Impacts of Pandemic on Office Space and Work Culture—A Review

The offices have evolved according to activities it needs to cater to, user needs, and comfort. With the change in work culture, the office space design has also changed. The offices have transformed from mechanical rows of seating to open, casual home-like spaces. With different trends in office spaces, one thing that has not changed is the office environment's impact on employees’ health and well-being. An ideal workspace design leads to a more efficient and less stressful environment, thus increasing employees’ productivity. The employee’s efficiency, productivity, and social well-being are impacted by office space, and the work environment it creates. The paper uses available literature to study the evolution of office spaces from the early eighteenth century to date, with changes in work typology. It also aims at understanding the impact caused on the office space and work culture during the pandemic with concern to IT companies by categorizing them into product and service-based types. Taking two famous companies and their office space as a case for each category, quick responses to long-term plans adopted by the companies concerning the functioning of office space and evaluating them based on occupancy rate, the comfort of employees, and social implications. Based on the analysis of the above probable strategies for office space design and work culture for the future, office space typology and the work model are derived that is sustainable for the community and all the stakeholders.