Modern workplaces are changing. Remote work saw its peak during the pandemic; any job that could be done remotely was. However, this isn’t to say that remote work simply disappeared alongside the pandemic. In fact, by 2025, it’s predicted that 32.6 million U.S. workers will be working remotely. Remote work has its undeniable benefits. It’s cheap for the employer, easy for the employee, reduces commute times, and increases employee happiness. Yet this isn’t to say that all or even a majority of workspaces today are going to be remote.
Evolution of Remote Work
There are two big issues seen in physical workspaces today. One, employees are lonely, and two, physical workspaces are expensive. For the employer, it costs an average of $200-700 per employee per desk alone. This is without mentioning the countless other major and minute costs, things like computers, filing cabinets, chairs, etc. Above and beyond all else, though, the cost of the real estate needed for an office is what can financially sink employers.
Office space real estate can be a great investment for businesses but also poses a risk. There are many circumstances that can lead to a space failing as an investment. For example, as many businesses continue to grow, they need to relocate to a more central location. Other businesses may need to transition completely out of physical spaces to save on costs. And in the worst cases, some businesses simply fail and cannot afford office spaces anymore. Each of these scenarios leads to an office space becoming a financial burden instead of a positive investment.
Moving to the employee side, most adults today are considered lonely. Even based on the most generous definitions, people don’t tend to make many friends at work. They’ll have their most immediate coworkers, but anyone outside of that is effectively invisible. This is yet another downside to modern office spaces: they’re isolated and inherently antisocial. On the one hand, this makes sense; the workspace is, above all else, a place to work. However, this is where modern workspaces are starting to change.
Infusing Community Into Coworking
The biggest change in advancing modern workspaces that have become popular lately is a focus on community. Models such as the Tavern community coworking model offer explicit social events at work for people to connect. Overwhelmingly, modern research shows that happy and healthy workers are more effective workers. This is why the addition of communal lunches, happy hours, and other events is important.
Even more radically, some businesses are even considering moving out of traditional office spaces. While the divide between remote and physical workspaces can be divisive, hybrid options can be a good compromise. Some businesses today operate almost entirely remotely but will rent out spaces for events. This is where community promotion moves beyond the placated efforts of businesses in the past. Businesses in the past or even today are critiqued for only hosting events when it is practical. The moment a social event represents a real cost or burden to the business is the moment it is forgotten.
In contrast, businesses looking to further modern work relationships are taking an entirely different approach. Now, these social events are made into an explicit and important aspect of how the business runs. They’re an essential part of building a satisfied and connected workforce, not just a celebration of positive milestones. It’s not enough for businesses to pretend that they want to build a community; they have to put in the work to prove it.
And of course, this doesn’t apply only to remote work or hybrid contexts. Fully physical work spaces can also rent out restaurants and hotels for events. Historically this hasn’t at all been uncommon. The difference however comes, again, in the focus and regularity of these events.
Summing up
This, at the end of the day, is just one of the ways that modern businesses are changing. Yet it goes to show that the focus rests on changing the relationship people have with work. In a time where people are less satisfied with employers and work than ever, some businesses are stepping up. There’s no guarantee the specific efforts mentioned here will be the most effective. What is guaranteed is that workplace relationships are changing and fast.
