Wellness and happiness will drive the new era of the Egyptian workplace said CRTKL, a global cultural agency specialising in architecture, planning and design, in a forecast report with businesses taking lessons from both home and hotels.

With around 60 million employees currently able to work from home in Egypt, the future of the workplace post-pandemic is compelling with Egyptian employees now empowered to choose their preferred work environment given the variety in approaches from employers.[1] In response, corporate culture in Egypt must be derived from something greater than employee proximity and instead tap into the five pillars of Meaning, Vitality, Freedom, Engagement and Delight.

In Egypt, post-pandemic priorities in the workplace focus on employees’ mental and financial wellness with a need for flexibility, as it directly impacts work loyalty and employee productivity[2]. CRTKL has developed a number of projects in Egypt including the Children Cancer Centre in Cairo, the Mall of Egypt, Almaza City Centre, Cairo Festival City and its mall expansion.

Ahmed Ghobara, Senior Associate at CRTKL commented: “The workplace and the world of working has changed with well-being and happiness the number one priority for businesses. Redesigned physical infrastructure by CRTKL in Egypt supports new ways of working, empowering people to choose how and where they work as the office now becomes a flexible corporate asset to retain talent. At CRTKL, we want to spark inspiration and enrich the Egyptian workplace environment, keeping employees happy throughout the day. We advocate a hybrid, flexible concept to promote work from anywhere to attract and retain talent in this competitive applicant’s market.”

Work From Anywhere

Whether in the gym, café, car, bar, beach or other – people want autonomy over how, when, and where they work. In Egypt, a recent study showed involuntary work remote schedules are associated with more work-to-family conflict, stress, burnout, turnover intentions, and lower job satisfaction.[3] The emphasis in Egypt is on delivery of work rather than location. However, what works for one group of people or one organisation in the region will not suit everyone, so the imperative is to establish a framework that allows the individual some autonomy while maintaining culture, knowledge sharing, productivity, and brand.

Taking lessons from homes and hotels

Savvy organisations will blend the residential, hospitality and workplace sectors and recognise it is less about catering to hybrid work and more about servicing the hybrid lifestyle to attract and retain talent. Reinvigorated lobby spaces for example, can become lively areas that serve office-based and mobile/virtual clients, partners, colleagues, and the greater community. This sense of community is key as Gallup estimates that poor wellbeing costs businesses $20 million of additional lost opportunity for every 10,000 workers globally.[4] With the reduction of traditional office space, comes the expansion of experimental and collaborative environments; communal zones where people can relax, shop, and work.

Green and blue spaces

Demand for green and blue spaces are increasing in Egypt, with ponds, walking trails, bike storage, cycling facilities, sports courts, auditoriums and cafeterias on the rise, as employees seek out spaces to decompress, spark inspiration and enrich the workplace experience. Informality will be favoured, with casual kitchens, social hubs and outdoor spaces for employees to connect, catch-up, and meaningfully engage with one another. Just as outdoor space has become the most prized residential amenity, so too has open green space become more important in a commercial environment.

Long-term solutions

While the immediate future of work in Egypt focuses on keeping people safe and healthy, longer-term solutions are geared toward providing meaning, relevance, and authenticity for the workforce, and generating additional income from mixed-use and hybrid offerings for the occupier and landlord. Indeed, professionals in Egypt are increasingly demanding personalised employee benefits packages with remote workplaces ensuring the development of self-drive and virtual communication skills to be successful.[5] The aim is to transform the office throughout Egypt as we know it, into a flexible infrastructure that accommodates the current needs of the team and serves those of the organisation well into the future while improving employee health and productivity.

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