As coronavirus restrictions lift, a lot of the companies whose teams have been working from home for the last year and a half are getting ready to see their employees out of their slipper socks and back in the office, if they’re not already. However, hybrid working – the newest buzzword for flexible working – is now changing the way that this change is going to look. In turn, it might be changing the way office space is going to look in the future.
Adapting your office space
If your office space is to support a hybrid workforce, then you might well need to make changes to the space itself or reconsider if you need the office you have. For example, are you going to need individual workspaces if people are following a hybrid approach? A majority of those choosing hybrid working are looking at a 3:2 approach – 3 days at one location and 2 at the other. That means that you will potentially have empty desks for half of the week and therefore you are essentially renting empty space. You might find it better to allocate a full-time desk to those in the office all the time, but give shared desks to those coming in on set days, or adopting a more ‘hotdesking approach’ where people find a space desk when they arrive to set up at.
Choosing shared facilities at serviced offices
Hybrid working means that meetings might rarely mean everyone is in the same room. The majority of the time you might find that instead of 12 people in the same meeting room, you have 5 people in a meeting room, and 7 on a Zoom call. Are you really going to need your own designated large meeting room all the time if you’re having ‘hybrid meetings‘ for the most part?
Moving to a serviced office building means that you can rent only the space you use on a day-to-day basis, and rent a larger meeting room only if and when you need it.
Using a serviced office space within a shared facility also means you can be more flexible with the space that you rent. Often with multiple options available of different sizes, if you find yourself needing more space you can simply move to a larger space, or rent additional space in the same building.
Equipment for a successful hybrid working team
People that have been working from home during the pandemic have no doubt already got the equipment that they need to work at home, and transporting this safely will be their responsibility with sensible advice. However, there might be some additional equipment you need in your office space to ensure a smooth transition to hybrid working.
Where people are sharing desks they may want somewhere to keep items for their desk. Firstly, essentials such as chargers, a mouse and a keyboard – which will ensure full productivity where items aren’t forgotten, heavy to carry on public transport, or lost in transit. More personal essentials such as hair care items, makeup, or deodorant might usually be kept under desks but will now need somewhere to live in order to be tidy.
Secondly, employees who can personalise their workspace however they want are up to 25% more productive than those who must work in a more sterile space. Enabling employees to have their own mug, stationary, and even some personal items will help them feel equally comfortable in the office.
Lockers are a secure and space-efficient facility, or a series of drawers with locks can be a more general storage option to ensure the comfort of your employees and that the office stats tidy for a hybrid workforce.
Flexible office space to rent
If you’re starting to realise that your office space in Surrey isn’t going to meet the needs of a post-pandemic workforce, get in touch with SEND Business Centre, for flexible and scalable serviced office space with no hidden costs.
