The pandemic brought in hybrid work for the entire globe, shaking the notion of company culture to its foundations. How can organizations maintain their essence when the concept of workspace has transformed?
Why is it hard to get employees back to the office?
Most companies believe their teams are reluctant to return to the office due to the saved commute time and the flexibility of working from home, but that’s not the whole picture.
“Going to the office has never been just about work”, argue the authors of the Harvard Business Review’s article “Designing the Hybrid Office”. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index Special Report article “Hybrid Work Is Just Work. Are We Doing It Wrong?” chimes in:
– 84% of employees would be motivated to return to socialize with co-workers
– 85% are looking forward to rebuilding team bonds offline
– 73% would go to the office more if the direct team was there
– 74% would come to the office if their work friends were there
People come to the office for people. This is also what our clients and their teams tell us when we work on their design concepts.
Designing attractive offices in the hybrid world
With intentional human-centric design, companies can transform their offices into magnets that hybrid employees actually want to commute to. Here’s how:
Focus on people connections
Create a sense of community with open staircases, kitchens, and lounges that allow spontaneous meetings and relationship-building.
Help hybrid workers focus
Provide private areas and quiet zones – some remote workers may struggle to concentrate at home. Ensure on-site access to key tools and help.
Get creative with collaboration
Use office time for interactive brainstorming. Provide open flexible spaces where teams can gather and innovate together. Update your policies and meeting etiquette for hybrid.
Reflect culture through design
Infuse branding, amenities, and layouts with your organization’s values and essence. Adaptable furnishings keep the energy flowing.
Enable knowledge sharing and mentorship
Use office time for onboarding of the new hires, job shadowing, and mentoring. Make expertise-sharing part of company rituals through talks, demos, or recaps of ongoing work.
Even with hybrid, offices remain vital collaboration hubs. With human-centric design, organizations can transform their office into an irresistible destination.
| Feeling good at work can be influenced by the design of your office but not only, check our other well-being articles |
About the author
Katya Rablova – Founder and CEO at Space Refinery
