A year of working-from-home has convinced even the most skeptical executives that business can go on without a physical office. Most people also realize that virtual meetings and asynchronous communication work just fine. However, it isn’t all perfect. Zoom fatigue and productivity issues are also a reality of remote work. That’s where the realization of the need for a hybrid office space sets in.
Why do you need a hybrid workplace?
During pre-pandemic times, thinking of physical space as a means to ensure attendance and supervision made for an incomplete picture. Today it would make for a highly inaccurate one. Why? The answer lies in understanding human behavior and revisiting the purpose of a physical office.
When people share a physical space, a lot more happens than just work. They interact – about work and beyond. Interacting collectively with the physical space, they create a common culture. Together they weave an intersubjective reality of belonging to a place and a group. It is this sense of belonging that builds organizations. A virtual environment isn’t entirely conducive to this end. So, physical workspaces will continue to remain relevant.
However, operating a physical office on full occupancy is still impossible – thanks to the virus lingering in the air. Moreover, given the savings realized through remote work, it is unlikely that businesses will ever go back to a 100% on-site work model. In such a case, a hybrid working model makes perfect sense. But to be sustainable, you need to design it right.
How to design a hybrid workplace?
When you go about designing your hybrid workplace, absolute clarity of the objective is a must. You aren’t setting up an assembly line where productivity and efficiency can be achieved through a mechanical approach. You are creating a social anchor that binds your team together to accomplish a shared goal. Therefore, active efforts must be made to humanize work, enable learning, and cement social ties. Three components can help you achieve this goal while designing your new hybrid office:
1. Balance openness and privacy
Advocates of the open layout plan argue that it fosters team spirit and enables collaboration. On the contrary, there’s enough research to prove that it’s detrimental to employee morale and overall productivity. In any case, dismissing privacy needs in totality isn’t a wise thing to do.
People need space at times, and it should be respected. But a cloistered environment doesn’t do any favors either. After all, you are calling people back from a WFH setup that is completely secluded.
So, make sure you have lobbies where people can interact openly and a pantry where they can gossip.
2. Expand the role of technology
Technology in a hybrid workplace needs to support relationships (not mere collaboration) between remote workers and those at the office. If it doesn’t, you will end up with two organizations – one within the office and another remote. People sharing a physical office will emerge as a well-knit group, which remote workers might find difficult to break into.
One way to tackle this problem would be to use technology for purposes beyond work. People on-site and working remotely could use Zoom during lunch hours. You could also use it for non-work-related rituals. A Friday evening Zumba lesson? Why not?
Technology is central to the sustenance of a hybrid workplace. WorkinSync has helped several organizations implement such tech solutions – from flexi-desking to employee scheduling, conference room booking, and more.
3. Revisit your expectations to drive desired social behavior
As people start returning to the supervised environment of an office, they might feel obligated to be on their computers and work all day. People working from home might feel even more pressured to prove to their bosses that they are working hard. Consequently, people bury themselves deeper into work, with little human interaction. It basically defies the purpose of a hybrid workplace.
Therefore, leaders must communicate that it is okay for people to take a break, chat by the staircase, and spend time in the lobby. Employees – both on-site and remote – should know that a simple status on Slack about being away for lunch works just fine.
Conclusion
Switching to a hybrid workplace model preserves culture and nurtures a sense of belongingness in your team. Alternatively, it may serve as an intermediate step to an eventual return to the pre-pandemic work-from-office model. But it comes with its own challenges.
While the focus on results and productivity is necessary, leaders must be sensitive to the fact that they are dealing with basic human needs. The hybrid office you design must address those needs – the most basic of which is interaction. By facilitating interactions, you foster a culture of trust, security, and the comfort it comes with. Productivity, then, is all but a consequence!
