Founder & CEO of Creative Business Inc a financial advisory firm specializing in serving elite entrepreneurs across all creative industries.
getty
There are big changes on the horizon for the post-pandemic workplace.
In fact, recent surveys have found that 61% of workers prefer a mix of in-office and at-home work, and 66% of business leaders are considering office reconfigurations that support hybrid work. With a seemingly massive long-term shift to hybrid work on the horizon, the challenge of how to maintain a productive and inclusive workplace that equally supports in-person and remote workers looms large.
There are lots of changes and investments businesses can make — whether it’s office design features, new technology or HR policies — to ensure their organization maintains a cohesive culture and level playing field for all employees.
1. Think of the office as more of a cultural space and less of a working space.
Rather than thinking of your physical office as the primary place for working, start thinking about it as your cultural headquarters. With workers distributed across different environments, your physical office becomes the central location to bring people together and foster creativity, collaboration and spontaneous interactions.
2. Clearly communicate your company culture, including values and beliefs.
In a disaggregated work setting, company culture becomes one of the shared experiences that brings everyone together. But oftentimes, companies fall short of communicating that culture — a problem that could worsen in a hybrid environment. Kick off your hybrid transition by clearly explaining what values and beliefs motivate your company and you’ll set an inclusive tone from the onset.
3. Give employees the option to adopt a flexible mix of in-person and remote work.
While hybrid work feels inherently more flexible, it’s important that companies do not adopt the same rigid approach to hybrid arrangements that once dominated the in-person office. Encourage your employees to adopt the mix of in-person and remote work that best suits their lifestyle. This will be important to maintaining employee retention and productivity, as more people now value work-life balance over salary.
4. Develop an office footprint that supports different types of work.
The office will need to support regular in-person employees as well as remote employees who may come in a few times a week or month. This means making a departure from traditional dedicated workspaces, such as the cubicle or individual office, and a shift toward a footprint that supports different types of working, including private, focused time; smaller group settings; collaborative spaces and large group spaces.
5. Create new opportunities for employees to personalize their space.
As companies move away from individually dedicated workspaces, so goes the opportunity for employees to display their family photos, quirky coffee mugs or signature office style. Instead of abandoning a feature that allows individuals to feel connected to their workplace, create opportunities for employees to personalize group spaces with things like photo collages, chalkboard walls or bulletin boards.
6. Invest in technology that supports a greater connection among employees.
Traditional conference rooms aren’t designed for hybrid work, as they often make it difficult for remote employees to interact with a group in the same way in-person employees can. One way to overcome this is to invest in technology that supports remote employee engagement, such as videoconferencing solutions, interactive digital whiteboards and quality speakers.
7. Avoid the temptation to regress to the old way of doing things.
The shift to hybrid is a time and financial investment. Many companies may become frustrated with the initial challenges they face when implementing new work arrangements, but it’s important to stay the course. Avoid an abrupt return to an overemphasis on in-office attendance, and instead, adopt a patient mindset that's focused on supporting all employees.
The Bottom Line
As companies prepare to completely rethink when and where their employees work, it’s important to similarly rethink the role of physical spaces, technology capabilities, office design, HR policies and more. A thoughtfully planned out transition will bring people together and support productivity across all employees equally.
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
