{"id":744,"date":"2024-05-09T10:05:38","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T09:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sense.hr\/blog\/?p=744"},"modified":"2025-07-03T06:38:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T05:38:04","slug":"how-research-says-you-should-design-your-office-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senseworkplace.com\/blog\/how-research-says-you-should-design-your-office-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"How research says you should design your office in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We were at The Workplace Event last week, and there were some pretty impressive office-space designs on show. And it got me thinking \u2013 once upon a time, the set-up, layout, and design of the average office was a predominantly administrative task: desk, tables, chairs, windows, lights, and aircon, all within a context of health and safety and headcount parameters. But that\u2019s not the case now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years back, Google changed everything. At least, they\u2019re the folk who I blame, anyway. For pioneering a cutting-edge, lifestyle-driven working environment full of bells and whistles which boosted engagement and productivity, and created a magnetic global employer brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the rest of the world followed suit, for a few blissful years. But then, the pandemic turned everything on its head, yielding enforced home-working. And overnight, these often half-empty, high-powered, lifestyle-driven offices suddenly looked overblown and surplus to requirements. They also didn\u2019t seem to make complete sense in the legacy hybrid working culture that immediately followed the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024 office design must embrace and facilitate flexible working to maximise engagement.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But, with clear blue water between us and the pandemic, what should office designers be doing now? We should still be designing our office around what people want if we want high productivity and especially employer brand magnetism. But what exactly do people want today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CIPD research showed that 6%<\/a> of employees changed jobs last year due to a lack of flexible working options and 12% changed sector altogether for this reason. This is even though 60% of employees now have flexible working arrangements, (which is a sustained increase from the previous year), showing flexible working needs are still not being adequately met by people managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the flexible working laws taking effect on the 6th of April meaning employees have the right to request flexible working from day one rather than 26 weeks, we can expect further increases in flexible working requests this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, 2024 office design practice must further embrace and facilitate flexible working, to maximise employee engagement and productivity but how?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research shows that 4 specific gaps still remain in the flexible working offering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

People managers should review data around our era-defining flexible working sentiment when designing their offices in 2024 to ensure they deliver what\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, while there is undoubtedly a lot of flexible working happening, some needs are still not being met. The CIPD research showed that when people were asked what flexible work arrangements they would like to be able to access they answered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n