Hybrid meetings and digital work are breaking the boundaries of the workplace.

Written by Claus Sneppen

The structure of office workplaces is changing rapidly. An increasing number of employees are working flexibly, splitting their time between the office and working remotely from home. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this shift, with office workers now spending up to two days a week working from home, compared to an average of half a day a week before the pandemic. This trend shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Our working reality has entered the digital age, yet our office workplace is still largely stuck in the past. Industrialists like Henry Ford defined the 9-5 approach to office working life at the beginning of the last century, but this approach is no longer suitable for the modern workforce. It is no longer possible to plan workforce and office needs in detail in the long term, as if on an assembly line. Although countless adaptations have been made to office workplaces over the years, from cells to spacious offices and from individual desks to activity-based furnishings, the customised office factories dominated by relatively stereotypical approaches to working life are de facto a thing of the past in a digital reality. They will be replaced by a working life where time, place, and space are more free and flexible. This shift is happening because companies and organisations that work more flexibly create more value for everyone.

Digital development largely defines the way we work, whether with or without a screen. Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being integrated into Microsoft Office, providing direct access to valuable digital sparring and knowledge dissemination. Microsoft is even launching Microsoft Places, an ambitious workplace platform that will connect hybrid and personal work.

For several years, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies has collaborated with both researchers and practitioners from the business world and public organisations to study the design of the office workplace. Its aim is to ensure that it remains up-to-date and relevant. This is important because the office workplace is essential for creating value in organisations, provided it is used correctly.

The modern office workplace is no longer defined by a desk, but rather by our digital screens. The computer has become a priority over the desk, as we are all busy and constantly managing our time: from checking our phones in the morning to falling asleep with them at night. In this digital reality, there is a constant demand for our attention, and we must carefully consider how we spend our time. Although there are benefits to meeting in the office, the daily commute may not always be the best use of time. Often, our habits, expectations, and outdated requirements govern our decisions, rather than what adds the most value to our work and organisation.

The future hybrid and flexible workplace model places great demands on all workplace actors. As always, there will be opportunities and threats in this development, and it is necessary for all actors to reflect on central questions that will need to be answered sooner or later. For example, when should we meet in the office, and when should we work from home? How should the office be thought of, and how can we ensure social interaction with colleagues when we rarely meet in person? Which framework offers the best conditions for creating value for both the organisation and the individual? What concrete actions should management take?

The short answer is that it's about optimising the working life of "bureaucrats," regardless of where the individual employee is located. Simply mandating that everyone must meet at the office three days a week is not good enough. Physical presence must create optimal value for both the individual and the organisation. Otherwise, it is a waste of resources.

Organisations that are hesitant to create an up-to-date and flexible office workplace will be less digitised, productive, efficient, sustainable, and will have greater challenges in attracting and retaining valuable employees compared to those that embrace the flexible workplace. In the future, there will be two types of organisations with corresponding office work models: those that embrace flexibility and those that will be outcompeted.