Whether you’re in a back bedroom in suburban Milwaukee or a carved-out office nook in a posh New York loft, you will see signs of successful remote work. Between video conference calls, moms and dads are checking in on their remote-working students, marketing managers are squeezing in a video yoga class, and designers are throwing in a quick load of laundry. And while tending to these household responsibilities, we’re also designing new products and spaces, completing financial audits, and making video sales pitches. On the surface, remote work is, well, working.
But there’s something missing. Although the work is getting done and the video sales pitches are leading to new sources of income, we’re silently craving the collaboration and physical interaction that makes us human. These workplace design elements are a vital part of our day-to-day office interaction, and no amount of video calls or virtual happy hours can replace what Stephen Coulston, principal at Perkins and Will, calls “the bumpability factor.”
