Amid changes to office setups during the pandemic to accommodate new work arrangements, some companies are swapping the corner office for executive work spaces, Fortune reported Sept. 22.
The corner office has typically been reserved for the most senior executives, such as CEOs. It allows for privacy and is often among the most desirable workspaces because of size and other factors.
Now some companies are "splitting the difference between privacy and flexibility. Executives will continue to have designated access to enclosed, well-designed spaces that offer solitude and room for confidential discussions. However, those spaces will no longer belong to them exclusively and will become available to other in-office workers when not in use," Fortune reported.
Companies across industries, including healthcare, have adjusted their office spaces during the pandemic based on what their future of work looks like and new norms such as hybrid work. For example, New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health developed "Workwell Signature Hubs" for nonclinical employees. The hubs — developed in office space that was not being used — include features such as private workstations and collaboration rooms.
With corner offices specifically and the shift to executive workspaces, "there's been this shift from designing for status to really designing for function and understanding what it is that somebody needs," Janet Pogue McLaurin, a principal at the corporate design firm Gensler, told Fortune.
To read the full Fortune report, click here.