Many employees are drawn to the flexible hybrid working model in which they have the option to go to the office or work from home, depending on the day. In theory (and often in practice!), implementing a hybrid system is beneficial to both employees and employers, but are there some things we still haven’t figured out about this working setup? According to Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield, the answer is a resounding yes.
Figuring Out the Hybrid Work Model
Most employees appreciate having flexibility, but each individual has different ideas about what they want from their work environment. As Butterfield said in a conversation with Axios: “A lot of people who are fresh out of college have a much higher desire to get back to the office—it’s the basis of their social life.” This is understandable, as the office is not only a place for work, but a place for networking and getting that much-needed human interaction.
On the other hand, he understands that busy parents such as himself would prefer to have the opportunity to work from home more often. Parents that work from home don’t need to worry about returning from the office quickly enough to spend time with their children before bed—they can be with them throughout the day. “In fact,” Butterfield said, “between calls, I can go downstairs and play with [my son].”
Reimagining the Office Setup
In addition to the difficulties of figuring out how the new way of working will look, Butterfield said another transformation needs to occur: redesigning office spaces and homes.
Axios expanded upon Butterfield’s comments and noted that “in the hybrid work era office, the least valuable use of space is providing employees with spots to work alone on their laptops.” Instead, some of the most valuable spaces will be “places to bring recruits, host customers and ‘project power,’ as well meeting rooms, training program spaces and places to eat.”
Slack’s CEO goes on to say that “if we were all going to work from home, we wouldn’t have built or designed our houses the same way.” He predicts that sooner or later, people will have to start redesigning their homes to create spaces where they can comfortably work without getting distracted.
In Conclusion
According to Butterfield, we have only “10% of the tools we need” to make the hybrid workplace as effective as possible. As companies make the more permanent transition to a hybrid model, we will need software that enables us to effectively collaborate, regardless of where we are. The meeting workspace tool Docket is one example of such software, as it allows team members to collaborate on meetings and stay in the loop no matter where they’re working from.
Along with workspace renovations and figuring out company policy changes, organizations will need to employ the proper tools to help their team stay connected and communicative both in the office and out. Credit for all quotes in this article goes to Stewart Butterfield and Axios (article linked above).
