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The Right Space: Making hybrid working work

We might be accused of an ulterior motive if we press upon people the need for a great office space.
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Even though the CEOs of many major businesses are calling people back into the office, the hybrid model still works for many. That’s why we commissioned England Marketing to undertake a research project investigating the physical and psychological complexities of the modern-day working environment among senior management and above.


The intention of this research was to develop our understanding of what impacts decisions around work locations, the drivers and barriers to individual choices, and what might attract this target audience to reaping the benefits of a physical workspace.

 

Unlike many commissioned research projects that are seeking to prove a point, we didn’t need to hide anything under the carpet – nothing is missed out. We created a warts and all report that didn’t need to ‘swing it’ or have the marketing team ‘reword a few sections’ or ‘cut a few charts’ that didn’t spin the angle we wanted.

 

We considered knowledge levels, personality, emotions, personal circumstance, job satisfaction, behavioural constructs and demographics to help them understand how important the right space was, that goes beyond instinct and gut feel.

 

We had to make sure that our findings were independent, scientific and irrefutable. Just because we believed in them, didn’t necessarily mean they were real. As it turns out, it seems we were on to something, despite what you might think, 58% of the hybrid workers we researched actually have a preference to be in the office.

 

Which sets us off on a great start, so let’s debunk some hybrid working myths to warm things up.

 

  • A significant majority have a dedicated office or permanent workspace in their home and therefore, it is not an inconvenience to work from home.
  • The commute is not as onerous for most respondents.
  • Hybrid working has been adopted across all working age groups.
  • Most respondents have experienced their working environments both pre and post covid
  • The need to work flexibly because of children is only half the story – non-child households want flexibility too.
  • Most people like being in the office with other people, it is just now more difficult.
  • The office is part of the “real estate” industry and thought of in terms of function and efficiency, when what people want is comfort and experience.
  • And let’s introduce a new term “effective collaboration.”

 


Watch Adrian talk about ‘the right space’ here.