What the workspace of the future looks like
Hybrid work is here to stay. Even after the pandemic, many companies will offer home office and remote work to retain their employees. But this mix of office and home presents some challenges. How can office space be used cleverly, what makes teams come to the office, and how do you create the perfect working environment there?
Focus on employee well-being
Working in the office can improve team spirit, and face-to-face meetings have their benefits. But not all employees may see it that way. How do companies make team members come to the office? Forcing employees to go there may be effective for a short time, but it has a demotivating effect, and can even lead to resignations because other employers offer the option to work from home. But if there is a free choice between office and home, the office must be attractive. Otherwise, employees often prefer to stay at home and save themselves the hassle of commuting by car, bus or train. For them to come to the office, they have to feel comfortable there. At home, they have the opportunity to design their workplace according to their preferences – and many have become accustomed to this. So the task for employers now is to create a pleasant and inspiring environment.
A modern office is a versatile office
The workspace of the future is designed to meet the specific needs of hybrid teams. It offers suitable areas for all situations in everyday working life. Innovative rooms with an inspiring design are perfect for creative meetings, and comfortable seating areas and an attractively designed kitchen as a meeting space are needed for casual exchanges among colleagues. But private spaces are also important, for example for the many video calls or for small, confidential meetings. Here, soundproof telephone booths and meeting pods such as the ones by HUUS are a good solution, because they create such areas in a small space and without structural changes to the office space.
Noise is often underestimated
For employees who have become accustomed to quiet at home, a noisy open-plan office can be a reason to stay at home. They now find it harder to block out the background noise in order to work in a relaxed and focused manner. However, hybrid collaboration increases the number of (video) calls, so noise pollution tends to be even greater than before. The feeling of being observed in an open-plan office has also become unfamiliar and can block creative work, for example. Here, too, small places of retreat can be set up with telephone booths.
Stay flexible with modular solutions
It is difficult for many companies to predict how their office use will change. Is the trend moving more and more towards working from home, and is the office only used as a place for workshops? If so, the space may be downsized significantly. Or will there soon be a renewed desire for more presence in the office? In this case, it would be bad to give up the current size. It is best to maintain a certain flexibility. Modular solutions like the booths by HUUS help with this. They can serve as pop-up meeting spaces or turn unused corners into places for focused calls. Meeting room dividers also keep companies flexible, allowing them to create larger or smaller sections as needed.
