When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, businesses shut down, workers were sent home with their computers and waited to see how long this would last. 

For many people around the world, what started off as a welcomed 2 weeks off from work, quickly turned into a horrifying reality of a ‘new normal’. 

Working from home just became a part of standard life for many non-essential workers. 

Some people welcomed this change, especially people with disabilities who had previously found it difficult to navigate working in an office.

As things begin to calm down, and working from home is no longer mandated, how do we navigate this new post pandemic world?

Benefits of commercial office spaces

While social distancing was necessary during the pandemic, it meant a big change for work spaces. 

Studies during the pandemic show that many employees experienced drawbacks to full time work from home. 

They lost socialisation time with colleagues, had decreased physical movement, and experienced fatigue, tiredness, headaches and eye-related symptoms due to extended screen time. 

Most people need face-to-face interactions and social support in order to thrive, and social isolation can quickly lead to depression. 

Working from home also made it difficult for many workers to separate their work life from their home life, leading to more stress and anxiety. 

There are many benefits of having a commercial office space for your business, including these positive social interactions that can lead to more collaboration and productivity. You can help provide your employees with a positive and safe work environment. 

Benefits of working from home

What many people enjoy about a home office is the flexibility that it allows. Employees working from home have a greater freedom in how they dress, where they work, their working hours and what they can do during their breaks. 

For some employees, this is lifesaving as it allows them to still have the stability of a full time job, without having to worry about travelling to and from work and operating in an office. 

It allowed remote workers to apply for positions they may not have been eligible for previously, and for many people it cut down on public transportation time, as well as business travel. 

As most companies start returning to working from an office building, there are those office workers who are dreading this return. 

If working from home isn’t an option all the time for your employees, you may still want to provide them with some flexibility. Hybrid work environments have become very common, where employees can work from home some days but have to be in office others day. 

In the long term, it may be worth giving your employees a little flexibility with how they work. 

People are all different

What many businesses fail to account for is the fact that all people are different. While some employees thrive in the social hustle and bustle of an office, there are others that shrink in these environments. 

Some workers struggle to focus on their work when at home, and end up dealing with a poor work life balance. Others however thrive when working at home, being just as productive as in office, if not more. 

One thing businesses will have learned from the pandemic is that different employees benefit from different 

If you have the option to allow those employees who do thrive while working at home, why would we not accommodate them?

The future of working spaces should really be looking to account for these differences in people’s working styles. 

If someone is more productive working from home, and is happier doing this, then it is a benefit to your business. 

Millions of people are excited to be back in the office, especially with longer term changes that allow for some more flexible working conditions. 

Talk to Englander Principal 

If you’re considering making a change to your commercial office space, then talk to the team at Englander Principal. 

We negotiate on your behalf in order to get you the best terms on your commercial real estate lease agreement, or lease renewal. 

We specialise in freeing up your cash flow by negotiating for rent-free periods, rent reductions and other equivalent rental savings. 

We are not commercial real estate agents; they do their job and we do ours. 

We are commercial negotiators. 

Talk to us today!