Hybrid working – offering a mixture of both in office and remote work – has become a popular workspace modelin the past 12 months, with adoption accelerated dramatically. Driven by the desire of their employees for more freedom to work remotely, companies around the globe have turned to Hybrid Working as a model for allowing more flexible working.

Implementing an effective Hybrid Work strategy is not without its challenges, however- a central consideration being the need to optimise both physical and digital spaces to truly accommodate flexible working. Questions around the function of the workspace is not a new field of thought. Industry leaders in workplace design have been innovating in this area for years, constantly reimagining the purpose of our spaces to accomodate where we, as a society, are headed.

One organisation that has had great success in this regard are workplace experts Gensler. In the past year, they have made a number of astute insights as a response to the pandemic, consulting organisations on how to adapt to new ways of working. Gensler designers  have contributed their own visions of the Hybrid Workplace, sketching out individual designs to give an authentic sense of what is in store for the global workforce and provide best practice advice for business leaders to follow.

In order for this advice to be fully realised, the correct technology is required. Digital Workspaces provide an all in one, centralised environment that allows for physical and digital spaces to be fully in synch, empowering workers to do their best work, regardless of their location. We explore Gensler’s interpretations of the Hybrid Workplace, and how they can be bought to life with the help of a Digital Workspace solution.

 

“The New 9-5”

According to Gensler workspace specialists, “a hybrid approach to work is predicated on the idea that the physical workplace provides a structure capable of actually enhancing our ability to work.” An effective Hybrid Workspace infrastructure should“encourage the establishment of behavior through the lenses of collaboration, health, and self-actualisation.”

To effectively and evenly facilitate this concept for both remote and on-premise colleagues, companies need to form a cohesive link between digital spaces and physical brick-and-mortar offices. This allows for a remote-first approach that empowers workers to feel equally able to work and collaborate regardless of their location.

A digital workspace can help in achieving this. The ability to work on whiteboards and annotate documents whilst teammates in other locations simultaneously draw, share and critique on multiple devices all at once levels the playing field between the office and home, ensuring that remote workers are not isolated from critical discussions and decision making. The idea that work is something you do, not somewhere you go is central to the Hybrid Workspace philosophy. A Digital Workspace helps to realise this vision by providing a persistent work environment that you can take with you anywhere.

“Workers-as-consumers”

Gensler specialists believe that workplaces should allow people to feel individually cared for, be empowered to be their best, and be met with the opportunity for discovery in their workdays: “If we don’t give them a reason to commute in, they’ll return to their basements to do their work.”

Yes, many workers are itching to return to work. But what about those that are content in the confines of their homes’, through personal comforts or a disconnection from the outside world caused by the pandemic? It’s important that these individuals are equally encouraged to return to the office in some aspect – if geographically possible.

The latest Digital Workspace technology empowers companies to offer immersive experiences using 360-degree displays. Workers can return to more than just a physical office and experience an environment that can be whatever they want it to be. Where they can drag and drop content with infinite freedom, pull up any document with ease and show their colleagues their true vision without compromise.

The versatility of Digital Workspace technology allows companies to continuously adapt their physical spaces to cater to specific needs. The health of individuals can be made a priority with an offering of wellness optimised spaces that provide mindfulness and relaxation experiences, using immersive displays and speaker systems to present calming imagery and sounds – giving teams a break from the stress and monotony of daily tasks.

Laduma’s Digital Workspaces

At Laduma, we believe that the new breed of Hybrid Workforce needs a new breed of Hybrid Workspace. We provide a singular digital workspace platform, where you can bring all your favourite applications and tools with you to do your best work together.

Our mission is to drive innovation in a dispersed world by humanising collaborative workflows with technology that brings us closer together. We transform your current physical and digital spaces into digitally enabled hybrid workspaces, allowing you to work faster, smarter and more efficiently and to proritise your most important asset – people.

If you want to hear more about our room mirroring, user profiles and round-the-clock support, among other features, please request a demo.