Working from home is on the rise. Are offices now becoming obsolete?

As internet access reaches even the most remote corners of the world, a new kind of industrial revolution is reforming work as we know it. Since 2019, more than 26 million employees in the USA alone—that’s 16 percent of the total workforce—have been working from home.

Psychologists believe that working from home can be rewarding, as those who work at least partially from home report higher levels of happiness and job satisfaction. As more and more companies become aware of these benefits, many are opening up to the idea of allowing their employees flexible home office arrangements.

The Office Dilemma for Industry 4.0

If done right, working from home also advances No. 8 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which focuses on improving working conditions around the world. According to the International Labour Organization, flexible arrangements can promote health and well-being, gender equality, and democratize work. In particular, women and people with disabilities gain more opportunities to participate in the workforce through flexible home office arrangements.

Considering all these advantages, the rise of home office work is unlikely to stop anytime soon. Nevertheless, the question arises: Will traditional offices become unimportant and obsolete?

According to a survey, 66 percent of respondents believed that offices would disappear by 2030. However, reality is often more complicated than binary answers.

The Offices Are Dead—Long Live the Offices

The ancient Romans had the first offices in history. But it was not until the 18th century that offices began to take on their modern forms, after the British Empire built the Old Admiralty Office in London. It was equipped with ornate rooms and tables where lords and ladies gathered to make decisions about the empire.

Fast forward to 2020, and offices in the traditional sense are arguably already outdated. If the British Empire still existed, its rulers might have participated in a video conference instead of traveling from different parts of the empire to the Old Admiralty Office.

However, developments in the world of work and administration do not mean that the need for offices is also outdated. Today’s employees, who prefer flexibility and independence, need a different kind of office that offers solutions for the demands of changing conditions.

The Rise of the Non-Office Office

Despite the many advantages of working from home, there are also some dark sides: separation and social isolation can affect employees’ mental health and dampen team spirit. Without the help of body language, miscommunication can occur. All accelerating technologies are still not able to replace the synergy that an in-person meeting can bring. At the same time, rigid schedules and working in a monotonous cubicle under harsh fluorescent light make people unhappy and less productive.

Therefore, offices today must find a middle ground: an inviting and tastefully furnished environment with a variety of seating options, pleasant daylight, and leisure areas are increasingly part of today’s offices. Moving away from [rigid schedules](http:// https://gtly.to/9K2ZF7N8R), employees have a strong preference to set their own hours and use this supportive and relaxed environment according to their own ideas.

In short, employees want an office that doesn’t feel like an office and can seamlessly fit into their flexible lives.

Making Work Easier for Employees

No matter how technologies develop, there will always be a meeting place for great minds to come together, spark debates, and make a difference. However, these places must continue to be innovative and use the right technological solutions to remain relevant.

Even with these technological advances, new types of contractual arrangements will be required to support SDG 8, guaranteeing an adequate level of worker protection. For the forward-thinking companies of 2020, offices are not places to confine their employees to get work done, but community centers for employees to interact and drive everyone forward.