5 Office Fitout Trends For Hybrid Workplaces

Hybrid workplaces are without a doubt the biggest office design and fitout trend in 2022. COVID-19 forced a work-from-home policy for many companies but now that restrictions have been eased, many are moving forward with their plans to bring workers back to the office under a hybrid workplace model.

Leaders in these companies see the hybrid workplace model as the best compromise for keeping their workforce engaged, offering flexibility in work location without compromising on the benefits of in-office collaboration. And the workers themselves agree, with numerous studies showing that flexibility and the ability to work from anywhere is now a major item on employees’ wish lists.

What is a Hybrid Workplace?

The term hybrid workplace describes an office environment where the staff can work at any time across varied locations, i.e. at home, café, office, etc. Now that many employees have experienced the benefits of remote work, smart employers recognise that keeping these employees engaged requires the ‘best of both worlds’ approach that hybrid working can potentially deliver.

When designing a hybrid workplace, the key consideration is the flexibility of the office space. Your people need spaces to work solo in peace, together in teams, meeting with remote colleagues, as well as having a variety of shared spaces that are crucial for spontaneous collaboration.

In addition, consider the many technologies that support hybrid workplaces. These include meeting room technology like video conferencing, room occupancy sensors and employee mobile apps.

If you want to introduce this type of workplace model in your office, here are the five key office fitout trends for hybrid workplaces:

1. Hybrid Meeting Rooms
2. Flexible Workspaces
3. Open Bench-Style Stations
4. Flexible Furniture
5. Design For Privacy

1. Hybrid Meeting Rooms

The trend towards remote work and flexibility has made high quality video conferencing a necessity. A recent survey by Microsoft found that 73% of employees prefer to work from home for a couple of days per week.

Hybrid meetings, with some in the office and some working remotely, are now very common. However, remote meeting participants are often disadvantaged by the technology, finding it hard to communicate on equal terms with people present in the meeting room. Hybrid Meeting Equity is a rising concern, and much new meeting room technology is focused on ensuring all participants can be seen and heard fairly.

2. Flexible Workspaces

Flexibility is the major consideration for hybrid workplaces, and is a key factor in helping businesses attract and retain the best employees. Flexible office spaces are great for fostering collaboration and can help reduce staff turnover. In addition to attracting top talent, flexible workplaces can also reduce the costs associated with recruitment and staff retention.

Formerly used mainly by startups and freelancers, flexible workspaces have become a strategic business decision for many companies. With more people working remotely, the need for flexible workspaces has increased.

3. Open Bench-Style Stations

To reduce costs, companies are adopting hybrid workplaces that combine open bench-style stations with traditional cubicles. But to make this strategy work, it is important to get the design right.

For example, the open bench-style stations should be ergonomic and offer the right amount of support. One solution is an open bench-style station with a movable table and bench. The open bench-style station can be used for work and as a communal table.

4. Flexible Furniture

There are several benefits of flexible furniture for hybrid workplaces. First, it enables you to adapt the space to the needs of the people who use it. For example, a draughtsman-style table is perfect for you if you need to work for a long time on a particular project. The draughtsman-style table is highly adaptable and can be used by both standing and seated workers.

Secondly, flexible furniture is ideal for offices that want to promote an agile and creative working environment. For example, some employees may use a sofa as their workstation, while a cafe bench may be used for face-to-face meetings and lunchtimes.

5. Design For Privacy

The hybrid workplace’s evolution has changed how space is used, with a shift from the private to the shared. This means that you need to design in options for privacy when your employees need it.

Examples here include small video-conference or phone rooms, giving people working in shared spaces somewhere to meet or talk without everyone being in on it.

Given the greatly increased need for video meetings and phone calls with remote collaboration, these solutions should be factored in from the start.

How Do You Create a Hybrid Workplace?

The first step toward creating a hybrid workplace is to identify your goals (e.g. employee retention, increased productivity, reduced office space costs) and build your strategy around them. The second step is communication with your employees to build support for the idea and learn about their needs and concerns. After all, it is all about employee engagement and productivity, so you need to get this right.

The key to a successful hybrid workplace is to provide flexibility for employees without impacting the benefits of face-to-face collaboration. For example, companies can offer a hybrid workplace model that allows employees to work at home and in the office, supplemented by well-executed hybrid meetings.

The next step then is digital transformation. With today’s technology, companies can engage and unite distributed teams. The advantage of this model is that employees can work from home and still be fully engaged in the work process. They can focus on their work while collaborating with colleagues in the office and anywhere in the world.

The Bottom Line

Is hybrid working the future of work? The short answer is ‘Yes.’ However, employees are now spoiled for choice in this regard, and if employers want to attract and retain talented staff, they’ll have to create and maintain a best-practice hybrid workspace.

The 5 office fitouttrends in this article are a great place to start, and while there are potentially significant costs involved in implementing them fully, the payoffs for most companies in productivity and employee retention more than compensate.

If budgets are really tight however, take a look at these budget-friendly office makeover ideas for some inspiration!