Crafting better workspaces for women and mothers

, 2021. Other topics discussed include the biggest pandemic lessons learnt, changes in office design and culture, women’s representation in the property industry and workplace diversity for working parents.

In recent times, workplace culture has become more inclusive in order to create spaces for working professionals such as mothers, women, and parents alike. However, many companies are unable to retrofit or relcoate their office to accommodate such facilities – that is why, ahead of International Women’s Day, Real As State takes a closer look at how to better support these groups of individuals.

One establishment that has paved the way in meeting this need is Trehaus. Located in Funan Mall, this 12,000 sqft co-working and childcare space has become the first in the region to do so, drawing in interest from a diverse range of companies – from MNCs to SMEs and startup entrepreneurs.

At Trehaus, parents have access to a network of likeminded individuals in the same life stage, whilst having assurance that their children are in close proximity when they are working. The co-working space houses a large play area for children, and provides an unprecedented home-to-school partnership.

Support for women in the workplace is also becoming an increasingly important concern for companies. JLL in Paya Lebar Quarter is one such corporate that is championing for greater inclusion, The Myst setting the standard for others. They have incorporated such considerations into their office design and feature dedicated nursing rooms over all their locations.

Grit Henoch, Senior Director at JLL and immediate past chairperson of the internal women’s network, said that employers must go beyond the realm of physical space and into DE&I – championing the fair treatment and inclusion of people in the workplace.

Even with the perseverance of work-from-home arrangements during the pandemic, some employers cannot seem to convince their employees to come back to the workplace. As such, JLL recently conducted a survey of working professionals and discovered that most desired the flexibility to work and be productive in their own terms.

This has pushed office and workplace design to the forefront, where employers are trying to render offices more productive and attractive to employees. In most cases, according to Henoch, it requires multimodal workspaces that involve the people, the physical environment, landlords and the surrounding community.

Real As State’s latest episode dives deeper into this issue of workplace diversity and inclusivity, also exploring the biggest pandemic lessons learnt, office design and culture, and more. Be sure to catch it on EdgeProp Singapore’s Facebook and YouTube pages on Feb 24 2021.