The Offices of the Future Have Arrived — and Here’s What They Look Like

The future of work is hybrid. A year after the pandemic began, 68% of workers surveyed by Prudential Financial said that their ideal professional life would include working both remotely and in the office. But that presents a challenge for companies (including LinkedIn) that now need to rethink their workspaces.

Gone, for the most part, are the open floor plans, with minimal privacy and assigned desks cramped close together and germs just a sneeze away. Gone, too, are the rectangular conference tables with a screen at one end (did anyone joining remotely ever feel like part of the meeting?). According to Microsoft, 66% of business decision makers are now thinking about how to redesign their physical spaces to better accommodate hybrid work. 

A number of companies are paving the way. Here’s a look at six innovative and forward-thinking hybrid offices.

Google creates flexibility with “Team Pods”

One of the biggest challenges with hybrid work is that office needs are always changing, depending on how many employees have come in on a given day. Google found an innovative solution to this by creating “Team Pods.” Dubbed “Ikea meets Lego” by The New York Times, these pods consist of chairs, desks, whiteboards, and storage units on casters that can be wheeled into various arrangements — and rearranged in a matter of hours. For meetings that require privacy, Google is also experimenting with a wheeled robot that inflates cellophane balloon walls to create enclosed spaces.

Microsoft levels the playing field with a new take on conference rooms

Hybrid meetings can be awkward for everyone involved. Sometimes, employees working in the office are barely able to see their on-screen colleagues. Remote workers often feel, well, remote. 

Microsoft has addressed these issues by designing high-tech conference rooms that allow all participants to collaborate on an equal footing. Cameras in the meeting rooms have been moved to eye level, so that remote workers can look their colleagues in the eyes (if only virtually). Video feeds of remote participants also appear at eye level at the bottom of a large horizontal screen, so it seems more like remote workers are in the room. And intelligent speakers, plus immersive surround sound, make it easier for remote employees to figure out who is saying what.

Perkins&Will balances fluid workspaces with sustainability

Perkins&Will was already rethinking the workspace in 2019, when it began designing its new studio in New York. The architectural firm’s leaders envisioned the space as a learning lab, where they could experiment. It proved to be the perfect testing ground for hybrid workplaces. Most of the office’s infrastructure is not fixed, so spaces can be reconfigured easily, and teams work in “project zones” — areas dedicated to team collaboration — rather than at assigned seats.

The firm also has an eye on sustainability, using sensors that track movement and measure light levels, temperature, and CO2, so they only use the AC and lighting that’s needed, based on how many people are in the office.

Hana Financial Group’s new headquarters focus on mental health

Throughout the pandemic, many members of the global workforce have struggled with mental health challenges. To address this, Hana Financial Group has designed its new headquarters — which will open in Cheongna, South Korea, in 2024 — as a restorative workplace, with the presence of nature everywhere. 

The company recently unveiled design plans for this new campus, which will have parklike spaces (with walking trails) outside and looping public pathways that traverse the buildings from top to bottom, inside. The pathways, which zigzag through the buildings, feature natural light, plantings, and terraces, are designed to encourage people to slow down and reconnect with nature, a boon to mental health.

Dropbox creates welcoming spaces for collaboration and connection 

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston views the pandemic as an event that has forced companies to rethink the workspace, and, at the very least, do away with endless rows of cubicles. He has transformed his company into one that is virtual first. As part of this reinvention, Dropbox is launching Dropbox Studios in major cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Tokyo, and Tel Aviv. 

The studios have multiple “soft spaces” with a coffee shop, to create a welcoming, casual feel; conference rooms for teams to have what Houston called “on-site off-sites”; and classrooms for organized group learning. The studios are seen as spaces for collaboration and connection; everything else can be done from remote. The new workspaces include expansive rooms, complete with movable furniture and false walls, for group meetings. They also feature cafes and libraries that Alastair Simpson, the VP of design, calls “touchdown spots” — places to catch up with colleagues, catch up with email, or catch your breath between meetings.

Google takes advantage of the great outdoors

One of employees’ biggest concerns about returning to the office is, of course, COVID-19. While it’s generally considered safe to gather outdoors, indoor environments can be riskier, even for people who are vaccinated. That’s why Google created “Camp Charleston,” an outdoor space for holding larger team gatherings, at its Silicon Valley headquarters. Built in a converted parking lot and lawn area, the camp consists of clusters of tables and chairs under open-air tents, some of which contain state-of-the-art videoconferencing equipment. Google plans to launch similar spaces in London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, and Sydney.

Final thoughts: Innovative hybrid offices help attract and retain workers

If your company hasn’t started rethinking its workspace, you might want to start now. In a recent piece for the Harvard Business Review, Jim Keane and Todd Heiser write: “Organizations that choose a ‘wait and see’ approach risk frustrating their employees who find that the old office doesn’t support the new ways they work — jeopardizing the competitive advantages of bringing people together.”

Companies that adapt and remain flexible, on the other hand, stand to retain and attract the best talent. The office of the future, designed around the needs of a hybrid workforce, Keane and Heiser say, will be “a competitive advantage” for organizations that seize the moment.

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