How is Hybrid working changing your business?
Post Covid-19 the face of the workplace has changed and is unlikely to return to pre Covid-19 business model.
New terminology is being used in the workplace, hybrid working, flexible working and agile working.
Put simply, hybrid working is a flexible working model which allows employees to work from a variety of different locations. Its meaning can be found within its name – ‘hybrid’.
While agile working and hybrid/flexible working may be similar in how they achieve their aim, for example both approaches may allow an employee to work from home, flexible/hybrid working focuses on the employee, while agile working is focused on the impacts on the business.
The idea is a progression of flexible and fully remote working, created by a desire from employees to split more of their time between the home and office. This new trend is largely the result of the Covid-19 pandemic, where many workers found themselves going into the office one or two days a week—if at all.
As a result, employers and employees were able to enjoy newfound autonomy, flexibility, improved performance and even new forms of collaboration. However, this is not an entirely new concept. This has been a growing trend over the past decade but has been accelerated in recent times.
Covid-19 has been an undeniable driving force behind these changes. Many changes which experts expected to take place over the next decade have been fast tracked to accommodate the quickly changing needs of the working world.
Social and Economic events over the last 3 years have made an impact on the fundamental differences to the way we live our lives, requiring businesses to think about how to create balance between home and office work.
As the start of 2023 is met with the UK enduring unprecedented inflation and economic climate businesses recognise the value that comes from using their workplace as a flexible, resilient and cost-effective tool that can support changing business objectives while avoiding spiralling costs as a result of workforce restructures, growth and shrinkage.
If you’re looking to redesign or refurbish your existing workspace, you will want to ensure that the space is efficient, cost effective and the new design looks great, while also ensuring that unnecessary spending is avoided.
Invest where it matters most
If budgets are tight, then it’s important to remember that not all of your office design needs to be based on settings which are crammed full of expensive product. Settings can be created that look great, while ensuring practicality and the best use of the space available.
Look around your current workspace, how many desks are currently owned by a colleague yet currently sitting empty? As today’s worker becomes more mobile, the need for a permanent desk is reduced. Employees are increasing working from home and various other locations.
By reducing the need for allocated desks, you can instead use the saved space for more flexible, creative spaces that can give workers greater choice and control over how and where they work.
Traditionally desks have taken up far too much space and this has become more apparent since the introduction of space saving flat screens, making 30% of a crescent desk as nothing more than a dust collector.
A bench desking solution enables more desks to fit in to a space that would previously accommodate fewer workers. Bench desking is a great way to maximise space available, potentially freeing up space to allow for multi-purpose spaces that would support collaborative and social spaces, focused and rejuvenating spaces, and quieter spaces for focused work. Bringing space, people, and technology together so that they can do their best work.
Office Meeting Spaces
Traditional meeting rooms come in the form of formal large boardroom style spaces designed to accommodate 8 or more colleagues in an inflexible space. If only 2-3 colleagues are meeting, or the room is sitting empty and unused for large periods of the day, then a boardroom can quickly become an expensive and underutilised space.
Think about the type of meetings that are taking place, do workers need to collaborate and share ideas, are spaces required for formal or private meetings, and how many people will be involved. By opting for smaller more flexible spaces capable of supporting various meeting styles or tasks, the total number of available spaces increases reducing wasted downtime.
This can be achieved in various ways depending on budgets and business need. You can of course, partition an existing meeting room with stud walling or glass partition for example. Many businesses are now looking towards privacy screens or meeting pods. Meeting pods are available in various sizes, accommodating various numbers of people. Some are mobile giving even greater flexibility in utilisation and maximising cost benefits.
If finding a space to meet is an ongoing battle in your office, it may be time to think about how your meeting spaces could be redesigned to support more varied group tasks. The lack of suitable spaces could actually be costing more than you realise, due to lost time coming from colleagues looking for somewhere to meet.
Consider Finance
If space is becoming an increasingly precious commodity in your workplace, but an office redesign has previously been dismissed due to limited budgets, then you can consider financing your project. From the office design, furniture, interiors and fit-out, every part of your project can be financed over a time period that suits your business circumstances. Enjoy all of the benefits that come from a newly redesigned workspace without the constraints of your current budget.
Get Advice from Office Interior Designers
Ultimately, the best solution is to get in touch with experts for advice. At Leicester Office Furnishers we have a team of designers and estimators who spend all day working to specified budgets. So, if you’re looking to save cash, we can give you plenty of guidance. We even offer free design consultations to help you gauge how far your budget will take you!
