Hybrid Work Spaces Will Provide Silver Linings to Workers and Employers

In the second of a three-part series, we look at how hybrid working practices, spaces and cultures that are changing the world of work forever

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Hybrid Work Spaces Will Provide Silver Linings to Workers and Employers
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Published: October 1, 2020

George Malim

In the second of a three-part series looking at how hybrid working practices, spaces and cultures are changing the world of work forever, UC Today spoke to Poly experts to gain insights into how the work spaces will change and develop over the next few years. 

Carl Wiese
Carl Wiese

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an enormous increase in home workers and many have had to get used to carving out a productive work area in their homes and dealing with dogs barking, children’s laughter and neighbours construction projects interrupting their corporate communications. The response phase is ending and people are looking at making what they initially thought of as temporary arrangements and compromises into permanent solutions – at least for part of the time. 

It’s clear that many will not return to the traditional working week and will adopt a hybrid approach that involves home working for at least

some of the time. This will be particularly important as social distancing is required in work places and traditional office floorplans and schedules become more widely distributed. At the same time, home working during pandemic-related lockdowns has been a resounding success. In fact, many like it and plan to continue with it. 

Nemertes Research has reported that 91% of organisations now support working from home, a figure that is up from 63% before the pandemic. “People are really thinking about what the hybrid workplace will look like,” said Darrius Jones, Enterprise Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Poly. “Satellite offices often look different but the need to collaborate at distance with intimacy is going to remain.” 

Better, professionalised home office equipment and communications will shape the working spaces of the future but it’s likely that many will use offices at least some of the time and meeting rooms will still be needed. Often these will need to be larger to accommodate the need to keep safe distances between partners but Poly anticipates the emergence of a third space in which workers can create thinking time and moments of ideation. 

“On day one of the pandemic, home offices were not using the best set-ups, but people will upgrade their technology to become enterpriseclass and employers will support them in doing that,” said Carl Wiese, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer at Poly. “The office will serve as the place for innovation, problem-solving and serendipitous interactions as well as for building connection, trust and culture. The home office will be best suited for individual work projects as well as coordination, planning and reviews. 

“Working from home and working from the office may also be supplemented with a third space’—a place in which people can get some quality time to think, ideate and get inspiration,” he added.

With COVID-19 making the local coffee shop less viable, this third space could be a cabin, a backyard or just a walk with the dog.  

To learn more, visit Poly.

Read the first part of the series here.

 

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