Proici

Your Hybrid Working Office

The Definitive guide to Hybrid Working

The Hybrid Working Model – What is Hybrid Working and Why should you adapt?

There is no denying that the workplace has changed recently; one example of this is the transition to hybrid working, which came about as a result of a change from the traditional work model during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the concept of hybrid working is not a new concept, the industry’s adoption was greatly accelerated by the pandemic, which forced some businesses to switch to a more flexible setup.

1: What is Hybrid Working?

A flexible work arrangement that enables the seamless integration of working from home and a central office or work location forms the foundation of a hybrid working environment. This is an unique extension or evolution of an established agile working approach; it is an agile and flexible working system that necessitates a versatile and dynamic work environment.

A hybrid office aims to do away with the notion that workers must work from the same desk from 9 to 5 every day by allowing them to strike a better balance between their personal and professional lives without sacrificing productivity.

Office Refurbishment for Ministry of Justice

2: How Does Hybrid Working Work?

From allowing employees to select when they enter the office to establishing employer-scheduled office days, hybrid working offers a variety of different variations that might vary from business to business.

Depending on the hybrid variation the workplace adopts, the space planning of your office may differ significantly. For example, a more flexible hybrid working setup may require more non-assigned desking installations with book in systems, whilst a scheduled hybrid format may not require such complex systems.

Office Book In System Specialist Installation

3: Should I Downsize my Office?

Some companies that are transitioning to a hybrid working model may believe that they should downsize their real estate to save finances; this may free up some additional resources for your fit out or refurbishment, but is it necessary?

We recently worked with a client who, while transitioning to a permanent hybrid working model, purchased a larger industrial unit for refurbishment. This is due to how the office space has changed in recent years, with a greater emphasis on employee well-being leading to a more comfortable approach to work environments.

Breakout locations, co-working stations, informal meeting spaces, and open plan offices can all take up a significant footprint when compared to traditional shoulder-to-shoulder desking.

Open Plan Hybrid Office Design

4: Why adopt Hybrid Working?

Employees First Approach to the Workplace

Understanding what works best for your company and employees is crucial, and the best way to do this is to meet with your team and learn about their requirements. It makes sense that some employees would naturally choose to work from home, while others would prefer to be surrounded by their co-workers and conduct business in a coworking office environment. Versatility is therefore essential in your office culture and work environment. The goal is to achieve a delicate balance between the two and to nurture a working atmosphere that prioritises employee well-being.

A study by ONS shows that in February 2022, 84% of workers who had to work at home during the pandemic said moving forward they would prefer to continue the pursuit of a hybrid working approach to their work.

Office Refurbishment Contractor London

5: What are the Benefits to Hybrid Working?

Improves Wellbeing

Hybrid working opens up the possibility to work when you feel the most productive and in the most comfortable environment. This leads to increased well-being, which has been shown to translate into improved work performance as well as higher staff retention.

Employees who are provided a better balance between work and their personal lives have claimed to feel empowered, giving them time to take care of snags in their day-to-day lives such as picking up children, emergency vet visits and more.

Over half of those surveyed in the UK said they found work easier to complete and had fewer distractions at home, resulting in a more productive workday when working on solo tasks, resulting in less work-related stress.

Biophilic Commercial Refurbishment

Hire and Retain Nationwide Talent

Employees who need to be in the office less frequently have demonstrated a willingness to travel further from home, allowing you to look for talent beyond what is typically available to you. Non-mandatory office hours allow businesses to hire on a national or even global scale, giving them the opportunity to hire truly professional individuals.

Office Design Price Estimation

Downsize on real estate

While you can always change your existing workspace to better integrate dynamic and agile space plans, you can also downsize.

Due to fewer people being in the office at the same time, rethinking your work location can help you reduce your property costs. These expenses can be saved or applied to the fit-out of your new, smaller footprint. Contact us for free advice if you’re unsure whether you should downsize or make better use of the space you already have.

Hybrid Office Meeting Refurbishment Fitting Out

5: Concerns about Hybrid Working

Monitoring Employee Performance

One of the most common concerns for business owners is maintaining employee performance, ensuring all tasks are completed efficiently, and maintaining a workplace community.

Building an infrastructure that supports the new system is essential; investing in the right technologies, communication methods, and employee monitoring systems will allow for a smooth and reliable transition while alleviating many concerns.

There are numerous methods for keeping your team focused, ranging from appointing team leaders to establishing best practises, expectations, and goals. Plan regular company-wide or sector-specific strategic meetings to encourage cooperation, build a workplace culture, and ensure your agreed expectations are met.

London Office Fit Out

Problems with Digital Meetings

Digital meetings via any video presentation platform have their advantages and disadvantages. One of the main concerns from business owners is the lack of face-to-face meetings, the inability to build a strong rapport with their clients, and the limitations of non-physical presentations.

This is why we still recommend creating both formal and informal meeting spaces within your office environment, there is an aspect of face-to-face which cannot be virtually replicated. These meeting rooms can be outfitted with cutting-edge virtual meeting technology, allowing for the seamless integration of physical and virtual meetings via Zoom, Teams, and any other meeting software you use.

Hybrid Office Meeting Space Refurbishment

Lack of Natural Engagement

One of the concerns voiced by our clients is the lack of natural engagement in a hybrid workplace, which occurs when employees run into each other on their way to the tea point and strike up an off-the-cuff conversation between work periods. These interactions are essential not only for employee well-being, but also for the generation and inspiration of new innovative ideas, as well as the development of a healthy workplace culture.

Fortunately, we plan around this concern by providing hot desking zones, non-segregated meeting areas, and open plan island tea-points that encourage natural interactions within the workplace. This allows people to work alongside each other regardless of how many people are in the office, which is ideal for larger businesses which would typically have a large number of empty desks between each employee.

Office Refurbished Partitions

6: Interflon Refurbishment Project

We renovated Interflon’s two-story facility into an industrial-style Agile Workspace by converting a ground-floor warehouse into a new flexiable training suite and technology hub.

A refurbished open plan office space with a characteristic black bulkhead was installed on the first floor.

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Office Refurb Project Near me

Ministry of Justice – Six Nationwide Refurb Projects

We worked in collaboration with the Ministry of Justic to provide a nationwide refurb project rollout, including six buildings in six nationwide locations within a tight schedule.

This workspace project required their own unique aesthetic to make them stand out from each other.

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Nationwide Refurb Project Contactor