How HAP and others are rethinking workspaces amid COVID-19 pandemic – Crain’s Detroit Business

Among the "low-tech stuff" that is being done on the floor is creating temporary movable walls using curtains so the spaces can be scaled up or down. Audio/visual technology was installed. Plexiglass barriers were installed. Desks were spaced out more.

HAP spent a couple hundred thousand dollars on the project, which was designed by Southfield-based Harley Ellis Devereaux Corp., with the full understanding that it may be a bust.

"The thing I asked was, man, we've got to make this flexible because, I don't know, it may not work," Treash said.

He noted that in the future, out of the 1,000 or so workspaces it had in the building before the pandemic started, it may only need 600-800 of those after it ends as it allows people to work from home permanently or on a part-time basis.

That, the company said, is going to be part of the human-resources equation for years to come.

"With many employees becoming increasingly comfortable working from home, and knowing that most companies have the technology in place to support a work-from-home option, it's become fairly standard for job seekers to ask whether we offer the opportunity to work remotely either full time or part time," said Derick Adams, HAP's vice president of human resources.

"We've found that this can be one of the differentiators when a job seeker is deciding on a company," he continued. "At HAP, it has also expanded our ability to hire people who may not be geographically close to our building but who are the best fit for the job. So far, it's been win-win for employer and employee."

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How HAP and others are rethinking workspaces amid COVID-19 pandemic - Crain's Detroit Business