Workplace of the future. Better & Beyond!

This 2021 Coworking Europe conference deck examined how workplaces could respond to changing employee expectations after COVID-19. It framed the future workplace as a hybrid system linking the office, the home and third spaces within local communities. The office was positioned as a setting for in-person collaboration and social activity, while the home supported online and focused work, and community locations provided meeting hubs, technology and local access. The presentation argued that workplace strategies needed to address human dynamics as well as real estate, technology, cost, sustainability and organisational leadership. It outlined six types of spaces intended to support employee experience, including socialisation, nature-connected, focused-work, learning, creative and collaborative environments. It also introduced six employee personas to illustrate differences in attitudes toward change, individual work, collaboration and workplace atmosphere. Rather than concentrating only on retention or individual office days, the deck proposed managing the entire employee journey, from recruitment and onboarding through development, alumni relationships and possible return. Examples of curated workplace services covered onboarding, learning, mental wellbeing and digital workplace tools, supported by specialist roles in community, behaviour, accessibility, sustainability, inclusion and workplace research.

Key findings

• The deck defined three hybrid work settings: the office, working from home and a third space in the local community.
• The six priority space types covered socialisation, nature, focused work, learning and development, creativity, and project collaboration.
• The presentation used six personas to illustrate differing preferences for solo work, collaboration, workplace atmosphere and organisational change.

Presented by Gitte Andersen, ISS, at Coworking Europe 2021