Hybrid Office Working is Here to Stay? What are the Benefits?

When lockdowns first began, many businesses (including ourselves) were forced to restructure their working infrastructure to allow the business to run, in most cases completely remotely.

“2 weeks to flatten the curve” was echoed when the pandemic first hit, but here we are 2 years later with many companies now adopting the hybrid office way of working. 

Before the pandemic hit, there was some resistance to home office working for various reasons, but let’s look at the benefits hybrid working has produced.

Increased Talent Pool

One of the first major benefits to businesses that have adopted this, was an increase in the talent pool. Before the pandemic, companies were forced to hire within the radius that an employee was willing to commute from. Now that most businesses have adopted remote working as standard, the talent pool has increased to a national level which has benefitted both companies and employees alike.

One challenge we have seen is ensuring that all employees are set up with the right equipment that meets the same standard as the office. We have worked with a few companies to achieve this in various ways. From giving employees unique voucher codes with a discount and a budget, through to allocating certain office furniture at special prices for employees.

Health and Wellness

We have also seen an increase in popularity of height adjustable desks particularly for home office use. Staff wellness began to become a priority before the pandemic, however now has been forced to the forefront for many businesses. One area being addressed is being able to sit as well as stand during the working day with height adjustable desks. This is of benefit, as it allows for the break up of an 8 hour seated position.

Staff Moral

The ability to allow employees to be able to work both in the office as well as from home has seen an improvement in moral. There are some departments that working in the office full time is much more beneficial, however having the option to work from home on occasion when necessary gives a sense of trust. There are benefits to working from home, however it can be lonely and allowing the ability to choose to work both in the office as well as from home means that employees can enjoy the best of both worlds should they choose to.

Meeting Hubs

The office itself is also changing. We have seen a rise in the number of office booths and video conferencing suites as some offices are using their space to create more meeting hubs. As the pandemic appears to be coming to an end, we are seeing an increasing number of businesses looking to reimagine their office environment to suit this new way of working.

In conclusion, there have been various benefits to hybrid offices working for both businesses and their employees. We believe from what we have seen that this is a type of working that is here to stay as it does have it’s benefits. Of course there are certain departments that require a more consistent collaborative environment that is enhanced by face to face interaction, however there has been a build up of trust from senior management as remote working was forced, that employees could maintain productivity working from their homes. Whilst this may change in the future, we believe that the hybrid office working environment is here to stay.