Our time spent working from home has changed what employees expect from the office in a post-pandemic world, from new norms and policies for the hybrid workplace, to improved technology to keep teams linked, and also to facilities that better prioritize health. How can the workplace improve to support employees' well-being and also improve how we communicate, share ideas, and build community in our shared work environment in order to fulfill employees' evolving expectations?

The issue of integrating new team members and reorienting existing employees arises when returning to the office. Although this is such a great thing for businesses, we are aware that organizing workspace, such as desks, and resources for both new and returning employees is difficult.

In order to help our clients that are dealing with the same unusual difficulties, and also to improve their opportunities in managing the workplace environment in the post-pandemic era, we've outlined 5 considerations and techniques as follows:

Recognize many concepts of the workplace

Some of the clients are oriented on a choice-based concept, which gives their employees the freedom to choose the time and place that will help them be most effective in getting their job done. Their employees may be required to come into the office two or three days a week in this concept of workplace, or they may have "free choice" on when, why, and where they work in the office, with just limited policy control.

In a purpose-based concept, companies carefully examine job functions, roles, and work-based activities to identify the personas who will perform their jobs most effectively working entirely or primarily remotely, two to three days a week in the office, or most days a week in the office.

Reconsider the new role of the workplace

In this era of transition, we are working alongside clients to reframe the workplace as a whole, including where work really takes place. In urban areas, the entire city is viewed as the workplace, with the option to conduct business anywhere between house and third places. By introducing flexible workspaces into our workplace concepts, we can adapt to new working practices. Our designers and strategists are developing space typologies inside the office to accommodate special requirements like activity-based working, R&D spaces, and collaboration hubs.

Post-pandemic workspaces and meeting spaces should be more efficient

It is not sufficient to merely design for the in-office environment when it comes to hybrid work. The strategy for positioning chairs, whiteboards, screens, microphones, and cameras is necessary to create meeting spaces that are inclusive of both in-person and remote participants. On both sides of the camera, equitable and beneficial encounters are expected.

Choose the most suitable technologies to support a hybrid workplace

Employees need to be able to find one another in order to collaborate when businesses implement hybrid working and integrate mobile, assigned, and hoteling individuals on the same floor layout. Employees may effortlessly discover people, places, or conference rooms using wayfinding applications on their preferred device. In terms of desk reservations, QR codes serve as an excellent visual cue for staff members to check in at their desks when they arrive at work.

Keep testing and improving your workplace strategy 

A workplace strategy's optimization and maintenance are ongoing tasks. Space and occupancy information will continue to be the cornerstone indicators for comprehending space inventory and gauging demand for space, regardless of whether a hybrid, free address, or dedicated seating model is implemented.

You definitely need a method to manage everything if your future workplace has a mix of flexible, hoteling, and/or dedicated seats concept. FIFTWIN is here using strategic planning to help clients get back to the office and optimize their workspaces for the hybrid era.