Eye on Future Of The Office
Paul Black & Alpha Group– Preparing For A New Workplace Future As we all embark on a gradual return to normality postpandemic, Paul Black can afford himself the luxury of being optimistic that his teams in Northern Ireland and across the British Isles are likely to be busier and busier.
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aul’s Alpha Group, from its Belfast roots, has grown into one of the UK and Ireland’s leading office design and office furniture specialists, responsible for a wide range of workplace environments across the islands. With workplaces undergoing the kind of change no one could have envisaged just over a year ago, the Group is well placed to reap the benefits. “It’s going to be a slow return to
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office working and there’s no doubt that it is going to be different,” says Paul Black. “Like almost everyone else, I don’t think we’ll ever see a 100% return to office working. “We have all seen, ourselves included, that home working does work. So going forward it will be about proactively managing the space that we have, making it safer for employees and for visitors. We’re on site in Belfast now re-purposing workplaces
on behalf of clients. They are creating a destination for their people, with the expectation that they’ll come in two or maybe three days a week. With a third or half occupancy at most, they take all the pressure off the available space. “If you had asked me 15 or 20 years ago what we did, I’d have said that we sell desks. Five years ago, it became more about assisting our clients to retain staff by creating vibrant and welcoming workplaces. Now it is about re working these spaces to make sure that people feel comfortable coming back.” Alpha’s teams, he says, have been working on open plan office spaces with an increased emphasis on the best use of space – a
distinct move away from old style operations involved banks of desks. “I hear lots of people say that productivity isn’t affected by home working, and that’s true. But, in a company like our’s and I suspect many others, the best ideas come from people meeting and collaborating. There are some things you can’t achieve on Teams or Zoom. “So I really do think that there’s an appetite to get back to the office, even if it is for two or three days a week. I think that the vast majority of organisations will be able to move towards hybrid working models. It can be done and it’s definitely nothing to be worried about.”
