Making Office Design Work: Kris Krokosz Discusses Evidence-Led Workplace Design on SPOR Podcast

Kris Krokosz, director and co-founder of Squaredot, recently featured on the SPOR podcast to discuss the evolving landscape of workplace design in the post-COVID era with SPOR Group Strategic Director, Chris Gore. The discussion highlighted the critical need for businesses to re-evaluate their office space requirements and adapt to new working patterns.

Kris's discussion on the SPOR podcast covered several key areas:

• Understanding Business Needs: Smart businesses are beginning to understand their real needs, focusing on people, culture, behaviours, processes, and the overall workplace experience.
• Evidence-Led Design: Squaredot follows an evidence-led design approach to make informed decisions about space allocation and design, considering factors like utilisation rates and changing work patterns.
• Pre-COVID Utilisation Rates: Pre-COVID, office utilisation rates averaged between 35% and 55%, indicating that offices were rarely at maximum capacity. This highlights the inefficiency of a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Demand Management: The shift to a three-day working week and the realisation that "you can turn every weekend into an Easter weekend" has created challenges in demand management.
• Choice and Innovation: The generic notion of standard desks for everyone is outdated. Instead, businesses should offer choice and innovation through creative design.
• Technology's Impact: The rise of technology, such as Teams, has increased the demand for telephone booths and pods for calls. Technology also plays a role in monitoring office occupancy and improving hybrid meeting experiences.
• Measuring Design Effectiveness: Squaredot measures the effectiveness of their designs through post-occupancy evaluations, gap analysis, and "journey mapping" to guide employees on using new office settings.

Watch the full podcast interview on YouTube, or continue reading for a summary of the conversation, and further insights from Kris on the ever-important topic of the future of workplace design.

The Rise in Workplace Studies

There has been a significant increase in the number of workplace studies Squaredot have conducted since the pandemic. This surge indicates that businesses are actively seeking data-driven insights to determine their future spatial needs. As Kris notes, "The fact that the number of studies we have completed since COVID, have gone through the roof, is a telling sign that businesses want to know 'What do I really need in the future?' Do I need more space or do I need less space. If I have less space and we’re trying to force a return to the office, am I going to run out of space?" He emphasises the cost-effectiveness of these studies, stating that "to do a workplace study for a few thousand pounds and potentially saving millions, is a no brainer.", and that smart businesses are beginning to understand what they really need.

Workplace studies are about 3 core details: people, their culture and behaviours, process, what the people are doing, how often, who with and where, and place, what does their environment look like, how might it work, and how can we make the in-office experience worth the commute. Sqauredot follows an evidence led design approach to make informed decisions on how much, what, where, and in what mix. 

Shifting Office Utilisation Rates

The pre-COVID era often operated under the generic notion that one standard office layout would suit everyone – vast seas of desks for all. Average office utilisation rates sat between 35% and 55%, highlighting that offices were far from maximum occupancy. This is due to the variety of roles, different working days, and diverse individual needs – it is clear that a universal design simply doesn't work, and never really did. What has shifted post-pandemic is the demand on certain days, the prevalence of the three-day working week, and a widespread appreciation for extended weekends. This presents a challenge in demand management. At Squaredot we believe the focus should be on offering choice and fostering innovation through creative design, which, in turn, adds to the complexity of demand management.

Long-Standing Principles of Evidence-Led Design

Reflecting on the enduring principles of the Squaredot approach, Kris shared an anecdote: " Telephone pods are really popular currently and we had a project where we recognised the familiar issues not dissimilar to the challenges of today. Calls too loud in the office, I need to make a confidential call, can I go somewhere quiet to work and so on. So we developed a telephone booth, the only difference being, this project happened 13 years ago but it was through analysis and a data driven process that we identified the need."

One of the key takeaways from Kris’ conversation was to avoid making assumptions, and he stresses the importance of understanding the specific needs of a business. He highlights the growing trend of incorporating town hall spaces and flexible areas in office designs to encourage people to come into the office.

To hear the full insightful conversation, watch the video on YouTube, and if you have any questions or would like a consultation with Sqauredot, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Email us: info@squaredot.co.uk

Call us: +44 (0) 1789 201 000