Imagine your first day at a new job — getting to know your coworker’s names, learning where they sit, navigating your way around the office. Now, imagine that feeling as a remote employee who rarely comes into the office. Would they know where to go or who to ask for help? Or would it always feel like day one to them?
Here we are, the third and final segment in the Hybrid Office series. In our first two blogs, we covered what a Hybrid Office is and the different types of models that businesses are using. But now, we want to help you understand the physical components involved in creating a hybrid working space that truly embraces every type of employee and ensures comfort and productivity for everyone — both in the office and out.
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For the Remote Worker
If we’ve learned anything over the last year and a half, it’s that remote employees not only need to be connected, but they also need to feel connected. Creating 1:1 huddle spaces or call booths throughout the office enable distraction-free conversations through sound proof materials and technology integration.
Even in larger huddle rooms, utilizing various conferencing tools that follow the speaker will allow employees anywhere to feel right in the room. The more direct and personal these collaborations can be, the more heard and valued these remote employees will feel. And set up a room/huddle booking system to ensure that meetings can run on-time, so your remote workers are never left hanging.
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For the Hybrid Worker
For workers that divide up their time in and out of the office, “flex-desking” is a great way to make their constant transitioning a lot smoother. These work areas, whether benching systems or low-height cubicles, offer more versatile solutions through privacy screens and a large work top, as well as mobile storage or cabinets for employees to keep their private belongings safe even in a temporary setting. Establish a system enabling team members to book these various areas each morning so there’s no confusion as new employees enter the office daily.
Benching workstations are completely customizable, which make it easy to achieve these flexible desking goals, while enabling natural collaboration and mingling throughout the workday to help hybrid employees feel more comfortable amongst co-located colleagues. But for those employees that are seeking a more distraction-free workspace, individual pods or standing-height cubicles can offer varying levels of privacy and sight lines throughout the office with sound proof panels, clear or frosted glass tiles, and more. And the best part is that flexible desking also maximizes your resources since you don’t need a full workstation for every single employee. So you save money on your investment while creating a system with options that work for everyone.
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For the Co-Located Worker
Co-located employees are those that are full-time onsite. And they actually get to benefit from all of these activity-based work solutions the most, since they’re using them every day. Based on the day’s tasks or meeting schedule, they can opt for a more private workstation, a collaboration room or huddle space, or an open benching work area from one day to the next. The key to keeping everyone on the same page is a good booking system.
This not only offers benefits in terms of productivity, but overall employee mood and morale as well. Today, reserve a private, adjustable height desk; tomorrow, choose a collaborative work table with stools; Wednesday, snag an ergonomic office chair in a private office. Giving team members the ability to switch up furniture and surroundings can help them stay refreshed, focused, and healthier.
Maximize Your Furniture Investment with a Reconfiguration
Here’s a pro tip: Creating this brand new space doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch. For many business owners, their previous office spaces may not fit the needs of their teams or their processes any more, but it can save you from a total revamp. Office reconfigurations, one of Ethosource’s specialties, are a great way to maximize the aspects of your space that are working and improve on those that aren’t.
In this process, our design team helps you blend your existing furniture with new, sustainable products and technology that both minimize your carbon footprint and save on your investment. By incorporating new and used furniture in adaptable solutions, you can better prepare for any changes down the road as your business evolves.
To learn more about our new and used furniture selection, as well as our full-service design and space planning solutions, contact Ethosource today. The modern office is constantly changing, so let us help you create the right Hybrid work environment for your team and help you prepare for everything the future may bring.