Opening up to big changes

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: Can open-plan offices survive the Covid-19 crisis? What will the need for physical distancing at work mean for office culture post-pandemic?

Lawrence Loh Director, Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations NUS Business School

The boundary separating home, office and everything in between will be radically blurred. It will be more than just a rethink of the open-plan office. It is about the very existence of the office. Work will evolve to an omni-location concept, where there is no assumed primary place for its conduct. There will be a fundamental shift not only to an outcome-based culture, but to one rooted in trust. Covid-19 has forced a long-delayed transition to a virtual work environment. The change will be irreversible - the office as a sacrosanct physical entity may be like Humpty Dumpty, which had a great fall and could not be put together again.