2023 office trends are all about balancing the mind, body and soul. Influences are being drawn from recent years to make work life more positive and desirable.

Since the pandemic of 2020, the way we work has been challenged and the way that we want to work has been reimagined. By creating more relaxed vibes within the work place, and upscaling the very best parts of homeworking, employers hope to lure their workforce back into a central location to boost collaboration, integration and harness creativity. Here are a just few of the leading workplace trends we’re seeing in 2023.

Blending home, work and third places

Many organisations are taking on board the reluctance of office workers across the nation to return to the office and are creating ‘third places’ – home-like environments with sumptuous sofas, cushions and plenty of colour. These areas provide staff with a space they can kick back and relax in, or where they can socialise when they have spare time. Shelving systems, partition systems or room dividers could be used to create more casual breakout spaces to serve as ‘third places’.

Of course, these types of environments can only improve mental and physical well-being, encouraging employees to step away from their desks and to take regular breaks – which is good for all of our body’s critical functions (you can read more on this in our blog ‘Why a sit stand desk is good for your health’).

Creating a clean and hygienic space to work

The last few years haven’t been entirely eradicated from our memories as yet, with many employers still concerned with minimising the transmission of infections within the workplace. Acrylic screens and desk dividers are still extremely popular as employees do what they can to make a communal workplace as hygienic as possible.

Harnessing flexibility

Another workspace trend we’re seeing is how employers are embracing the need for workspaces to be flexible. Adopting a hot desking approach means that, in a world where many choose to work from home regularly, businesses don’t need to provide a desk for each person they employ. Introducing a desk booking system is a great way to ensure that desk use is managed effectively. Another trend we’ve seen is an increase in bookable office space for use when making or taking private calls or holding confidential meetings, reducing the need for committed real estate 24-7 whether it’s being used or not.

‘Hotelification’ of the workplace

By making offices feel more luxurious, employees can be encouraged back into the workplace. Fancy soaps and hand creams play a small part in ‘hotelification’ of the workplace, as do mod-cons such as pop-up sockets, gyms, and comfortable and enjoyable spaces to work in. By making work more enjoyable and more relaxing, the expectation is that it will become somewhere employees want to be and will also boost productivity.

Inspiring creativity

The benefits of collaboration and working together are well recognised these days and are one of the key elements that are driving people back into the office with many people hybrid working. Often employees will base the days they work from a central office on those who will be there and whether they can have the conversations they need to be having on those days. Therefore relaxed, creative spaces where people can have both meetings and informal conversations facilitate this new approach of hybrid working. Some companies prefer colourful bar stools and stool-height ‘poseur’ tables to encourage creativity or to keep traffic flowing through these areas. Stylising areas such as the kitchen with storage so that it can look beautiful throughout the day, and good lighting, enables these functional hubs to double-up with informal workspaces where employees can brainstorm, ideate and collaborate.

Making the workplace sustainable

And finally, sustainability is an important element of every workplace. By introducing recycling bins in the office and any communal kitchen spaces, you’re enabling employees to be as sustainable in their work as they like to be at home. For some workplaces, it may be possible to introduce ‘cycle to work schemes’, or other sustainable practices such as a digital only office that can encourage employees to be more environmentally aware both in work and in how they get to work.

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