The effects of the global pandemic are still being felt in several ways, but the main way that times have changed – initially through necessity but now through demand – is the need for a more flexible approach to working.
It’s increasingly clear that employees want the best of both worlds. A study by Microsoft showed that over 70% of workers want flexible remote work options to continue following the pandemic, however, over 65% are looking for more in-person time with their teams. It is perhaps unsurprising that as a result, 66% of business decision-makers are considering redesigning office spaces to better accommodate hybrid work environments.
The benefits of planning your office space for hybrid working
A new approach to working in a hybrid way can be financially beneficial for businesses as well as good for employees’ work/life balance. Businesses need to take stock of how many staff will be in at the same time, and therefore how many desks and how much space they actually need. By staggering remote working between the team, you’ll be able to save space and energy.
Given that social interaction is one of the biggest reasons that workers want to return to the office albeit part of the time, it’s vital to create an office space with a real community feel as well as being flexible, with more communal spaces for catching up.
Hotdesking and shared desks
Hot desking is where you provide a pool of desks, enabling people to choose where they sit on which days, instead of sitting at their own personal desk, in the same position, every day. This will support a more flexible structure where people come in on a varying range of days as long as there is organisation to prevent people from turning up with no desk available. Desk booking software will prevent this, and also provide additional insight into how desks are being used and by who, so you can assess if you have enough office space.
Shared desks are better for situations where there are employees coming in on specific days and those days will not vary. For example, employee A is in on Monday and Wednesday, and employee B is in on Tuesday and Thursday, so they might share the same desk.
Storage will be essential in keeping areas clean and tidy, so ensuring each employee has a drawer or locker for items like chargers, toiletries and stationary will prevent items from being lost and arguments over items cluttering up desks.
Finding shared office space for hybrid working
If you’re looking for flexible office space near Woking that will meet your hybrid working space needs, get in touch with SEND Business Centre for more information.
