During peak-pandemic times there were a lot of theories around what “the future of the office” was going to look like. Articles (by reputable sources!) were published stating that future offices would have arrows on the floor directing employees to all walk clockwise (and only clockwise) in lanes around the office. Alarms would sound if you got within six feet of your colleagues! That’s ridiculous an interesting take.
Thank goodness that’s not our reality. But 4 years later, some organizations are still struggling to determine what’s next for their office space. I think a lot of them are looking for the “1 right” solution and benchmarking what other companies are doing. What I think they should be doing is looking inward because the future of the office is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s a custom solution based on your business, your brand and most importantly, your people.
So, let’s start there. How much collaboration space do you need? What should your return-to-work policy be? Should you have assigned or unassigned workspaces? My revolutionary answer to all these questions is, it depends. Your industry, company size, and culture are all factors. Ultimately, I follow up with this question – what are your desired business outcomes? Starting with the end in mind will help set the stage for what you need to do to be successful. It’s also important to have leadership alignment on what those organizational goals are.
From there, you need to listen to your people to understand what they need to do their best work. I’m not suggesting you ask them what brand of beer they’d like on tap or if they want a sauna in the wellness space. (Although if you’re asking me, I’d say Sociable Cider Werks Freewheeler and yes, please!) It’s about identifying what different workstyle types make-up the unique culture in your organization and how you can use that information to design spaces that support that culture. (Note: NextLab’s Strategic Spaces Survey does exactly this!) So, for example, you might have read that offices now need more collaboration space, but what does that mean? A lot of customers I work with immediately think of open areas with lounge chairs, comfortable couches and whiteboards. That might be the solution, but that might also be a space that never gets used based on how the team works. Collaboration might need to feel more structured with private closed-door conference rooms and technology. You need to understand why employees are collaborating to ensure those spaces are equipped to meet their needs.
Cisco’s recent survey on hybrid work collected responses from over 14,000 employees and 3,800 employers in 19 countries. One of the key takeaways is that 72% of employees are positive about returning to the office, but only 47% believe their office is equipped to support how they’re working now. It also says that 81% of employers have already or plan to redesign workspaces in the next 24 months. It’s encouraging to hear that because I think it’s a mistake to assume that you can ask employees to come back to what they left pre-COVID and have them be enthusiastic about it. We are working very differently now in this new, flexible work era. Spaces need to seamlessly integrate technology and provide virtual equity for remote employees. There is also a need for better equipped collaboration spaces and prioritizing areas for focus work. Some of the clients I work with updated their space right before the pandemic. In those cases, we’re looking at how we can reconfigure what they have already invested in to be more conducive to how employees are working now.
While the “future of the office” might look different for everyone, having a well-thought-out strategy is something that all organizations can benefit from. If you are wondering what’s next for your office space and need help getting started, the NextLab team is here to help. Just contact Sarah for a virtual call or an in-person meeting to drink lattes and talk strategy.