Optimize Strategies For Building Hybrid Workspaces To Make Employees Feel More Devoted

The pandemic has brought new challenges and opportunities to all industries, and people's work styles have changed dramatically. According to surveys, more than half of Americans prefer a mix of home and office work, and more than 70% of business owners plan to implement the hybrid working policy, so hybrid workspace is becoming a major focus of attention.

What is a hybrid workspace?

Hybrid workspace is a work environment that contains both remote workspaces and offices. In a typical hybrid workspace, some or all employees are free to choose where and when they work, dividing their time between working from home and working in the central office. Combining an office environment with remote work is the key part of a true hybrid workspace.

Why do employees prefer hybrid workspace?

First of all, if everyone takes hybrid working and rotates to the office, the number of people working in the office can be well controlled, ensuring that everyone can work in a relatively open space and keep a certain safety distance. Secondly, working from home can make employees feel more comfortable, which in turn can make them more engaged in their work, while also saving time and money on commuting and keeping them energized. But face-to-face communication is still essential to make employees feel less isolated and better able to drive business forward. So a hybrid work model is an optimal choice.

Employees are increasingly concerned about their own work-life balance, creating career schedules that fit their own personal lives, not the other way around. In a hybrid workspace, we can experience the benefits of both work at home setup and working in the office. Every employee can work from a location with power outlets and a good WIFI.Cloud-based video conferencing software will also ensure reliable remote collaboration across distances.

How does hybrid workspace impact the relationship between business and employees?

Building a hybrid workplace can attract talent and retain employees for your business. Good employees care about a good workplace and the balance between life and work. When a company adopts a hybrid work mode, it allows employees to feel that the company values their ideas, which increases employee loyalty and productivity. A hybrid workplace can also help stimulate collaboration, imagination and focus.

The difficulties of building a hybrid workspace

It is a complex issue for companies to decide how to divide the time between working from home and working in the office. Without the right and clear policy, it can instead have a negative effect. For employees, the availability of the right space, conditions and equipment to work at home is one issue.The ability to balance work and life is also another big issue.

How to optimize your strategy for building a hybrid workspace?

Create an equitable meeting experience where everyone is fully engaged. We all know that there's a huge gap between face-to-face meetings and remote meetings. A hybrid workplace means there are definitely regular remote meetings. If remote participants don't have equal access to meetings and collaboration, then they get frustrated and less engaged, which impacts collaboration effectiveness. To give each participant a fair experience in meetings, we can use smarter video conferencing equipment to ensure that people in different places can interact seamlessly in meetings and all have an equal meeting experience without feeling like there are two parallel conversations. Good video conferencing equipment plays an important role in making hybrid meetings feel more immersive and human, ensuring that everyone can be clearly seen and heard.

Implement a BYOD policy. A hybrid workspace means that employees are in a constant state of change, and switching office locations means that we have to carry a laptop with us to facilitate our work. It would be more efficient and continuous if we used our own device and could work from the same device no matter where we were. Using an easy-to-connect laptop allows people to sit down and work quickly and efficiently in any workspace connected to the office, which also saves compan’s money. With studies showing that more and more people are using their personal devices to connect to meetings, adequate power, devices and software solutions can help provide people with an easier hybrid work experience.

Create more open collaborative spaces. Open collaborative spaces are inherently more flexible because they do not require fixed functionality in their design, so they can morph and change as new work patterns emerge. The hybrid future addresses a more fluid workplace that can be flexible as needs change. This not only accelerates innovation and enhances organizational culture, but also ensures that real estate is always optimized.

Balance team and individual work. Many business owners believe that the office is where collaborative work takes place. However, collaboration is not only about teamwork, it also includes individual work. It is effective collaboration when team members get together to discuss their work and then separate to complete their assigned tasks individually. Too much together time, without enough individual focus time can result in groupthink, so it’s important that the pendulum not swing too far by designing offices that are all about the “we” and not balance the need for “me” spaces.