"Set up a specific, separate place to do your work at home." This is the advice many were given when we first started working remotely. It stems from the idea of replicating the one desk, one person model most offices implement. However, offices were not initially designed to be favorable working conditions. They were designed to fit multiple workers in a limited space. The traditional model of working solely from a desk works against employees doing their best work for two reasons.
The first is that people do different types of work. The average worker does a range of deep work, brainstorming, syncing, and tasks. A desk may be sufficient for tasks like returning emails but less than ideal for brainstorming new ideas. Utilizing spaces that complement the different parts of our job would facilitate optimal results.
The second reason is people have different moods while working. People aren’t robots we have a spectrum of emotions. There will be times when we are distracted or uninspired and a change of scenery can help reset our mood. Co-working in a shared space could provide inspiration. Finding a quiet space could help restore concentration. The ability to move around and find what you need decreases the effort needed to produce quality work.
As we start migrating back into the office we might see a spike in job satisfaction if we model working from the office to be more like working from home.
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