As the landscape of work continues to develop within this relatively new work from anywhere era, organizations are constantly monitoring the latest trends in office design and how these affect hybrid teams.
What types of office spaces work best for hybrid teams, with some employees working remotely and others working out of the office? Will there be some office spaces that change dramatically post pandemic and others that remain pretty much the same?
We’ve learned that open office concepts with “seas of desks” are coming to an end with the return to work - and even though some organizations across the enterprise will remain fully remote, the majority of teams will be hybrid. That means it’s extremely important for workers to be able to collaborate easily with each other no matter where they are.
In order to successfully support hybrid teams in the office, office design planning is vital. We’ll take you through five areas in the office that promote happiness and encourage creativity for hybrid teams - so that workers can be engaged and contribute from anywhere - resulting in a growth in productivity and more motivated employees.
Innovation Labs
Innovation Labs automatically encourage innovation through collaboration. These areas are designed to be interactive workspaces where users can exchange - and build upon - ideas. These types of labs are used for brainstorming and brainswarming or data visualization and strategic planning. Organizations often turn to BYOD-friendly collaboration software like T1V ThinkHub in these environments to help encourage ideation.
Engaging Conference Rooms
To keep conference rooms from getting overcrowded, solutions that support wireless device sharing allow employees to work from where they feel most comfortable in the room, while interactive touchscreens provide a dynamic workspace that gets people physically moving and interacting in new ways.
Executive Briefing Centers
During the pandemic, companies realized they could cut costs by eliminating unnecessary travel. Now, many executives are joining meetings remotely to reduce costs and maximize their time. Therefore, it is key to accommodate remote participants in Executive Briefing Centers.
Meeting participants can use solutions like ThinkHub Dock to have a second display to see important remote video conferencing participants on screen as if they were all in the same meeting room - while everyone can simultaneously interact with collaboration software to drive the conversation and meeting content.
Interactive Lobbies
Another trend in office design is to use interactive lobbies as multipurpose spaces. Instead of grand traditional lobbies that served little purpose other than to greet guests, these innovative lobbies harness the power of interactive technology to engage visitors from the moment they walk through the door. Use interactive walls to welcome visitors to headquarters by transforming the traditional showroom lobby into a functional learning center where guests and visiting employees can listen to customer stories, browse educational trivia, and learn about the company's culture.
Creative Hubs
To stay ahead of the curve, large corporations are incorporating creative hubs and focus rooms into their offices. These spaces can be found anywhere - from a modern, private meeting room to a smaller space at the edge of an open office concept. Creative hubs and focus rooms simply provide a space where employee ideas can be recorded and expended on. The key here is to have a flexible collaboration space that can be adapted to the needs of that specific hybrid meeting or hybrid team member’s needs so that everyone can feel supported and inspired.
To learn more about creating engagement for hybrid teams in your office spaces using collaboration solutions, schedule a demo with T1V today.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in October 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and relevance.
Additional Resources:
What Is the Future of Work From Anywhere?
Reimagining the Spaces We Collaborate In
[VIDEO SERIES: T1V in 3] ThinkHub Dock + Video Conferencing
Originally published October 25, 2016, updated June 11th, 2021