How do you design a hybrid workplace? You need to make sure that the office space is versatile and includes areas for one-on-one conversations, booths for video calls, or special social zones for people to get to know each other. Additionally, you should prioritize comfort and build rooms that don’t always look like your typical office. Finally, it is good to include green spaces – preferably a garden if possible, though a room filled with flowers and plants may also do the trick. Do you want to learn more? Then we invite you to read this article!
What Is a Hybrid Workspace?
Hybrid workspaces are the future in the present. They are offices adjusted to the hybrid work model that offers a comfy environment for those who prefer to work on-site while helping reduce the overall costs of running an office for the employer.
The key characteristic defining a hybrid workspace is flexibility. As the number of employees working on-site might vary from day to day, hybrid office design has to be versatile and convenient no matter whether there are 10% or 100% of the employees in the office.
To achieve this, flexible offices typically consist of various spaces that can be readjusted depending on the current needs. Private meeting rooms can be turned into regular desks, and soundproof soundproof office booths can be used for meetings, all with little to no effort.
How to Design a Hybrid Workplace?
So, how to turn your workplace into a hybrid one? We have a few tips for you – take a look below.
Versatility
Firstly, you have to ensure that your workspace is flexible. This means creating spaces that can be changed in function quickly. Let’s look at an example.
For instance, putting standard desks in a simple meeting room and placing additional screens there (either on the desks or in a cupboard) will let you quickly switch the purpose of the space and create additional workstations if there are many employees at the office.
The same goes for larger office pods. These can serve as meeting rooms when none are free or as a place to jump on a call without any distractions when all the 1-person booths are occupied.
Since we are on the topic of phone booths, we must mention how critical they are in any hybrid office. Due to the nature of the work, your employees will often find themselves in situations where one person is in the office and the other works from home, but both need to catch up for a call. While launching Zoom and calling someone is easy at home, at the office, it can be done only in quiet spaces designed for that purpose. Therefore, a hybrid office must have a few more office booths than a standard one.
Organizing Social Zones
One of the main challenges in the hybrid workplace of the future is that it is difficult for employees to stay in touch with their colleagues and build bonds with them. Therefore, you have to use any opportunity that you come across to help them with this.
Your hybrid office workplace design should include spaces for social interaction. These can be equipped with leisure facilities, like a pool table, table football, or even a gaming console. This way, your employees will be incentivized to visit those rooms and get to know each other, letting them recharge their social batteries, improve their well-being, and enhance cooperation.
Prioritize Comfort
When designing your hybrid workplace, you don’t want your employees to feel that coming to the office is a punishment. And that’s difficult, considering that at home, they are the ones who design their own workstation.
In practice, this means that you must prioritize comfort in a hybrid office design. Otherwise, your employees will be less motivated and, hence, less productive when working on-site, as they will feel discouraged by the mediocre conditions.
Make Spaces That Don’t Scream “Office”
If you really want to design a hybrid workspace, make sure to include rooms that…don’t resemble an office. While it might seem bizarre, such spaces will actually increase the mental comfort of your employees, which translates directly to better productivity, less stress, and better well-being.
Include Green Spaces
Finally, if you have a garden outside your office, take care of it – hire a professional florist and turn it into a relaxation zone. You might even go as far as getting outdoor office pods to let your employees work while admiring nature.
If you don’t have a garden, make sure to include a lot of plants in your office and even design a “green” room. This will help your employees relax and embrace mindfulness.
The Takeaway
How to design a hybrid workspace? Make it flexible, provide spaces for video calls, prioritize comfort, and embrace socialization. A good hybrid office will be smaller than a standard one to reduce the operational costs but still capable of hosting all the employees due to its flexibility, so bear that in mind when preparing the plans for your office layout!
You might also read: Top 6 Office Design Trends in 2024