COVID-19 may not have made any 2020 prediction lists, but it certainly is leaving an impression on how companies and individuals will work in the future. With vaccines rolling out globally, infection rates dropping, and local governments beginning to increase the occupancy of everything from local parks to restaurants, CEOs around the world are looking for new office solutions to fit the future of work.
Herman Miller, which has been at the forefront of major workplace advancements (yes, even the cubicle), has devoted thousands of hours working with companies of every size trying to help them navigate the pandemic and prepare for post-pandemic work environments. This research confirmed what Herman Miller workplace strategists predicted pre-pandemic — organizations were craving holistic solutions that took on all of the challenges that come with designing meaningful workspaces for the present, while simultaneously setting them up for success in an uncertain, fast-changing future.
Enter the OE1 Workspace Collection. OE1 is the latest in a line of office products that embraces the unpredictability of the future by landing squarely at the crossroads of agility, functionality, and modularity. OE1 offers a range of items that can be used to create highly varied work settings yet are flexible enough to adapt to growth, new needs or desires, or even the unexpected — like a global pandemic.
“While this project was started prior to the pandemic, our research over the last year has only intensified our belief in the relevance of this line,” said Ryan Anderson, vice president of global research and insights at Herman Miller. “With people forced to work outside of offices, traditional means of workplace planning have been challenged by the unpredictability of how people will work now and in the future. These changes will continue, and workspaces need to constantly adapt. Workers are ready for a greater degree of variety, choice and control — people want their environments to work for them, and OE1 is designed to enable that.”
A collection of essential pieces that spans mobile tables, movable walls, height-adjustable workstations, storage trolleys, and more, OE1 directly responds to how and where people want to work, encouraging a reexamination of traditional workplace design while allowing employees to build, test and recreate their spaces. By enabling people to experiment with space, employees will gain confidence as they can not only discover solutions needed in the now, but also adjust rapidly if needed.
