Many companies large and small are shifting to the hybrid work model, which allows employees to split their time between remote and in-office working.
As a result, research by Microsoft shows that 66% of employers are exploring new office design to better accommodate their hybrid work policies.
This is a necessity, as the needs of a hybrid workforce are different from what full-time in-office employees require. But how do leaders determine what is needed in their new offices to make hybrid working a seamless process?
For starters, companies need to implement a data-driven approach that ensures decisions being made are supported by surveys, interviews and focus groups. Listening to what employees want from their work environments means the workplace will function better
However, this also requires going beyond identifying which workers are remote, hybrid or in-office. For instance, global design firm Perks&Will created multiple personas to describe employee work styles and the office design clients may need to accommodate those people.
These personas include: the “anchor” who spends 90% of the time in the offices and focuses on individual work; the “resident” who also spends 90% of the time in offices but focuses on collaborative work; the “transient” who spends 40% of the time in the office for individual work; the “nomad” who spends 60% of the time in the office for collaborative work; and the “trekker” who spends only 5% o the time in the office and is often traveling for client meetings.
