Ken Gooden

As we wrap up week six of the COVID-19 crisis, it feels more like week 30. With most of the American office workforce working from home, I find myself looking forward, not backward any longer. No more talk about time management at home, how to maintain a professional image
in sweatpants, or how to run a Zoom meeting.

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I find myself thinking about the lingering effects and the future of this pandemic, on the office environment and workforce. The impacts will change the way millions of us work in offices around the country, both in the short and long term. Here I share my thoughts on the immediate effects that have taken place in just five short weeks, the potential long-term threats, and perhaps most importantly, the issues I don’t foresee having lasting impact. This crisis has probably been the hardest thing most of us have been through (unless of course you survived the Great Depression of the 1930s). I don't want to talk about the horrible health crisis we continue to endure, or the hopefully once in a lifetime economic crisis we currently find ourselves in. Both are much more important, in the grand scheme of things.

However, I want to recognize that most of us will go back to work in our offices, cubes, conference rooms, and lunchrooms very soon, and many of the ways we work are going to change, some significantly. Corporate users need to evaluate their situations and prepare for impending changes. Think about how unlikely a training room filled with 60 people in 200 square feet feels right now. Or a 2000-person conference in Las Vegas. Both feel like a lifetime ago.

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Unprecedented times bring uncertain answers. While I don’t know exactly how or when we will be invited back to our office spaces, I do know things will be different. My findings are based on my own 25 years of experience in the corporate real estate industry, as well as numerous conversations I’ve recently had with companies of all sizes, landlords, developers, and other real estate professionals.

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Some of these observations and comments I’m relatively certain of. Others are questions and discussion as to how corporate America reacts in the first few months after having a 100% remote work force for at least the last 6 weeks.

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1. Health will be everyone’s biggest concern. How can we ensure the health and safety of every employee (and limited visitors) that come through our door will be the issue keeping most HR managers up at night for many weeks to come. I know of a company that is contracting a 3rd party health care provider to take every employee’s temperature as they enter their facility. This might become the norm, for the foreseeable future. I assume this violates some privacy laws, BUT are we all expected to give up some rights and liberties to get the economy moving again? What happens to the employee who has a slight fever and an important meeting in 15 minutes? The frequency of cleaning offices and shared spaces will a hot topic of conversation and highly scrutinized. How do high-rise buildings ensure that elevators are safe when occupied by multiple people? Will masks be the new “tech casual”? Will hand sanitizer be on every other table, desk, and countertop? Probably.

2. We will go back to work in phases. I was on a call with a large company in Hong Kong today who is about 2-3 weeks ahead of our re-entry. They shared their insights and processes, which began with dividing employees into two arbitrary teams; A and B. Group A was able to come to the office on even dates of the month. Group B on the odd. Employee workstations are now at least 2 meters apart and conference rooms have a maximum number of occupants. Large breakrooms will be entirely vacant, except for quick eating of lunch or vending machine use. Zoom and WebEx meetings will continue to be the norm.

3. Companies will have to be more concerned about employee spacing and very cognizant of not forcing employees into an environment where they are working at 6-7 employees per 1000 square feet. For context, many technology companies occupied at 8-9 employees per 1000 square feet, pre-Covid. Some of this is accomplished in the extreme near term by the phasing approach. The big question; is this a sustainable long-term solution? For some, yes, it probably is. But others will eventually want the entire team back together, which will lead to more difficult decisions on occupancy and spacing.

4. Incredibly interesting is the topic of immediacy. Are companies eager to get their teams back into the office and everybody into the same physical space ASAP? Creating a world class culture is challenging with a disparate workforce, and idea generation can be as spontaneous as an impromptu discussion in the hallway, right? OR is corporate America thinking that post-pandemic, our company has operated efficiently with all my employees working from home, so, maybe we can operate with a smaller group in the HQ and keep some at home? Saves money on real estate costs, lowers my occupancy (see spacing issues above) and some employees are happier (and likely more efficient), working from home. Challenging decisions.  ->