So how much space do you need for a hybrid way of working?

There are a variety of reasons why you might want to rethink the size of your office, or offices, for a post-COVID way of working.

One reason is, yes, financial.
Why spend money on an empty office, or an office that is generally only used to a fraction of its capacity? The potential financial savings are considerable. In one notable example, we recently worked through a careful review process with M&C Saatchi Group that culminated in a property strategy that will save the company $20 million over the next 10 years.

The other reason is cultural.
Counter-intuitively, having too large office spaces can disincentivise your teams from commuting in since they are liable to experience a ‘ghost-town’ effect when they arrive. I talk through this effect here.

It can be helpful to consider the concept of a ‘signature memory’ that can be established for people on your team, both in the negative and positive sense. If they come into an empty office, this may leave a memory that is unconsciously referenced the next time they have to choose whether to come in. This can be reversed – by creating an office with some buzz (but also equipped with retreat spaces) you can foster some positive signature memories – of social connection, solidarity, and support. This subsequently creates a subtle halo effect toward the benefits of making the effort to attend the office.

Actually, creating an office space that is just the right size, considering the peaks and troughs of team attendance, depends on understanding the functional and cultural characteristics of your people.

Last year we took it upon ourselves to create a DIY Property Calculator that would allow leaders to undertake their own initial analysis of exactly these characteristics.
We walk you through how to run this calculation in this webinar. Or you can go straight to the spreadsheet calculator itself here.

Interested to know how our Workplace Strategy team can help? Visit our hybrid working dedicated website page or click here to book a chat with one of our experienced strategists.