NAME : Cynthia Chan
COMPANY : Space Matrix
POSITION : Regional Managing Director, North Asia
LOCATION : Shanghai, China
The office as we knew it is dead. After COVID-19 disrupted the operations of nearly every business, many traditional office environments are no longer fit for purpose and require remodelling to align with post-pandemic benchmarks. Hot-desking and dense desk arrangements are out, while open-plan layouts and virtual meeting options are the way forward for social distancing and personal safety.
For an interior design company like Space Matrix, the pandemic has been both disruptive and liberating. The company surveyed about 1,000 of its clients to learn what they missed most about their workplaces and their concerns about returning to them. It then devised a Workplace Reboot program using its proprietary systems to analyse how clients’ offices could be redesigned or redeployed to improve phased entry, hygiene and social distancing. It has been very successful in the company’s developed markets.
Regional Managing Director, North Asia at Space Matrix, Cynthia Chan, considers the pandemic a catalyst for what would have been inevitable change. “I think it was more pushed forward by COVID-19, rather than driven by COVID-19. Certainly in the future, the majority of offices will be used for meeting people and collaborating – being connected with people rather than doing isolated work,” she tells The CEO Magazine.
This story is from the July 2021 edition of The CEO Magazine Asia.
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This story is from the July 2021 edition of The CEO Magazine Asia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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