JAKARTA - Executive Director of the Jakarta Property Institute (JPI) Wendy Haryanto said that the combination of office and home is still the public's choice for work when the pandemic ends. The JPI survey noted that 55.6 percent of the total 408 respondents chose a combination of the two. "The combination of office and home will still be popular after the pandemic ends," said Wendy, Tuesday, January 26, 2021.
The JPI survey titled "City After the Pandemic" was conducted in November 2020 via online to respondents from and outside Jabodetabek. This survey aims to see the pattern of changes in the use of space during and after the pandemic when working and doing daily activities.
The choice of a combination of office and home to work was most popular among respondents. A total of 60.6 percent of respondents chose that combination because they hoped to return to face-to-face meetings or gatherings.
Wendy explained that working from home, which has been going on during the pandemic, has proven to be feasible. That is why, the combination of working in the office and at home has the potential to continue when entering the new normal period. This condition will make companies implement space efficiency in their offices.
In addition to the combination of office and home, Wendy continued, 28.9 percent of respondents chose to work entirely at home. Meanwhile, 8.6 percent of respondents want to continue working in the office. The remaining 7 percent continue to work outside the home because they work in the commercial sector (such as shopping centers, shop houses, shops) and other sectors that do not allow working from home.
In terms of daily activities, respondents also continue to choose a combination of in-person and online shopping after the pandemic ends. As many as 67.9 percent of respondents answered that they would continue to do this combination. The reason is that some items need to be purchased in fresh conditions. Meanwhile, during the pandemic, 62.3 percent of respondents shopped via online stores and also continued to go to the market/supermarket.
Not only from work and daily activities, respondents also hope to still be able to interact directly after the pandemic ends. As many as 89.2 percent of respondents want to be able to socialize in cafes, restaurants, shopping malls, and open spaces again.
Regarding travel, 97.3 percent of respondents want to take a vacation after the pandemic ends. Of these, 66.8 percent of them want to visit tourist attractions such as beaches, parks, or urban forests as vacation destinations.
Wendy suggested a policy on the flexibility of changing the function of space for office buildings in Jakarta. This is because the occupancy of office buildings is likely to decline. Due to the desire for a combination of office and home as a place to work, the function of the office will change to more meeting rooms and socializing / teambuilding spaces. "The flexibility of space usage allows for new job creation opportunities," said Wendy.
Building owners and managers, said Wendy, also need to modify the spaces inside their shopping centers and markets to comply with health protocols. "Because in this digital era, people also still choose to shop at markets/supermarkets to fulfill their needs," she said.
For the recreational needs of the community, the government needs to add parks and urban forests/green open spaces. This is because people's recreational patterns tend to want to return to activities in open spaces after the pandemic ends.