Community Forum – What is the best office configuration for hybrid work?

A: What is the best office configuration for hybrid work?

An IRI member company is looking to put new policies and space configurations in place to reflect the new hybrid work environment. Below is feedback from the wider membership. Thanks to all who contributed!

Their responses are below.

Community Responses

Other:

• Only Executives has assigned offices.
• Only Managers have assigned desks and are required to be in the office 100% of the time.

Other:

• We have a first come first served for spare desks.
• Cloudbooking
• Archibus

Please share any comments you have on the efficacy of the software.

• Outlook calendar to reserve works fine
• The software for space reservations is still somewhat quirky. Space is blocked when it is not, sometimes what was thought to be reserved is not, and making changes due to schedule changes is not straightforward.
• Outlook Calendar reservations are synchronized with display panels next to the offices. Effectiveness is OK, but it can be hard to find an open space unless workers know their on-site schedule several weeks in advance
• Our bookable offices work just as efficiently and easily as booking conference rooms in MS Outlook. Operates on a first come, first serve basis.
• Works fine but rarely used as there’s plenty of space. It’s kind of like a security blanket.

Can you please explain your thinking on this?

• Open offices are distracting for individual needing to concentrate. The only advantage is you can pack more people in who would prefer to be at home than in an open office. People book conference rooms for most of the day if they are on the phone and in an open floor plan.
• We may always need open spaces for coworkers visiting from other sites and other visitors. However, most exempt employees would benefit from an office for the sake of morale and productivity (open spaces remain a challenge given the many teleconferences per workday – too much noise and too many interruptions, especially for introverts).
• For certain roles privacy for tasks…Sales, Finance and planning are open plan. Hot desks are open plan. Senior managers have offices.
• We have ample spaces since this was an existing facility prior to COVID / remote work
• 75% individual includes conference rooms for groups of various sizes to meet effectively. Does depend upon functions performing confidential work, e.g, legal and HR, but cannot be based solely on function because legal, for example, is not the only function engaged in confidential work; sometimes finance, operations, and others are also involved. Overall, the goal should be to make the office another workspace for employees that offers more than what they have from remote locations, e.g, collaboration, networking, coaching, etc.
• Managers with direct reports have offices in order to hold private individual conversations. All others open office plan. In addition to conference rooms, break out rooms are available in all office areas to keep noise level down.
• We have found employees like to have “their” space if they are coming into the office. Our baseline is hybrid: 3 days in the office, 2 days remote. However, we have many roles where all work must be done at the office location. And those employees who are approved for full-time remote (so not hybrid) do not have an assigned desk or office. We keep a small number of hotel seats for when those employees visit the office.
• Only a very small proportion of employees like the open model. The 25% open model best balances cost savings with employee motivation/retention risk
• People working remote are already isolated, so when they come to an office to work some of their time will be straight continuation of their daily workflow. The open space provides them with the areas needed to network, engage other teammates onsite, etc. but the office space enables them to do their job as they’re accustomed as well.
• Some people prefer to be in the office. They should be enabled to have a more permanent set-up. Others can share desks in different locations.
• You need to have plenty of space to allow people to have calls