Hybrid work era demands office design revolution
NEVADA, UNITED STATES — With employees splitting time between home and the workplace, Samu Hällfors, CEO of Framery, shares insights on how workspaces must evolve to meet the changing needs of the workforce.
A key issue is the prevalence of video calls. Open floors allow noise disruptions, while meeting rooms can’t meet spiking demand. Hällfors stated that private spaces with proper lighting, acoustics, and ergonomics for conferencing are a must.
“We have kind of seen a huge increase in demand for privacy spaces, private pods, private rooms. That doesn’t take us actually back to the old days when we all had our own offices, but we actually need these,” Hällfors said in an interview with the Wise Decision Maker Show on YouTube.
Beyond video calls, offices should balance collaboration areas with quiet zones for focus. Hällfors advised CEOs to learn from what made home offices productive.
Rather than shrinking uniformly, Hällfors recommends rightsizing intelligently based on how roles use the office.
“There are kind of tasks and roles in organizations that actually demand their fixed own workstation. And there are roles and people that are more flexible and more fluid of where they are working and with whom they are working with on a daily basis,” Hällfors emphasized.
“The first thing is to hear what the people are saying, how your culture is actually, what your culture is demanding from the spaces.”
Companies looking to thrive in the hybrid era must listen to their employees’ needs and preferences, particularly regarding noise and distractions in the workplace.
“When the people are the most comfortable, it’s convenient, they feel that they are respected and their needs are listened to. Then most likely, they are also performing the best. So I would always take the kind of user point of view or employee point of view.”
The rise of remote and hybrid work arrangements has led to significant vacancies in office buildings, raising concerns about potential losses on property loans and subsequent pressure on smaller banks.
Hällfors suggestions can help organizations urge employees to return to the office.
