Optimism

As is customary in our projects, comments are broken down into the three key themes of people, technology and space.

People

There will be a greater focus on flexibility, wellbeing initiatives and on collaborative working. Hybrid working will encourage new employees (with potentially non-geographic recruitment) and is already having a benefit on some employees, with a better work/life balance resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction, performance and staff retention.

As well as increased productivity, hybrid working and greater flexibility in general have the opportunity to allow employees to work across a range of sites, experience a range of workplace cultures and communities and (hopefully) to bring in new ideas. It might need some refinement and the benefits of hybrid working (and office working) need to be well communicated.

On the flip side, there are those who are optimistic about being back in the office full time, due to their perceived boost in terms of productivity, collaboration and the learning and development benefits for younger members of their teams. For them, a return to pre-COVID ways of working and there being no expectation of home working would be a positive move. And it would increase office utilisation.

There is an awareness that there needs to be a focus on sustainability, with workplaces and the people who use them tackling climate challenges. There is positivity that, within a specific respondent’s sector (and the wider business community we would hope) that quality wins out over the cheapest solution.

Technology

There is general optimism over fixing the hybrid meeting experience, alongside general improvements in technology integration to support communication and greater flexibility. Moving out of the office, one organisation is buoyant about the future since they have invested in new machinery that will allow organic growth into a new plant.

Space

When creating improved facilities that contribute towards a modern working environment, supporting informal collaboration is a goal for some. Some see this is an opportunity to tailor the workplace to their needs, freeing up space for other areas of the business. This will involve thinking about issues such as 'How many desks do we really need?' or 'How many informal working areas do we need?' and creating the type of environments that will attract and retain employees.

The integration of technology into the workplace may change the role of the workplace, turning it into more of a training and collaboration hub.