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Last year the Archinect team spent time connecting with our community to learn how architects, firms, and students adapted to remote work and learning. However, after a year of "practice," remote work doesn't seem as daunting as it once was. It has opened a new set of opportunities for companies and teams to explore, especially when hiring. However, during the pandemic, remote work has also led to the rise of "Zoom towns" and proposes a new look at city structures. "The shift is already changing the way that cities compete to build their economies and attract jobs," shares Richard Florida and Adam Ozimek of the Wall Street Journal's Saturday Essay.

As companies continue to expand their teams, employees and prospective job seekers are also looking to relocate out of larger cities and move into smaller, mid-sized towns that offer better housing costs and more outdoor amenities. 

Over the last 12 months, Archinect has been listening and learning. We're asking questions to help find a pulse for how remote work will continue to shape firm growth and employment opportunities for design professionals at all levels. While running virtual practices or implementing hybrid models have become commonplace, how can firms learn to accommodate these modified work conditions to prospective job applicants as the "working landscape" of firms change?

Working from home still isn't a "walk in the park" for all, and by all, I mean individuals with children and home life to juggle. After reading this past weekend's WSJ Saturday Essay, writers Richard Florida and Adam Ozimek discuss the layered effects remote work has on cities and how it shapes employment, housing, and "fundamental shifts" between office flow for employers and employees.

The effects of the remote-work revolution are already being felt. 

While much of their reporting focused on business and employment shifts across the nation, if we relate this to employment trends within the architecture industry, it appears there may be a split between firms resuming with working remotely and firms looking to return to the office. "The effects of the remote-work revolution are already being felt," explains Florida and Ozimek. "Over time, the competition for talent could shift to places that offer the best combination of quality of life, affordability, and state-of-the-art ecosystems to support remote work."

Remote Working: Opening Doors for Employers, Employees, and Job Seekers

In our latest Archinect employment coverage, The Architecture Community on Return-to-Office Plans in 2021, we learned some firms are ready to return to the office as vaccinations and new safety protocols continue to roll out. In our brief survey conducted at the end of February 2021, we asked our readers their thoughts on returning to the office. 

If we correlate these responses to Florida and Ozimek's findings, remote working has opened the door to expanded employment options and working conditions. While these transitions depend on location, region, and firm type, finding a balance between keeping firms fully staffed and comfortable with remote working arrangements is critical. 

While these transitions depend on location, region, and firm type, finding a balance between keeping firms fully staffed and comfortable with remote working arrangements is critical.  

A report from CNN Business' Kathryn Vasel dives further into the results of remote working. "Employers have also been forced to become more nimble," she explains. "Of course, some companies will want everyone to come back. No matter what the approach, workers, and employers can expect to hit a few bumps in the road as they navigate the next phase of this grand work experiment." 

Bridging this to architecture employment and professional practice firms like O'Neil Langan Architects, SRG (Sterling-Rice Group), and Two One Two Design are a few examples of practices that have outlined remote working plans within their listings featured on Archinect Jobs. With continued working from home options to new office guidelines for those returning, firms also offer continued remote working setups post-pandemic. Some practices have explained certain job positions will require site visits. Others have added notes within their listings inquiring if candidates would be willing to relocate or be based near the firm's office. 

Earlier this month, Anthony Laney, founder of Laney LA, shared with Archinect, "Given the hybrid nature of our current arrangement, the studio functions less like a Home Base and more as a Base Camp. Our team comes and goes, as needed. On average, attendance hovers around 25% capacity." Perkins&Will recently debuted its new studio design located in the Nomad Tower in Manhattan. Its New York managing director Bill Harris shared, "The gradual return to the office presents a rare opportunity to pilot elements of our new studio as we collectively navigate what the hybrid work model will look like for us. Our design vision was anchored in an acknowledgment of constant change in the way we work, the way we socialize and the role technology plays in our lives."

The gradual return to the office presents a rare opportunity to pilot elements of our new studio as we collectively navigate what the hybrid work model will look like for us. Our design vision was anchored in an acknowledgment of constant change in the way we work, the way we socialize and the role technology plays in our lives.

Plans for Growth as Remote Working Continues

As cities prepare for the summer months, Zoom towns and employment options will expand both remotely and in-person. Along with hybrid models for offices, these options present employers with new challenges, both positive and negative. 

Vasel points out that before, working remotely was an office "perk;" an option that employers would use to add a "contemporary flair" to their office make-up. Yet, since 2020, she explains, "when it comes to the workforce post-pandemic, remote work will no longer be considered a special perk." She spoke with employers from various businesses to gain insight. One individual shared with Vasel, "It's no longer: 'Do you offer remote work?' But, do you offer it with enough organizational support so I can be as successful as the people who work in the office?"

The pandemic forced companies to reflect on what's essential and how company growth and sustainability can be fostered over time. With cities big and small transitioning through their Covid tiers, firms continue to build back their teams and fill employment gaps. 

*Looking to stay on top of your employment search, check out our Archinect Job board to see who's hiring, and if you're looking for a remote position, we have you covered. If you're a firm seeking top talent, don't miss Archinect's Talent Finder service.