Redefining hybrid office space to boost employee productivity

Surveys say two-thirds to three-quarters of employers plan to operate on a mainly hybrid schedule after the pandemic. Most large companies plan to adopt the hybrid model. Some big corporations transitioned to having all of their remote employees work from home permanently. Employee preference is a crucial factor in the hybrid-first model. Eight major surveys (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) found a quarter to a third of employees want a full remote schedule permanently and over two-thirds a hybrid schedule. Less than 15 percent prefer full-time in-office.

An employee's desire for full-time remote work must correlate with task requirements and proven reliability. Some roles, like call center staff, are well-suited to remote work as they require no systematic collaboration.Below, I outlined best practices on transforming workspaces based on 14 consulting projects of leaders and organizations I helped guide during these transitions.

Use of Work Space

The primary use of the office going forward will not be for individual work, as it was before the pandemic. Instead, the office will serve as a shared space for collaboration and team-building activities for the majority of the employees. Sure, some staff will end up doing individual work in the office, in-between collaborative tasks, but the large majority of tasks will be collaborative. Individual tasks will overwhelmingly be done at home, where they are much more productive.

Currently, typical offices have 80% of their space dedicated to personal use and 20% shared space. That needs to be changed. A hybrid model will cut costs on real estate and in-office services and make it easier for products when staff less frequently come in.

While it feels nice to see each other more often to catch up but consider the following. Upon consulting, companies found that having their employees come to the office three days per week means saving about 20-30% of their costs. However, if employees come in only once a week, they can reduce about 60-70% of expenses, which is a much greater deal.

Reshape Your Office Space

First, have the team leaders rank their preferred days of the week on a 5-point scale. Then, use surveycstaff and an algorithm to assign teams on various days to maximize satisfaction and avoid unjustifiable employee overflow. Separately determine your space needs for massive events such as quarterly retreats and extensive in-person training, alternatively renting other spaces if needed.

Most individual cubicles and offices will have to go. Keep them at any level only for team leaders who need private spaces for sensitive conversations, as well as anyone else who needs such areas. Employees should use laptops, not desktops, allowing for primarily hot-desking.

After that, you’ll want to transform your office space layout. In the hybrid model, in-office work will focus much more on direct collaboration with team members. It involves working alongside other team members who you can quickly ask for clarification or to whom you can provide guidance. Upgrade your video technology in shared spaces to facilitate meetings and cater to cross-functional teams.