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The key to a successful, hybrid office that enables employee culture to flourish and team members to feel supported in their day to day, requires a collective approach. From interior designers, office planners, and facilities managers to management, it is the combination of all these people that delivers not only a comfortable well-functioning office environment, but this success requires that the work crosses boundaries into IT, technology, and of course to the remote workplace. 

To achieve the best success in terms of a hybrid office, there is no doubt that technology needs to be front and centre. Technology will bridge your gaps and unite your workforce, what’s more without the proper use of technology for a flexible approach to work, you risk upping the levels of frustration and stress and losing good people as a result.  

No two companies are the same, but the one thing that should be done is to ask themselves some very pertinent questions, the answers of which will give them a solid road map focussing on communication, collaboration, and integration.  

Occupancy

How are we managing our occupancy? Do we have a policy around hybrid working? Are we ensuring that workspaces are fit for purpose and enable a seamless, frictionless ebb and flow of our teams? How do we manage the continual movement of our employees ensuring each person has exactly what they need on the days they are in the office?  

Desk and Room booking management solutions are a fantastic way to remove manual processes around the management of utilising building and office capacity by implementing a simple, cost-efficient and intuitive booking system. Ideal for both your return-to-work strategy or a longer-term solution to maximise your building use and office space. 

An employee can book their desk or a specific collaboration hub via web browser, mobile app or an outlook plugin and benefit from key features including the ability to easily select and schedule dedicated workspace for the days they will be in the office, giving you full visibility and control over the number of people on-site in an office at any given time. 

This can also be used for car spaces which are an age-old problem, especially in a hybrid environment.  

 Workspace Design

Will we be adopting a culture of hot/open desking?  If so, what does the ultimate hot / open desk require, what technology is a must? Are there other ways we can improve how our office works for our team?  

Communication

What does our business need to enable our team to communicate as if they were sitting next to each other even when they are not?  Do we have Audio Visual and Video Conferencing technology that is fit for purpose?  Are we relying on email and phone and if so, is that the best approach to solid, successful, collaborative, positive communication?   

We continue to work closely with companies of many sizes with many objectives. The most common and easily adaptable solution is the implementation of audio-visual and video conferencing technologies.  Collaboration and AV Solutions such as video conferencing systems, soundbars, interactive screens and collaborative tools enable teams to work effectively with one another regardless of their location. 

To give you a working example of this, one of our client’s anticipates that approximately 60% of their team will be on-site at any one time, so we worked closely with them to create 12 new collaboration spaces to replace workstations that were not being used. This now means that employees can utilise technology to work with their colleagues seamlessly just as if they were working together in person. 

Workflow

Do we have proper control over the workflow in each team? Does it become problematic when people work remotely? Is there a better way to approach workflows and if so, what is it for us?  

Processes, efficiencies, cost and time management are constantly in the spotlight in a competitive business environment. Business process automation is winning the battle against workflow issues and businesses are accomplishing more with automation. Automate tedious tasks, simplify document heavy duties, become more time efficient in how your business operates. 

Integration

How best can we integrate solutions into our working environment to promote a successful hybrid office?  

Speed and ease of accessibility to the correct technology solutions is of prime importance for your employees, items such as universal docking stations, and power & charging solutions will make for a seamless transition across a hybrid working model. 

These simple yet effective technology products and solutions will enable users to seamlessly plug into their workstation when in the office and start to work straight away, hassle free. 

By approaching your review of your office and processes using these fundamentals as your guide, your hybrid workplace journey will be as seamless as the workplace technology designed to support you.