Designing Positive Workspaces

Most discussions about hybrid working focus on where people work. Our new paper looks at something more important: whether different work environments actually support the activities people need to do. Delighted to see our new article published open access in the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology: The hybrid workspace: testing an activity-based model of hybrid workspace design (David Holman, Maximiliano Escaffi-Schwarz and Masakatsu (Bob) Ono) We test an activity-based model of the hybrid workspace, arguing that both office and home settings need to support three core kinds of activity: ▪ interaction ▪ concentration ▪ recovery Using two-wave data from employees in an engineering organisation, we found that different features of the workspace matter for different outcomes. - Recovery-supportive offices were linked to higher task performance - Interaction-supportive offices increased workspace satisfaction - Concentration-supportive home environments increased engagement The message is simple: Hybrid working works best when we design environments around what people actually do, not just where they sit. Open access: https://lnkd.in/etF-itTJ #futureofwork #hybridworking #workplacedesign #leadership #organisationalpsychology

Hybrid work isn’t new. But doing it 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭? That still is. Too many organizations jumped into hybrid without a real strategy. And now they’re feeling it: – Unclear expectations – Fraying culture – Unproductive meetings – A growing disconnect between leaders and teams Sound familiar? This is where I roll up my sleeves. I work with companies to bring structure, clarity, and rhythm to their hybrid model, without losing the 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 side of work. Here’s what that looks like in practice: ✅ 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 → Everyone knows what’s expected whether they’re remote, hybrid, or in-person. ✅ 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 → Values and trust don’t stop at the office door. They show up in Slack, Zoom, and every interaction. ✅ 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 → Fewer of them. Better run. More inclusive. More effective. ✅ 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 → Hybrid requires a new kind of leadership, one built on trust, flexibility, and presence. The future of work can’t be built on vague policies and burned-out people. It has to be: 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥. 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧. Let’s stop treating hybrid as a compromise. And start treating it as a design opportunity. What’s been your biggest hybrid work challenge lately?

CBRE has released a compelling 5-part series on the Future of Work, offering valuable insights for aligning workplace environments with business objectives and corporate culture. In Part 4, titled "Effective Spaces," the focus is on the necessity of redesigning workplaces to accommodate the shift to hybrid work. This involves moving from static layouts to dynamic, flexible, and human-centric spaces to enhance employee experience and productivity. The key highlights from this installment include: - **Evolution of Space Allocation:** A transition from traditional assigned desks to hybrid desk-sharing models, reflecting a preference for flexibility and diverse work areas. - **Enhancing Employee Experience:** Organizations are prioritizing the creation of engaging workspaces by incorporating physical amenities and fostering collaboration. - **Technological Advancements:** Smart buildings, utilizing IoT and AI, are reshaping workplaces by personalizing spaces and promoting collaboration through virtual tools. - **Strategic Co-Working Spaces:** Flexible office setups are crucial for supporting growth, especially for medium-sized portfolios, emphasizing the importance of workplace adaptability. - **Influence of Hybrid Work Models:** The shift to hybrid work necessitates a reevaluation of work practices, communication methods, and office utilization, emphasizing the need for activity-based environments and human-centric spaces. This series delves into the transformative trends impacting office occupiers, offering a roadmap for organizations to create innovative and adaptive work environments that cater to the evolving needs of the modern workforce. For more information, please see below and of course, you can always reach out. #FutureOfWork #WorkplaceTrends #ReturntoOffice #Hybrid #Remote #CBRE

Is your office space truly working for you, or is it an underutilized asset? At Worklytics, we've analyzed office and meeting room utilization patterns to provide data-driven insights that can help organizations optimize their work environments. For REWS leaders, these findings offer a roadmap for making informed decisions on space utilization, enhancing both employee experience and cost-effectiveness. Here's what the data reveals: 📊 Colocation Density & Collaboration: In highly distributed teams, only 5% of time is spent working with people in the same building. Contrast that with highly localized teams where 83% of work happens with in-office colleagues. This variation highlights the importance of tailoring spaces to the team's unique collaboration needs. 🏢 Identifying Underused Offices: Offices with low visit frequency and high lease costs—like those with average commute times over 60 minutes—are prime candidates for divestment. Replacing these with co-working spaces closer to where employees live could save over $2M annually while maintaining morale. 👥 Meeting Room Utilization: Offices with high collaboration demands often require hybrid meeting support. Ensuring spaces are equipped to handle both in-person and virtual participants can significantly improve productivity for cross-functional teams. 🔍 Optimizing for Frequent & Infrequent Users: Some offices are heavily frequented weekly, while others are only used monthly or rarely. Understanding these patterns enables targeted investment in facilities that drive the highest value for in-office work. By leveraging insights from digital tool data, REWS leaders can make strategic decisions about space, reduce costs, and improve the employee experience. Make sure to check out the comments below for additional insights. How is your organization using data to shape workspace decisions? #RealEstateStrategy #WorkplaceOptimization #SpaceUtilization #HybridWork #DataDrivenWorkplaces

