Why the physical workplace still plays a critical role in your organization

Buildings often don’t get the credit they deserve. They ground your organization and play a deep, cultural role – even when many employees aren’t there. They serve as a physical embodiment of your brand, bring employees together, and allow you to bring cultural values to life. And it’s through engaging and connecting your staff that your workplace becomes one of your most valuable assets.

Remote work is here to stay, with only 12% of knowledge workers wanting to work from an office exclusively. Yet the office isn’t going away either, as only 16% of workers want to be fully remote. An overwhelming majority agree that a hybrid workplace is the future of work, and the office will play a major role in keeping people connected.

Collisions and unplanned conversations between employees are critical for innovation. Yet in a remote work setting, meetings tend to only happen deliberately. This creates barriers between people and can foster a culture of isolation.

People may meet with direct reports, supervisors, and a few members of their team, but impromptu collisions between employees are unlikely to happen. Especially collisions between different departments. Yet these collisions are where the magic happens, and are so important that companies like Zappos use employee collisions as a measure of success in their workplaces.

 

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