Three is the magic number: Haworth

12 months into the enforced work from home (WFH) experiment, and the world is now preparing for a return to normal life. But what is normal? And whatever it is, do we still want it?

Some don’t want WFH to end. For a variety of reasons – from the sardine-tin train-rides and at-desk sandwiches, to the watchful boss and strong-armed post-5pm pub visits – they’re happy to stay in their comfortable caves. Others, however, are eager to get back. Home workspaces can be too distracting, too small, or too uncomfortable, but it’s the in-person interaction, the coffee breaks, and the after-work social events they really miss.

By combining the two workplaces into one flexible lifestyle, employees get the best of both worlds. Companies can seduce both newcomers and incumbents, not with ping pong, monthly movie nights or an in-office beer garden, but with perks that actually matter, like an instant commute, school-run freedom and full control of the thermostat.

As an international manufacturer of workplace furniture, Haworth meticulously researches the marketplace to understand that ‘workplace furniture’, means so much more than just ‘office furniture’.

In this new working landscape, different types of work will be performed in different locations. The office, for example, will be retained as a base of operations, with teams still able to come together at the same time for collaboration and creativity. And there’s still a place for those jobs that need heftier hardware, or those with highly sensitive material that mustn’t escape the building.

Although the office remains the place for collaborative or sensitive work, that doesn’t mean it needs to look the same. Haworth’s Work from Anywhere ecosystem develops products specifically for each location. Patricia Urquiola’s Openest collection for Haworth, for example, combines open and approachable seating with flexible acoustic and visual privacy, while the new Cabana lounge unit transforms a hectic office into a micro-sanctuary for one.

Wellbeing was already the biggest buzzword in business pre-2020. Overpacked trains, congested roads, and the need to increase family time meant employers put more trust in colleagues to hold team meetings over Zoom, not Call of Duty. But the huge and instant WFH-order meant suitable working locations were at a premium in small homes. Kitchen tables, sofas and beds do not make comfortable desks resulting in nerves being tested beyond normal levels. Workplace drama used to peak when double-booking a meeting room, now we have to book the dining table or the bookshelves for a video call. With this in mind, Haworth’s comfortable Nia chair and the minimalist A-wood desk provide residential style to space-poor WFH employees, with no loss in performance – and no one steals their favourite mug.

The third picture in Haworth’s triptych of future working environments is open to interpretation. The ‘third place’ is named so because it represents any workplace that’s not office or home. Anything at all.

Hot-desking and WFH mean that in the modern office, there are often fewer workspaces than employees. And the home can suffer from any number of surprise domestic complications, from loud housemates to holidaying school children. Therefore, for the ecosystem to thrive, there must be an alternative, a workplace locum.

These third spaces require furniture that’s as flexible and multi-use as themselves. Haworth’s Poppy and Maari chairs are both equally at home in desks, meetings, conferences, canteens and waiting rooms, while their gentle curves and soft upholstery bring with them the comfort of home.

So if you enjoy your own space but miss seeing colleagues, like a short staircase-commute but long for an after-work drink, or you love free wi-fi but can’t connect with anyone, then life in Haworth’s Work From Anywhere ecosystem may be for you.

Whether you’re at home, in an office or somewhere else entirely, you can hear more about Haworth’s extensive research on the future of work, along with invaluable insight from superstar keynote speakers, Patricia Urquiola and Giulio Cappellini, at the free two-day virtual Work From Anywhere Summit, 21-22 April, 2021.

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