Top 10 tips to make your hybrid office work wonders

The hybrid office that evolved so quickly during and post pandemic is now here to stay, and the conversation about how to make the workplace work well for all is already underway. But where do you start? How do you prioritise and implement the key factors that will ensure your hybrid office will serve your people, your partners and, crucially, your bottom line as well?

It’s estimated that post-Covid office environments will be only 50% occupied as more and more staff embrace the flexibility, wellbeing, and convenience of a WFH/office-based split. Fears of unproductive, isolated teams have been assuaged and employers are now faced with dilemmas and decisions about how best to go forward with their hybrid approach.

So, how should you adapt your space to suit the hybrid working model, how will it enhance workplace wellbeing and just how does social distancing fit into your plans?

Essentially, it’s all down to meticulously considered design, looking at a number of factors including co-working spaces with shared desking which allow employees the flexible working they desire, but also looking at the overall concept of the office, creating more collaborative workspaces which will bring people together. With great design firmly at the heart of everything we do, the Signbox team came up with the key design considerations that we believe are essential for a hybrid office environment that will work wonders for everyone.

Our top 10 tips to make your hybrid office really work:

  1. Offices that are inspiring, vibrant spaces with plenty of space for interaction and engagement will invigorate and motivate your teams. A happy, cohesive working environment where everyone feels fulfilled and valued will make light work of staff retention too.
  2. With all eyes on health during the pandemic, cycling to work continues to take priority over the car and tube commute. The take-home here is that you’ll need to make provisions in your premises for secure bike storage, lockers and showers.
  3. Keep your office as healthy as possible with equipment that helps reduce the spread of viral load and raises hygiene awareness. Workplace protection screens, social distancing signs, hand and air sanitisers are all available in the Signbox Shop – you can go even further with our Durst UVC-R Air Disinfection system that removes disinfected room air and recycles it back in without the infectious aerosols, viruses and germs that can do so much harm.
  4. The collab, huddle spaces and break-out areas that débuted in the Noughties are the new get-together must-haves. These dedicated areas are exactly what your teams need to collaborate effectively. They should be comfortable, productive and creative environments that also provide quiet, private havens where people can step away from the hubbub of an open-plan office.
  5. Sustainability is as important as it ever was. Your people may have expectations that you’re committed to eco-health, carbon neutrality and sustainability to enhance their wellbeing at work as much as meeting your ethical principles. A great place to start would be with a sustainable signage strategy –discover more about Signbox’s innovative Hybrid and Solar sign systems.
  6. Social distancing and greater spatial awareness mean your working environment will certainly have less furniture – and that will affect not just the way people navigate the space, but the way sound travels around it too. Signbox’s specialist acoustic wood wool panels are designed to reduce sound reflections and absorb sound to create restful workplace acoustics and a reassuring ambience.
  7. Your new hybrid office environment will need to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. Having an inspirational place to work will give your teams a sense of pride in their place and a reason to return with enthusiasm. Signbox makes it easy to transform your workplace with breathtaking supergraphics, Digimura digitally printable wallcoverings and glass manifestations. We would encourage you to read how the power of colour can be used to help your teams feel uplifted and protected in challenging times.
  8. You can build on your workplace transformation with storytelling too. Your space reflects everything from your corporate values to your workforce demographics. Think about how you can use your space to take your people and visitors on a journey that takes account of your building, your culture and your brand. This is where Signbox Environmental Graphics is really at home with stunning imagery, materials and effects that tell a story to exhilarating effect.
  9. With so much focus on workplace wellbeing, it’s critical that you get creative with your outside spaces. Offering rooftop gardens, outdoor terraces and landscapes as meeting and break-out areas and, more importantly, social spaces to relax in are proven to increase productivity and wellbeing.
  10. Bringing the outside in will also do much to entice your teams back to the office. Incorporating living walls and trees will not only add beauty and wellbeing to your interior space, but will purify the air around you, reduce noise and office temperature and add value to your brand identity. 

These are our Top Ten hybrid working tips – if you’d like more advice on how to incorporate them into your hybrid office strategy, call the Signbox team on +44 (0)1784 438688 or email our team to get the ball rolling.

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