Adapting Office Design for Hybrid Success

The standard office space design went away long before remote work became the norm. As employees became increasingly comfortable with remote work, however, they also became more vocal about their requirements.  When the light bulb went off about how easy remote work would be, employees packed their households and moved to new and different spots across the country and the globe. After all, work happens from any location around the world. 

FM organizations should be prepared for lively and heated discussions with senior executives about their workplace concept for the short and long term. A savvy FM manager will have examined what is happening in the marketplace and ask for an audience with senior executives to discuss strategies and implementation plans. Topics for the presentation could include a review of the following: 

• If new leased space is in the mix, companies should look for spaces where commercial property owners have invested in capital improvements. Some owners of space offered for lease have contracted with service providers to provide benefits and amenities that might stimulate interest in returning to an office for all or part of a week. State-of-the-art fitness centers, enhanced outdoor spaces with parks and gardens, resort-quality common areas with access to unique food providers, on-site entertainment venues and day care facilities are just some of the amenities property managers are offering to new tenants.  
• If redesigning or expanding existing owned office space, senior executives need to be amenable to creating more collaborative work environments and retooling their old “hoteling” concept for sharing workspace. The hybrid work environment has changed the way organizations use their space, and they are able to do so using less traditional space.  
• Enabling staff to be part of the discussion about the redesign of their workplaces is a big component of reconnecting employees with the RTO philosophy. Holding focus groups and discussion forums where employees present their ideas and suggestions as well as interacting with one another in real time, so they get used to the idea again is key to helping them become comfortable with an in-office work routine.  

Building Operations and Maintenance 

The challenges for FM organizations regarding building operations and maintenance in the RTO environment are not all new and unique but FM staff must take time to refresh how services and routine maintenance were provided in the old days of five-day-a-week work and what has changed with the return of some or all the workforce. 

• An enhanced emphasis on workplace security takes precedence on the list of what workers want their employers to provide. Forty-five percent of respondents to a Building Engineers survey mentioned health and safety as a top priority for the RTO workplace. The challenge will be to provide physical building security that provides a mantle of safety for all building occupants. Companies also may need to upgrade technological tools to enhance building security and evaluate key cards and face/eye/palm reading technology. 
• The companion challenge resulting from the pandemic and work away from an office is the assurance the air quality in office buildings will be of the highest level. Employees indicate that for them to consider returning to an office environment they need assurances that problems with air quality have been resolved, and air quality will be monitored constantly. 
• Another challenge for companies with a large population of on-site employees is the adaptation of sustainability improvements for commuters. The inclusion of EV charging stations, sufficient bike storage and potential shower facilities for those who change after riding to work, all are new demands for the RTO mandates. 
• Research conducted by organizations representing commercial real estate has found responding to tenant/internal customer requests needs to be a top consideration for the RTO environment. Nearly 50 percent of respondents in a survey about the state of commercial real estate building operations said the most common request was for faster responses to work orders/maintenance needs.  Workers have been used to managing their own space and responding to issues within time frames they have established for themselves.  The expectation for RTO will be that facility management organizations will have sophisticated work order management systems and the ability to respond to requests more rapidly than before the pandemic. 

The FM discussion with senior executives will be how operations and maintenance services will be provided, how services provided by service partners such as cleaning and building maintenance will have to be altered to meet new workplace demands, and to what corporate standard they will be provided in the future. Facility managers should ask to meet with senior executives immediately to review the challenges, the commitment of senior leaders and the role of external service partners. 

Enhanced Technology 

The most marked change RTO workers will experience is the technological advances that have occurred since they last were on-site regularly. A recent Cisco Hybrid Work Study found 72 percent of employees expressed positivity about returning to the office but only 47 percent believed their current workspaces were equipped to handle enhanced hybrid working arrangements. 

It isn’t surprising that one significant barrier to in-office collaboration is the outdated technology they will find. Early office spaces were designed for individual work and few office environments had a technology infrastructure designed to facilitate group work. Another study conducted by Cisco found 85 percent of employees admitted the majority of existing workspace is dedicated to personal workstations and meeting rooms were woefully inadequate with respect to high quality video conferencing, smartboards, and seamless integration tools for remote and in-house team activities to work together. 

Again, the discussion centers around the level of commitment senior executives are willing to make with respect to investing in technology to modernize their offices. Not only will enhanced technology improve the efficiency of work processes and strengthen productivity but it is a key driver of decisions affecting the attraction and retention of top talent.  

Stormy Friday is founder and president of The Friday Group, an international facilities services consulting firm. She is a member of the ProFMI Commission, a governance body that serves as an advisory committee for the Professional Facility Management Institute's (ProFMI) activities. 

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