As the function of the office changes fundamentally to support more formalised working-from-home arrangements, it will become a tool with which to market a business to both potential employees and clients.

In a paper on the future of the office sector post COVID-19, UBS Asset Management’s real estate research team has predicted that companies will begin changing the internal layout of their workspaces in order to encourage interaction between employees. This will involve a rebalancing between functional workstations and space for meeting rooms and breakout areas, with the focus shifting to the latter. As a result, says the paper, many more industries will follow the example of the large technology firms who already treat the office as an interactive collaborative space rather than a location for workstations.

Once the COVID-19 crisis is over, there will also be a further impetus for companies to improve staff wellbeing and high-quality heating, ventilation and coolin