The outbreak of Coronavirus changed our way of relating to people as we know it. Before the Coronavirus pandemic, one of the most common proverbs has always been that United we stand, divided we fall. However, with Coronavirus, the reverse was the case as we were made to understand that Divided (staying in our homes, staying away from other people and when we must meet other people, implement social distancing) we stand, United we fall (get infected by the virus and risk dying).
This article will discuss what the traditional office is, the history of the traditional office, and how Coronavirus has affected the traditional office.
What is a traditional office?
The traditional office is simply built for focus and productivity. It is the office space that you are awarded by a company, probably in its headquarters or one of its branches across the world. Hence, they allocate you an office, which could be for your personal use if you are among the senior staff. It could also be a shared office or a cubicle if you are among the junior staff. However, irrespective of if you are a senior staff or junior staff, you will be expected to work with other people. The implication is that you will invite people to your office regularly. They could be other staffs, customers, prospective customers, or guests. If you want to stock up on office supplies for your traditional office or your home office, you should see office supplies UK reviews on Britainreviews.co.uk to know what to buy and where to buy them.
History of the traditional office
The history of the office culture can be traced to the ancient city of Rome where religious and political leaders will gather in a forum in the centre of the city for announcements, discussions, and meetings. This was similar to the stand-up meeting that your team engage in weekly. However, with the fall of the Roman Empire, the office buildings also fell.
During the eighteenth century, the UK’s East India House became an example of what mega-corporations will look like today. Several workers were provided with offices with lavish interiors as well as company perks. However, they were not too impressed with the workdays that were monotonous and lasted for long hours, while they only got a limited vacation.
During the late 1800s, skyscrapers were discovered. This further cemented the traditional office arrangements as workers were provided with offices on floors of the skyscrapers with most having desks side by side.
The Burolandshaft came up in the 1960s. It was a concept that started from German that promoted interactive work environments. It featured an informal arrangement of desks as well as flower pots in offices to make the environment healthier for the employees.
The effects of Coronavirus on the traditional office
The major effect of Coronavirus on the traditional office as witnessed in the year 2020 was the closure of traditional offices. Most traditional offices across the world were closed and workers were meant to sit at home. For companies where workers could work remotely, they were able to continue to work from their home. Hence, it is looking like Coronavirus could be a game-changer to the current work arrangements and it could be the start of most companies opting for remote workers.
Some companies have hinted that they will not encourage their employees to resume after the pandemic as they can continue to work from home. However, it will be impossible for everybody to work from home. Factory workers for example and those that work in other offices where they are directly involved in the production and supplies of goods will require some of their staffs to be available for those reasons.