For most organisations, the planning for a return to the workplace has begun. This process is complicated by the unavoidable unpredictability of the situation and trying to second guess the progress of government guidelines. A vital consideration, however, is to discover what people are thinking and which parts of remote working they have appreciated and which they have struggled with. This doesn’t simply mean how they have found interacting with the technology but also deeply personal factors that have influenced their daily life. Although lockdown rules have been the same for all of us, the effect they have had differ wildly and this is reflected in the wide range of potential attitudes towards a return to the office. Those right at the start of their career may well be missing the support and easy communication of the office, not to mention the social side, while those more established may not relish the idea of being back on the 07.57 to the city and would be quite happy getting on with roles they know and understand well, with little coworking.

Clearly, socio-economic factors have a role to play in how resilient individuals have responded. It’s one thing having a spare room to use as an office and a cockerpoo to take for a walk at lunchtime, another if you are living in high density housing with restricted access to open space. Personal experience will also have a hand in how anxious people will feel about the health risks of leaving their current set up. In short, some people will be banging the doors and others will need more convincing. Part of the challenge for organisations is reassuring people that all COVID-19 safety expectations have been met (if not exceeded) and that attention has been paid to the changes necessary to make the transition from lockdown working practices to a new style of working. Taking these issues seriously is crucial for business; in a survey by the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) 47% of participants said that not being allowed to work flexibly would encourage them to seek a different job1.

It’s one thing to be allowed to work flexibly, another to be supported well enough to do so effectively.

The role of the workplace needs to be defined, and yet flexible. People and organisations don’t really know yet what they want, let alone what will be effective and efficient. Is it all about collaboration and innovation? If so, do you need fewer desks and more open spaces? Are there teams that need to return and work together as a unit? Does a sales team thrive in proximity? Would employees who tell you that they would rather stay working at home, actually enjoy, as well as benefit from, time in an office organised to meet needs they had forgotten they had? This understanding will form an important part of your communications plan and help people to understand the expectations on them and adjust their mindsets accordingly. That’s why office design is so important, to build not only a better working environment that supports what work actually involves, but a flexible one that allows space to be repurposed as and when required. The next few years will probably need to see repeated cycles of observation, analysis, reflection and adjustments.

The digitisation of the systems that control our buildings has meant facilities and IT have been moving closer together for some time. By integrating those systems and adding sensors that can capture occupancy and even air quality, we can build up a wealth of real-time and historical information that can be used to automate actions and drive better business decisions. Once those systems are connected, we also have the ability to expose some of that functionality to people. For many, desk booking is a key solution to enable workplaces to open up. You can present that in a workspace app. Also, what if when you were booking that desk you could also secure a car parking or bike rack space and get updated travel information? By integrating security systems, mobiles could gain contactless access to the building while calling the lift to take you to the floor your desk is on. In an unfamiliar office, you could use wayfinding in mixed reality to guide you there. For a lot of people, it’s the social side of work that we have really missed. Redefining, or re-instigating, that culture and sense of community is also something you can look to drive through technology; whether it's ordering food and drinks from local businesses or publicising local events. These are all things that can help entice people back to the workplace. Making people both reassured and excited at the prospect.

While we concentrate on the function of the office, the role it will play and how we best organise the space to support what we envision happening there, it is important not to lose sight that we are talking about hybrid or even disparate working models. Twelve months ago, dialling into a meeting was very much an inferior experience, often lacking video and poor audio, which could mean struggling to make a meaningful contribution and sometimes being forgotten altogether. Having everyone remote, Zoom fatigue aside, has levelled that playing field but that is about to change, again. Hybrid collaboration is about inclusivity and the expectation that not all participants are going to be physically in the same place. Adding video capabilities into all meeting spaces, considering ceiling microphones in the larger ones and standardising systems that allow one-touch join, solves the issues at a technical level but there are softer considerations around etiquette that need to be addressed as people naturally interact with those in the room differently from those on camera. Without this equality, hybrid working can never reach its true potential of allowing people to choose the location that best suits them and their performance.

Finally, we need to consider the support services that hybrid working requires. Modern management and zero-trust security have expanded control outside the corporate network, keeping people secure and productive while working remotely. Support levels that went above and beyond in 2020 are now the very least people will expect and require. Standardising, refreshing and supporting all becomes more complex. What happens when a home internet connection fails? What is an acceptable SLA for someone to be without a device while working from home? And when should support be available? Truly flexible working means it doesn’t matter when the tasks are performed, simply that they are completed on time. If you start late and need help at eight in the evening do you just need to wait until the next morning? How much of that assistance could be automated or driven via AI?

Planning the return to offices can be daunting with so many unknowns confronting individuals and organisations. It’s not just people experiencing FORTO (Fear Of Returning to The Office), it’s creating ripples in every part of business. There are some things that must be done though to enable that return. From then on, it’s about adapting and evolving thinking based on data and evidence and reacting to changes in demands and requirements as they arise. Investments in technology should be focused on long term gains that enable future ways of working not short-term issues, building on the resilience we’ve fostered over the last year and looking to the next challenges.