The emergence of a new variant of the virus, Omicron, is likely to behind the latest surge incases and with concerns growing, the UK Government recently imposed new restrictions to face this new threat. Yet again, COVID-19 has “upended working life, changing how and where people do their jobs” (World Economic Forum, 2020). But on a more positive note, the vaccines boosters continue be rolled out across the UK to provide longer-term protection and it is hoped that life can return to some sort of normality shortly. As the world hopefully begins to ease restrictions over the next few months, discussions around the daily commute, disruptions to normal work routines as well as the likelihood of ‘phased returns to work’ will again be reported in the news. So, designing a ‘new reality’ which balances the triad of safety, productivity, and employee wellbeing in the workplace, will be a challenging prospect facing many businesses, organisations and their staff. This pandemic has meant that in such a short space of time, organisations’ ways of operating have shifted more than in previous decades and employees’ wants, needs and expectations have shifted with them. In order to survive this period and to maintain relationships with customers and employees, organisations must respond with speed and innovation like never before. They will require not one, but many, variations of employee experiences that allow a phased transition to the ‘new normal’. For businesses, organisations and individuals, the digital transformation so many of us have had to make has already become far more than a practical solution to the challenges presented by physical distance.
Working in small cross-disciplinary teams, how might we design a product, service or system to improve the experience of returning to the work place during periods of restricted public transport and social distancing?
