COVID-19 has changed the world profoundly in many ways, not least the way we work. In March 2020 when the UK faced a first enforced lockdown, people across all industries were asked to work from home if they could. As a result, huge percentages of people that were not viewed as essential workers stopped traveling to business premises or office buildings and set up work at home, using cloud technology to access everything they needed to carry out their duties as close to normal as possible. 

Needless to say, the ability to work from home allowed many businesses to survive whilst also keeping their people safe. Almost a year on from the first lockdown, for a vast majority of office workers, working remotely is still the norm. The result? Buildings throughout the UK are empty and unused, and many businesses have vacated premises permanently. So, what does this mean for mechanical and electrical contractors and the construction industry as a whole?

Converting Office Buildings

With office blocks and other commercial premises standing dormant, this provides the opportunity for these buildings to be converted to suit new purposes, with a focus on how life has changed in the last year and what this means for the future.

Whilst many businesses only considered home working as a temporary solution, in the months since March 2020, it has become increasingly more clear that home working is here to stay, so many office buildings will no longer be needed as offices, and are therefore an unnecessary extra cost for businesses. As large office buildings may no longer be needed, they can instead be converted to suit new purposes, providing opportunities for the construction industry, including mechanical and electrical contractors. 

Many commercial buildings are now being adapted into domestic and commercial accommodation. As well as providing a solution for domestic housing crises around the UK, empty office blocks and commercial premises can also be adapted into commercial accommodation, for example, student housing and hotels. 

The open plans of many office blocks provide a blank slate for construction professionals to work with, separating each floor into suitable living and communal spaces, as well as safely installing necessary utilities, such as private and shared bathrooms, kitchen spaces and laundry facilities.

With remote working likely to be a part of life for students and full-time workers for the long term, commercial accommodation must take this into account, ensuring that suitable facilities for home working and studying are in place to suit all residents.

Office Conversion and Construction Job Opportunities

Whilst office buildings provide a convenient shell and core for conversion into commercial accommodation, in order to ensure a building is fit for its new purpose, extensive labour is required, including:

Technical roles

• Bricklayers
• Carpenters and joiners
• Plasterers
• Glaziers
• Plumbers and pipefitters
• Interior Installers
• Welders
• HVAC engineers
• Mechanical labourers
• Electricians
• Datacoms engineers
• Fire and security engineers

Management roles

• Project managers
• Site managers
• Contract managers

From labourers up to management level, the market for office and commercial space conversion into commercial accommodation provides extensive opportunities at all levels of construction.

Construction, Mechanical and Electrical Recruitment

To learn more about contract, temporary and permanent labour opportunities in construction, mechanical and electrical industries, particularly with a focus on office conversion projects, you can contact On-Site Group.

As recruitment consultants specialising in blue and white collar labour in the construction and mechanical sectors, we are ideally placed to match the right candidates and career opportunities in these industries. For more information, please call 0845 070 3883.