A well-executed hybrid workplace strategy and an effectively designed workplace have become key to the way in which companies are planning for the future. This relies on an intertwined combination of interior design and workplace technology. 

If we were to truly simplify the optimal hybrid office, we would break it down to four key pillars of focus:  

1. Fostering Culture – Space Planning that optimises culture and community 
2. Flexibility and modularity in furniture – easily adaptable to a variety of uses 
3. Privacy – visual and acoustic 
4. Workplace Technology – a plug-and-play approach to enable seamless collaboration 

 4 key areas of focus, each of which works hand in hand with the other and together they deliver the hybrid office. 

Fostering Culture  

We have previously written about the workplace as being a community or a neighbourhood that people go to. For many, it offers the antidote to working from home, a return to watercooler chats and lunch with colleagues. Not to mention the more crucial elements and benefits of in-person collaboration, team building, and in-person productivity.  

Returning to the office means fostering a culture that shines a spotlight on creativity, connection, social interaction, and community – a culture that stimulates, energises, and empowers. Not only in how it looks and makes people feel but in how smoothly the workplace technology operates to make for a frictionless day.  

It might seem like an unusual connection, but how you shape your interior has a direct impact on the success of the culture of your workplace.  

To harness a sense of culture and community, it is important that your space is planned out to incorporate a range of settings or zones, areas for collaboration and meeting, formal and informal, areas for head-down focussed work and areas for time out and moments of mental rest.  You want your team to be able to come together in an intentional and purposeful way but also to create a space that enables spontaneous interactions too. 

Companies are starting to appreciate the value of an office environment that brings people together, the office as a destination. 

 Flexibility and modularity in furniture 

In our opinion, having furniture in your office that is flexible, modular, and mobile can only enhance your freedom in how you use your space.  From the basics such as mobile whiteboards and digital screens to mobile privacy screens on wheels that allow for creating private zones or quiet spaces.  

With a fantastic range of modular desk options, you can easily increase desk space or reconfigure existing layouts to meet the needs of your growing business.  

Folding desks enable modularity, creating a space that meets the need at a given moment in time, be it a working lunch session, training set up, a town hall meeting, scrum set-up to a customised meeting room. Folding tables can be nested in a corner or nook when not in use and most offer castors as a standard feature for ease of movement throughout.  

The ideas are vast. Professional and experienced space planning is key and is something we offer as a complimentary service to our clients.  

Privacy – visual and acoustic  

There will always be a need for privacy in the workplace. Open-plan offices offer flexibility in how a space is used and adapted and, in our view most importantly a company’s culture is positively impacted. In short – barriers within the workplace are removed both literally and figuratively. 

That said, there will always be a need for privacy and quiet time. Whether that is to address private conversations or the need for uninterrupted time and space to really focus as an individual or in a small team. 

Privacy booths and acoustic pods are not new to the office landscape, but they are becoming more of the norm in the design or redesign of a modern office. 

Private, echo-free acoustic pods and privacy booths from companies like Framery address the need for on-demand privacy, enabling people to seamlessly connect, regardless of physical location. Their compact design has little impact on your open plan. Thanks to the fact that they incorporate the latest in technology mean you can connect your pod to your desk booking solutions such as our GoBright desk booking and space management app. ⠀ 

The Right Technology  

The needs of the hybrid landscape have created a shift in how we work and therefore a shift in terms of our workplace technology requirements.  

Workplace technology has become an even more critical aspect of the hybrid landscape as it is relied upon to unite teams and connect with clients, each of whom are also working from multiple locations.  

It has become apparent that need for the right video conferencing tools is the key to success here.  

• All in one Video conferencing solutions for spaces and huddle rooms have been a worthwhile investment for many of our clients, transforming any area into a collaboration zone. These solutions enable teams to bring their own device to a particular area or zone and seamlessly integrate with a large screen, video conferencing sound bar with an integrated camera, thus allowing for seamless collaboration amongst office-based teams and remote users. 
• Microsoft Teams Rooms have been hugely popular, enabling users to book a meeting space and host an MS Teams meeting inviting internal and external users with intuitive audio-visual technology to ensure non-fragmented meetings, no matter the location of the participants.
• Simple plug-and-play solutions that work cross-platform are also proving extremely popular, especially in situations where there is a need for BYOD.
• Most importantly is the requirement to identify hardware that is specifically designed for the room it is intended for, from small huddle spaces to large meeting rooms and boardrooms. 

If you have removed dedicated desk locations in favour of a more flexible hot desk environment, you might consider the need for desk booking tools to manage your occupancy, desk and room booking administration, visitor management and much more.  

By now, you will have recognised our passion in delivering your hybrid workplace. With a combination of expert space planners and CAD designers working in tandem with our commercial interiors and workplace technology teams, our united front will deliver your united office.  

The fundamental message is that every business differs, and office sizes vary, therefore a bespoke solution is the only solution for you. The four pillars of focus remain the same, it is how we implement them for you that is important.