There is one place where the return to normal has not been the same: the office. The traditional routine—five days a week, from nine to five—no longer exists. In a hybrid environment, going to “work” has become an experience, not a location.
Hybrid working has highlighted that the true value of the office lies in people, not in a specific place. Reconnecting individuals and teams has become essential. When designing an office or workspace, we must consider all the competitive advantages it can offer its users. For instance, a study conducted among Microsoft employees revealed three key motivators that would encourage them to actively return to the office: socializing, teamwork, and sharing productive experiences with colleagues.
Location, culture, and socialization in the workplace environment
In fact, most similar studies warn that nearly half of employees feel that professional relationships have weakened, leading to a sense of disconnection from their companies. Therefore, when designing a workplace, one of the top priorities must be the ability to foster connections at every level. Office design should be focused on building social capital so that employees can do their jobs more effectively, receive support, seize new opportunities, and drive innovation. In other words, it should create environments where being in the office is about much more than sitting at a desk. How? Here are a few examples.
For companies, it’s important—if not essential—to provide spaces that create shared experiences. Designing an environment that encourages both disconnection and focused work, that supports thinking, creating, and collaborating (whether alone or in teams), helps to reduce stress and protect personal time.
The ability to rebuild team connections outside the office is just as important. Activities, challenges, and learning experiences should act as magnets to draw people back to the office from remote settings. Examples include organizing small gatherings nearby, running collaborative workshops, or encouraging group learning sessions. According to the same studies, 80% of younger employees say they are motivated to come into the office to connect with work friends and build relationships with senior leaders. Making that possible is a shared responsibility.
We’re still learning how to make hybrid work truly effective, but one thing is clear: placing people at the center and fostering connection among employees is key to the new role of the office.
