OFFICE, THE COST OF QUALITY: If they have to leave home, employees want top-notch offices.

• Position: OFFICE

Over two years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) sent out a COVID alert and advised quarantine mandate, requiring employers to scramble and shift toward remote work. The lengthy pandemic tested global workforce to its core, changing people's collective views about working from home, homeschooling, separating work from home life, burnout, the need for social interaction, company culture, feelings of isolation, and mental health awareness, as well as the total value of engagement, collaboration, teamwork, face-to-face human interaction, and what all this means for innovation.

The modern workplace is evolving--a trend only accelerated by the pandemic. As a part of this evolution, employers are turning to psychologists to help retool their workplace environments and develop strategies based on empirical data and researched-based evidence to attract, recruit, and retain a globalized workforce.

The American Psychological Association (APA) says workplace innovations spurred by the global pandemic have only begun. The following year proved to be a mixed bag for many people working from home in 2020. While one-third of employees and half of the employers surveyed by the APA reported higher productivity due to remote work, "concurrent isolation, loneliness, and work-life issues" took a significant toll. And ask most employers--they'll admit that culture and collaboration struggled tremendously.

No Substitute

Charles Calderwood, Ph.D., directs the Work Stress and Recovery Lab at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. He told the APA that another problem is how to foster the sort of connections and hallway conversations that percolate in the office. He says those informal interactions not only knit a workforce closer but can lead to new insights.

Calderwood says that pandemic life has illustrated how running from video call to video call is a poor substitute. "There's not much chance for small talk. Many perfect ideas come out of that small talk that people have more casually." For this reason, Calderwood believes that the "death of the office space is a little overrated."

"Psychology Drives New Office Designs," authored by Selby Frame for the APA, is a farewell to massive, open-plan workspaces. Instead, Frame says, "Those designing offices now describe thoughtfully contained, well-ventilated configurations, such as pods or living-room type lounges...There will be increased space between workstations, more hands-free technology, and emphasis on creating...