Letter to the FT 'Goodbye to high-density open-plan offices'

“We will see a reversal of the pre-Covid trend toward high density open-plan desking…”

On 7 December, Pilita Clark wrote that post-Covid, we would have the opportunity to transform the workplace environment.

In her letter to the FT, Edge Founder and Principal Racheal Cadey, agrees with this view and writes:

“As workplace designers, we know that if hybrid working is to become the new norm for many people, the workplace has to be better than home: there has to be a positive pull.

If as Ms Clark predicts, a major reason to go into an office is to meet colleagues, then it can become a focus for social connections and collaboration. And with this, the way we measure the value of space becomes more holistic, encompassing employee wellness and happiness. As a result of moving on from the more traditional metric of space per person, we will see a more flexible approach to layouts and a reversal of the pre-Covid trend towards high-density open-plan desking. The watchword is to be nimble — in planning and responding to changing circumstances.

As Ms Clark acknowledges, there will be a myriad of possibilities, different for everyone and every business.”.

Racheal Cadey Founder and Principal, Edge