Greg Ewy and I returned from another successful New York briefing on Friday, and once again, we’re astounded by the power and versatility of our collaboration suite. A standout in these discussions is Cisco Spaces—a platform I showcase to at least one or two customers weekly, thanks to our resident expert, Scott Colley, MBA who brings it to life in the most compelling ways. In today’s hybrid work environment, where organizations are balancing between fully remote and in-office models, tools like Cisco Spaces are invaluable. Employees are booking rooms and collaborating in ways reminiscent of pre-pandemic times, underscoring our collective desire for connection and seamless communication. Key Features of Cisco Spaces: • Real-Time Occupancy Monitoring: Provides insights into space utilization, helping organizations optimize their real estate and ensure safety. • Environmental Monitoring: Monitors indoor air quality, temperature, and humidity to promote employee well-being. • Indoor Navigation: Assists employees and visitors in navigating large office spaces efficiently. • Seamless Integration with Collaboration Tools: Enhances meeting experiences by integrating with tools like Webex, facilitating hybrid meetings where participants can join from anywhere. As we witness the evolution of workspaces, it’s inspiring to see technology facilitating both in-person and remote collaborations, bridging gaps, and fostering connections. #Cisco #CiscoSpaces #HybridWork #Collaboration #Innovation #WorkplaceTransformation

Hybrid working models don't fail. Unintentional hybrid ones do. Over the past few years at Abacum, I've learned hybrid work isn’t about splitting time between home and the office—it’s about being intentional with how and why you use each environment. Some of my most meaningful coaching conversations with the team have happened because on days I go in, I intend to allow for spontaneity. And yes, some days I screw up. I show up with the intention of having more time, realize I have to spend the whole day in a phone booth on back to back meetings, and I emerge at the end of the day, high five the team, and leave. But more recently, I've set very clear intentions to allow for brainstorming and spontaneous, informal conversations. And it's made a world of difference. Here’s how we create intentionality at Abacum: ➝ Calendar management is everything. Allocate remote work time intentionally to meet targets and prioritize what really matters. ➝ Making in-office time meaningful. Whenever you’re in the office, prioritize creating spontaneous moments—those side conversations that spark new ideas or solve problems you didn’t know existed. ➝ Building culture in a hybrid environment isn’t automatic. We plan ahead, whether through regular in-person 1:1s, team events, or simply taking time to connect beyond work. Hybrid is powerful but it’s about creating a culture that takes the best from both worlds and being intentional.

Hybrid work brought people back. The challenge was bringing the energy back with them. Many companies returned to the office after the pandemic, ready to rebuild momentum, only to realize something important: Presence and participation are not the same thing. Desks were occupied, but collaboration needed support. People showed up for meetings, but the spark that drives creativity was harder to sustain. The workplace needed more than a physical return; it needed belonging. A returning client saw this challenge clearly. Their hybrid team was engaged remotely, but in-person energy needed rebuilding. They wanted a workspace that people looked forward to coming to, not out of obligation, but because it felt meaningful. Instead of adding more desks, we worked together to redesign the environment around connection and teamwork. At WorkSocial | Shared Office Space | Enterprise Coworking (TM), we created: • Collaborative zones that encouraged real-time interaction • Informal spaces that supported organic conversations • Layout choices that increased movement, visibility, and energy • Creative corners to help teams think together and solve problems faster The impact became visible quickly: ➤  In-person collaboration doubled within 30 days, giving teams more shared problem-solving time and reducing back-and-forth delays. ➤ Attendance increased by 45%, driven purely by choice, not policy. ➤ Meeting quality improved, with clearer decisions and faster alignment.' ➤ Team rhythm stabilized, helping everyone work with more energy and less friction. That shift matters. A workspace can hold people, or it can activate people. One keeps operations running. The other builds momentum. If your workspace could rebuild energy inside your team, what would you redesign first: the layout, or the experience?

Hybrid isn’t a policy It’s a growth driver—or a blocker C-suite leaders must treat hybrid as infrastructure, not a perk. Return-to-office won’t fix growth. Alignment will. Step 1. Anchor performance to output, not attendance. HubSpot tied OKRs to deliverables—saw 19% YoY productivity increase with flexible schedules. Step 2. Use data to redesign workspace purpose. L’Oréal tracked meeting ROI in hybrid zones—reduced physical footprint by 22% while boosting satisfaction. Step 3. Empower teams to shape their own hybrid rules. Dropbox let product squads co-create work models—attrition dropped 17%, collaboration rose 26%. Great cultures don’t require full rooms. What outcomes are your hybrid model driving? #HybridWork #BeautyTech #GrowthLeadership

Hybrid work isn’t failing; its design is. This is according to Peter Cappelli, professor of management at the Wharton School, and Ranya Nehmeh, a senior HR strategist. The flexibility of remote work is powerful, but offices still provide what digital tools can’t: fast problem-solving, informal learning, stronger relationships, and real innovation. The companies getting hybrid right are intentional. They use the office as social infrastructure and make remote time focused and productive. What works: • Schedule meaningful in-office anchor days for collaboration and culture. • Set smart remote norms: fewer meetings, smaller groups, cameras on. • Make onboarding and apprenticeship in-person. • Reward collaboration, not just individual output. • Create purposeful in-office experiences, not video calls at desks. Hybrid succeeds when leaders design it, not when organizations drift into it. #HybridWork #FutureOfWork #Leadership #ReturnToOffice #EmployeeExperience #Collaboration #Productivity