Office 2.0 is here. Whether you’re hiring, looking for work, or currently on the job, there’s a good chance you’ve been contemplating your ideal work location recently. Despite the case for remote work, a majority of opportunities in 2024 are office-first situations. Yet, talent professionals are wary: Close to half of the workforce prefers a hybrid or remote work environment. What to do?
As a business leader looking to design the ideal work environment for current and future success, you need a blueprint that’s based on the needs of today’s employees rather than the outdated expectations of yesterday’s offices and work cultures.
1. Create a safe place to show up
A top reason employees prefer working remotely is that it allows them to be their complete, authentic selves. Mental health and holistic wellbeing are critical conversations these days, and your employees want a work environment that is safe for all aspects of their personality – complex emotions, personal roles, political perspectives, and diverse abilities, and non-mainstream backgrounds. Make room for such expression. From the way spaces are designed to how employees are expected to dress at work, the physical office must reflect an energy that is authentic, welcoming, and energizing. This is key to an EX that motivates employees to spend time in the office.
The expectation isn’t one way; employees also want your company to express its genuine values at the office. Employees are struggling with digital distortion outside of work. Spaces that offer a physical sense of consistency and authenticity can be game-changers. Increasingly, employees will look out for offices that exhibit their unique character rather than technical brilliance. Make sure you incorporate your company’s story and attributes into office design and ecosystem. Consider the human yearning to find meaning at work as your North Star.
2. Enable both flexibility and effectiveness
The folks that most prefer remote and hybrid opportunities – caregivers, young parents, those living with a disability, neurodivergent individuals – are often those who benefit from work environments that have an uplifting effect. This is especially true in cities where the average home size is compact. A physical workspace can provide a world of good in terms of opportunities to complete deep work away from home and multiple distractions. This calls for your office to be centered around the needs of individuals rather than the organization.
Here’s an example. Addressing well-being needs with concepts such as natural light equity can significantly elevate your EX. Transforming the office into a space that prioritizes interaction is equally important. Apart from the direct impact on EX and output, such an office can also provide major benefits for your employees’ emotional and mental health.
And yet, the most well-intentioned office can fail to deliver great EX if it fails to deliver flexibility. Trends like coffee badging are real. Give employees optimum control of their day, with little justification or judgment for their time in the office.
3. Facilitate career value
Currently, a major argument by those who prefer remote work is that most formal offices are designed in the same manner as the home office – to enable individual work. Ensuring a collaboration-first environment can get employees to see the value in turning up to Office 2.0. This calls for more than just the right design architecture. It’s time to drive a cultural shift! The office isn’t a place for infinite productivity (we’ve got AI for that). It is where the best ideas and work come to life. Being able to see such elevated value is especially important for new hires, recent grads, and those returning from sabbaticals. These are the cohorts who stand to gain the most from regular, in-person interactions.
Creating a positive EX also demands that your office be a center for structured growth and skilling opportunities. If your employees are looking for ways to work with AI, plan knowledge initiatives around the same. It can elevate how employees view the role of the office.
4. Inspire a sense of purpose
The office is no longer the obvious workplace. As it competes with drop locations, pop-ups, and home offices, it must earn relevance. How? Transform your static location into a purpose hub. It should serve as a place where employees feel aligned with your company’s vision and community. For instance, if you’ve committed to becoming a carbon-neutral company in the next five years, every little physical detail should remind employees of your commitment.
Beyond making a case for your company’s ethos, the office should be a place where your top talent feels at home. Consider moving your office to a mixed space if you are located in a traditional business district. Enable access to the work-life integration that employees want. Think thriving community hubs and recreation spaces that allow them to make the most of their day and commute. Such an ecosystem is key to experience multipliers.
The EX opportunity
At the end of the day, you can put an employee back in the office but you cannot force the office into an employee. To make a compelling case for Office 2.0, you need to redesign employee experiences and reimagine the core essence of your workspace – from a place where work gets done to a place where talent thrives. As millennials and Gen Zs give precedence to building a life portfolio, you must take note. Design a physical workplace that adds to their days rather than takes away from them. It must engage, inspire, and bring out the best in them.
Where you do start? By understanding what matters to each of your employees. Reach out to them, tune into their sentiment, and arrive at actionable insights. You don’t have to act upon all of it at once. Building a blueprint, introducing phase-wise transformation, and monitoring impact can help you build an office employees love.
Ready to start building an office centered around EX? Learn how SogoEX, our end-to-end employee experience management platform, can help you. Connect with our team today!
