As hybrid and remote work models continue to redefine traditional employment, the role of the office continues to shift. There are proponents on both sides of the office argument, the “I avoid going to the office at all costs” team, up against the “we should be in the office every day” brigade.
A look at the job market as well as “return to work” mandates from both public and private organizations suggests the world of fully remote work has certainly receded this year.
However, the role of offices, once vital for all work activities and with mandatory attendance every day, has certainly changed - regardless of the office time mandates you are working under. This is especially true in hybrid environments, where offices now serve new purposes that go beyond just hosting desks and places to sit and work. Infact, sitting and working at a desk is often the last reason hybrid workers go to the office.
Whether we “need” to go to offices comes down to understanding what they enable us to do if configured correctly, job roles and whether the office is well adapted to support what their occupants want to use them for.
The Role of the Office: Outdated or Essential?
The core role of offices has changed from being a space where all work happens to places that facilitate specific types of work and interaction. Many people no longer want to come to the office just to complete individual tasks that can be done remotely; they visit to see people.
Collaboration, team bonding, or meetings that benefit from in-person engagement are what get most people wanting to be in the office.
The shift in working patterns in recent years has reshaped why people go to the office. People now go for:
Collaboration and Creativity: Offices remain important for brainstorming sessions and creative teamwork. In-person interaction fosters more spontaneous conversations and idea sharing, that digital tools struggle to compete with. Maintaining concentration on long conference calls is not easy!
Social Connections and Team Cohesion: For people who struggle with remote isolation, offices provide necessary social contact. In-person meetings help build trust and strengthen team relationships, which may be harder to build remotely.
Professional Growth and Mentorship: Younger members of the workforce, or those early in their careers, often need the on-the-job learning that comes from observing colleagues and engaging in informal conversations.
What Does “Properly Configured” Mean?
If you want people to want to come into the office, and not just begrudgingly accept a return to office mandate, it’s important to provision and provide access to the spaces that will actually be useful to them when they are in the office. A well-designed office should meet the unique needs of its users, which requires rethinking the traditional setup, if that setup is based around rigid permanently assigned spaces.
Purpose-Driven Spaces: Offices should align with why people are coming in. If people primarily visit for team collaboration, investing in more meeting rooms (perhaps even checking your spaces are the right size!), breakout spaces, and comfortable, informal areas is essential. There’s little point in having rows of desks for individuals to book at for work when most people only come to interact with each other. This is doubly true in environments where “we can always find a desk”.
Flexible Layouts: Flexibility is key to maximizing office utility. Spaces should adapt to different needs on different days. For example, a room used for meetings on one day could transform into a co-working space on another, accommodating varying team schedules and activities. This also helps to drive value from real estate.
Balancing Comfort and Productivity: Creating an office environment that people want to use, means integrating comfort with function. Comfortable seating, informal spaces, and amenities can make the office more inviting for those who seek collaborative work and casual discussions. Consider the neurodiverse needs of different teams as well who may prefer to work in very different ways.
Challenges of a One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Designing an office without considering the varied activities of its users can lead to underutilized spaces, and you may find that people do not want to come to your offices! As an example, providing 500 desks and only a handful of meeting rooms doesn’t work if most employees come in for collaborative work. Conversely, if teams are expected to be in the office regularly to focus on individual tasks, the absence of adequate desk space can hinder productivity. You should also consider whether or not people need to “book” space, and this is very dependent on what you are looking to monitor and achieve with your office.
Flexibility and Adaptability
Companies need to think beyond rigid designs and consider spaces that adapt to different types of work, and why people are coming to the office. This may involve movable furniture, booking systems for shared areas, and multi-purpose rooms that can be quickly reconfigured. You should consider that whilst booking a “desk” to come into the office might not be necessary, finding the right space for team-based activities and making sure everyone knows where that is going to be, might be very important.
The Future of Office Spaces
While the need for traditional office space has diminished for many, offices that are thoughtfully designed and purpose-fit continue to add value. With the increase in “return to work” mandates and “hybrid” increasingly meaning only 1 or 2 days per week outside the office, getting your office space and access to it right is important – for both people and your estates budget.
The future of workspaces lies in embracing a flexible, user-centric approach that considers the evolving roles of offices and the people in them. Consider:
Shared Workspaces and Rotating Uses: Offices can be set up to accommodate different teams with distinct needs on different days, maximizing space usage.
Technology Integration: Equipping offices with tech that supports hybrid work, such as collaboration tools, interactive schedules and booking platforms ensures a seamless connection between remote and in-office employees - and makes coming to the office worthwhile.
Conclusion
Do we need to go to offices anymore? The answer is nuanced, and it depends very much on whether your office is set up to drive the value that you want for your specific organizational needs.
Offices that provide the right environment for what people need when they choose to come in—collaboration, mentorship, social interaction—are still valuable, and making it easy to find people and spaces is important.
The challenge for companies is to ensure that their office spaces are not only there for people to be present in but are thoughtfully designed to support what people are expected to do in the office.
If you’ve got questions about how to make sure your people are getting the most of your office space, and that it’s easy to match time in the office to what you want the output of time in the office to be – we'd love to hear from you.
