their own mental health in a sector with high pressure and unrelenting deadlines.
It’s part of a widespread recognition by business leaders that despite the UK Government’s well-meant intentions, what might work in one sector will not necessarily succeed in them all.
This was highlighted this month by Tina McKenzie, policy chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, who said: “The NHS shift system, for example, would not be a good model for the typical pub … It’s crucial that any changes take proper account of the real differences that exist in different workplaces.”
Sara Seravalli, founder of #DesignPopUp, says that a previous event in Glasgow resulted in an “incredibly emotive, challenging and raw debate, which desperately needs to happen if we are to develop better ways of supporting the mental health of people working in this sector”.
Gillian Stewart, chair of the British Council for Offices’ (BCO) Scottish committee and director of Michael Laird Architects in Glasgow, believes the office will have a “new-found purpose” as the so-called new normal evolves.
BCO members range from developers and constructors to architects, designers and engineers, property managers and occupiers, and she points out that all have a different take on what the future holds for the office building – though at Michael Laird “we prefer people to be in here because we’re collaborators”.
However, like other property professionals, she concedes that a general return to full-time work in the office is unlikely in the current and future dispensations and that the growth of hybrid and home working will continue, especially in the public sector.
“That though raises the question about how much space they will require,” she adds. Which includes even more modern government buildings, such as Victoria Quay in Edinburgh, which is less than 30 years old and which she says is a good, efficient building.
“But if people are rattling about in a relatively empty space you have to ask: how much space do we actually need to deliver our services to the Scottish people as effectively as any other business?”
The BCO has conducted research into occupier experience and the importance of considering building location and access to amenities.
“Interestingly, tenants are probably taking less space but are more demanding of the landlords to provide alternative amenities that can then be part of a more sophisticated building management offer,” she says.
“Throughout my career I’ve done fit outs where we stripped out suspended ceilings and other features that that were installed typically on the assumption that the tenant would keep 90 per cent of them – but they were subsequently changed, perhaps in spaces where tenants wanted a more sophisticated or branded look.
“That was a waste of money and time, so it’s good that that landlords are recognising what the tenant requires in terms of their performance as it saves both money and time and is better in terms of sustainability.
“The balance of what the landlord is giving and the tenants are paying for is changing but that’s a positive thing and makes sense.”
Alasdair Steele, head of Scotland commercial at Knight Frank, says there is a clear need to provide a different type of office.
“That can either be driven by corporates cracking a whip and telling people they need to go back – which has been proven doesn’t work – or making it a really pleasant environment to work, learn, socialise and collaborate in.
“That’s where the more enlightened occupiers are going in the quest to keep hold of staff, which is incredibly important”.
He agrees with Stewart: “Occupiers are looking to move into offices which have green and wellbeing credentials and are going to allow them to fulfil their commitments for being responsible tenants.
But if people are rattling about in a relatively empty space you have to ask: how much space do we actually need?
– Gillian Stewart
“We now have an office market where everybody is focusing on accommodation that’s more than fit for purpose and the demand for that is strong with tenants moving out of their existing buildings into those that offer them what they need.”
There is also the factor of cost however, and in some cases landlords are taking the view that they may be better exiting, so that offices that would have been ripe for refurbishment are going – most notably in Edinburgh – to alternative uses, such as hotel developments in the city centre and in more peripheral locations.
Regarding the wellbeing and mental health factors, Steele believes this has gone beyond the box ticking stage. “You can’t ignore this and a very worthwhile change is going through places of work.
“It’s one that that landlords must embrace, because tenants are embracing it. And if you don’t welcome all this technology and all these opportunities, you’re going to find yourself left behind very, very quickly.”
