workers may be asked to show some form of 'immunity certificate,' verifying that they have immunity to Covid-19, before they return to work, Barron says. 'As long as employers don't discriminate - they can't pick and choose who is tested - it's absolutely legal.' Health and legal experts predict that on-the-job medical screening, such as temperature checks and antibody tests, will be a reality for those who return to work in the months ahead.Īnd in many cases it's already happening: To combat the spread of coronavirus among essential workers, some of the biggest employers in the country, including Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot and Starbucks have begun taking the temperatures of their employees before they are allowed to work.Īccording to labor and employment attorney David Barron, not only are employers legally permitted to check employees' temperatures, they are also currently being encouraged to do so by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In shared spaces, expect more touchless fixtures, such as door sensors, automatic sinks and soap dispensers and voice-activated elevator banks.Īrchitects may also design spaces with durable building materials, furniture, flooring and other surfaces that can stand up to frequent deep-cleaning, which is expected to be a lasting necessity of the future workplace for years to come. Workers will want the security and control of having a personal space they come to every day or every few days and can clean frequently. Capron stops short of saying cubicles will make a comeback.Īgile workspaces with unassigned seating will decline in popularity. Open layouts will change, however: Desks could become spaced out, partitions could go up, cleaning stations stocked with hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes will become the norm, and workers may seek out spaces for focused work, such as privacy booths.

Despite criticism that they kill productivity, it's likely companies will still use the layout in an effort to lower real estate costs. This could mean fewer walled-off offices and more gathering spaces to host meetings, conferences and other company-wide events.īeyond that, the open office floor plan will likely stick around. He predicts office buildings of the future may become facilities to gather, while focused work is done remotely. 'Does office space strictly become elaborate conference centers?' asks Capron. With the office building recast as the ultimate status symbol, its main purpose could shift. It could be the end of business travel as we know it

When you're able to pick up on nonverbal cues, or you're invited into a colleague's home via video chat, 'a different type of intimacy is formed in a faster way than would happen in a traditional working environment,' she says. This could help to build trust among workers who can't interact in person, Yousif says. To that end, expect a generally more agile way of working and communicating with colleagues: More meetings will become emails, and more emails will become instant messages.įor team members who no longer work together in a central office, phone calls and meetings may move to video. I think we're all developing new muscles to work virtually.' 'I think those best practices will live on. 'People have been more patient in learning new technologies and engaging with them, simply because they've had to,' Yousif says. And in some cases, workers are becoming more efficient. The pandemic has been a technological equalizer of sorts, she says, where people previously unaccustomed to using tech tools in the workplace have had no choice but to adapt. Expect your post-pandemic work calendar to contain fewer meetings overall, says Nadjia Yousif, managing director and partner of Boston Consulting Group's London office.

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