This is What Hybrid Work Looks Like in Action

Ernst & Young has launched its inaugural EY Future Workplace Index, which tracks executive sentiment and behavioral data around the workplace of the future. The survey – one of the first of its kind and a barometer for the redefinition of the workplace – reveals the future of work is hybrid, meaning historically office-based workforces will work from the office and remote locations at any given time, and, for many, the traditional role of the office will become obsolete.

The survey found that 72% of office-based organizations are currently working in a hybrid environment, and that 75% of respondents anticipate they will not have any one dominant work location going forward. The data points to a new reality: how we work has fundamentally changed, and the office workplace will likely never go back to a traditional nine-to-five, in-office schedule.

“Though hybrid work is here to stay, the C-suite isn’t creating the policies necessary for long-term hybrid workplace success,” says Mark Grinis, EY Global Real Estate, Hospitality & Construction Leader. “We know the pandemic’s effect on future workplaces continues to be substantial. The Index reveals there is a critical gap, and guidelines are needed to maximize sustained workplace success in a hybrid environment.”

Company Culture Has Improved with Hybrid Work

The future is hybrid: Employee flexibility (e.g., choice of work location) has evolved. What used to be a universal perspective on “the right place” to undertake a given role has shifted as 87% of companies say the pandemic has changed the role of the office for their organization.

Productivity has increased: According to 57% of business leaders, productivity is better today than it was pre-pandemic. Companies have found ways to enhance productivity under different working models.

Company culture has actually improved with hybrid work: Seventy percent to eighty-five percent of respondents say their current setup is as or more effective than pre-COVID-19, with productivity, culture, well-being, and operations and processes ranking as the four most improved areas. Eighty-three percent of companies that say their culture has improved currently have less than 50% of their staff full-time in the office.

Small to midsize companies are finding it easier to adapt and thrive in a hybrid workplace: This is particularly the case in the technology and banking sectors, where large firms are finding their current setup less effective than their smaller peers.

Office is Not ‘Dead,’ It’s ‘Changed’

Brian Parker, principal in the office workplace, mixed-use studio at Cooper Carry, believes the workplace is not dead, but has changed.

“There’s more focus on “WE” spaces and far less “ME” spaces to support being together when at the office,” Parker tells GlobeSt. “There’s heavier emphasis on being a ‘cultural hub’ for an organization so they can physically display and exhibit their mission, vision, values and brand identity. There’s movement away from ‘corporate-feeling’ spaces to much more hospitality-influenced, soft, comfortable environments which feel more like home.”

Bill Halter, principal in the office workplace studio at Cooper Carry, believes that hybrid schedules were not introduced during the pandemic. “We were all working some form of ‘work from home’ before March 2020.

“The pandemic put hybrid work (really remote work) into hyper speed and we all had no choice but to work remotely and learn how to use the supporting technology,” Halter tells GlobeSt.

“What was missing during the pandemic was being able to work in person (the other half of hybrid) and we missed that as another work style that is very important to how we collaborate at times.

“Now that we are getting our ‘culture hubs’, aka physical office space back in our tool kit, we are quickly learning how to be truly hybrid. Time will tell whether it supports the greater enterprise and its ability to perform and create new thinking and solutions or not. Personally, I believe it will be better for the enterprise and its people.”

Welcome to Studio Hop, Creative Fridays

Unispace is a global workplace strategy, design and construction firm. Ryan Caffyn-Parsons, CEO, Americas, tells GlobeSt that his company’s blended working approach blends the best of working from home with the best of working in the office.

A hybrid working week is defined as “team members choosing which days they come in and how long for. It’s about recognizing work as an activity, not a place, and providing autonomy over their schedule. Being in a studio takes on new meaning. It is where people – whether employees, clients, and other associates – come together to collaborate, innovate and socialize. Remember though, clients come first, and Unispace trusts their team to keep client experience and project delivery as an absolute priority.”

Its studio hop set-up gives the opportunity to work from any of Unispace’s global studios for up to four weeks each year. Unispace has 48 studios in 26 countries to choose from. “This helps to maximize employee collaboration, broaden their horizons and explore new cultures, or simply better align with holiday plans,” Caffyn-Parsons says.

For creative Fridays, this negates the traditional nine-to-five model, Caffyn-Parsons says, and is aimed at minimizing internal meetings on Friday afternoons.

“Unispace urges employees to prioritize their wellbeing and mental health by choosing how to spend their Friday afternoons, whether that’s relaxing, learning, volunteering, or socializing,” Caffyn-Parsons says.

“As we looked to re-define the future of work, we thought about how we’re positively impacting teams’ physical and mental wellbeing, making a tangible difference in our communities, proactively investing in teams’ career development, and empowering individuals to create the optimal working environment for them and their teams.”

Enabling Happier, More Productive Employees

Mancini has implemented a hybrid model of three days a week in-person at our New York City, Millburn, or Red Bank, New Jersey office, and two days working from home.

“We have always believed in a flexible work environment,” its president and co-owner, Christian Giordano, tells GlobeSt. “This has always been the core of our company culture. We believe in work/life balance because we’ve found it leads to happier, more productive employees.

“Because we design a lot of commercial offices for our clients, we felt it was important to try out safe and flexible approaches at Mancini first in order to guide our clients as they are reopening and looking to us for direction.”

Giordano also maintains that “nothing can replace the power of in-person collaboration, so the three days a week in-person is an essential component of our company culture.”