{"id":5142,"date":"2023-06-26T18:11:38","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T01:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/porter.works\/?p=5142"},"modified":"2023-06-28T12:08:34","modified_gmt":"2023-06-28T19:08:34","slug":"envisioning-the-future-of-hybrid-work-a-conversation-at-the-shop-by-porter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/porter.works\/envisioning-the-future-of-hybrid-work-a-conversation-at-the-shop-by-porter\/","title":{"rendered":"Envisioning the Future of\u00a0Hybrid Work: A Conversation\u00a0at the Shop by Porter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The era of hybrid work, driven by remarkable technological advancements, is reshaping the way we work. But what does this future hold? Porter, in collaboration with\u00a0Steelcase<\/a>,\u00a0OpenSquare<\/a>, and\u00a0One Workplace<\/a>, hosted an engaging event at the Shop by Porter, where industry leaders gathered to delve into this prominent question. We were honored to welcome esteemed panelists Christina Vernon and Patricia Kammer from Steelcase, Stewart Germain from\u00a0Skanska USA<\/a>, and Jacob Riley Simons from\u00a0Gensle<\/a>r. Guided by the expert moderation of Emily Heath from Boldly Belonging, the discussion revealed inspiring insights about human-centered workspaces in the hybrid environment, and set the stage for future exploration of this essential topic.\u00a0\u00a0Read on for highlights below.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n JACOB: We know that people got agency [working remotely during the pandemic]. New parents got to spend time with their family. That was me: my three-year-old was zero and new on the scene so that was my win and every parent with young kids experienced that. We gained time, which is one of the most precious resources, when we lost a commute. We saw relationships restored because time was prioritized. I could go on and on for a week about all the benefits, but it comes down to agency. It came down to learning, to new experiences, open mindset, all those things I think forged a path towards a lot of growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PATRICIA: We’re in the era of attention. People were given autonomy and they found agency. I think what’s equally important is people were seen for the first time ever because they were on video conference calls. Oftentimes what we would hear from people is like, I’m seen.<\/em> Where you place your attention is very, very critical. And I don’t use the words intention, I say attention<\/em>, right? Because I can intend<\/em> to do many things, but if I don’t put my effort into it, then I am not putting my attention there. So, the answer about what are the things that drive people back to the office, or what are these new values, what I would say is that work needs to work. The workspace has to work. Coming back, they’re looking for space and tools, but also for the workspace as a place for socializing with purpose. Organizations and ideas do not move themselves. They move by people. And the number one reason why people tend to come back for \u2018the work\u2019 is because of the purpose. So, this purpose-driven organization is the number one reason people come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n STUART: I think a lot of it comes to a more heightened awareness of humanity and a variety of experiences. Early on for me in lockdown, I was able to make progress on things that were already going remotely, but if I wanted to start something new and creative and go a different direction, I really felt like a loss, like, looking at a screen. So I think the design comes from understanding there’s different types of working and different times of day and different phases of your sort of work environment. And so I think the real question for designers is, how do you create all this variety of spaces and still do so really in an efficient and functional way? <\/p>\n\n\n\n JACOB: What we were really dealing with was a systems challenge that was quite dynamic. It’s not only to talk about our intentions around how we convene, and for what purpose, and what activities do we value in person or at home, but we were dealing with tech and policy and social agreements and norms that had been there forever being just kind of decomposed overnight. So I appreciated that we were taking responsibility for more than we were before, and welcoming in the complexity of the conversation that was already there, but being kinda ignored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n CHRISTINA: I think as people started to come back to the office and back into space and collaborating, everyone realized they missed that connection. We want a better experience. And so we started to think about what are the pain points of the technology? What have we created by having to have every conversation through a Team or a Zoom call? How do we actually get up from our computers and from our PCs and really engage and collaborate in space? And just make sure that people are collaborating, being innovative, like as humans in space again. Let’s have a conversation. Let’s find those little serendipitous times again when we’re back in the office. So I think it’s just making sure that our spaces are working better than just, you know, joining a meeting from home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n STUART: I think Porter’s a great example of this. People got used to being able to sit on a couch and work on their laptop. They don’t have to stay home to sit on a couch. You can do that in the lobby or at the work lounge or the roof deck or whatever it is if you need to get away from your space. You know, people don’t want to be benched anymore. You’re going to take a call or you want to meet somebody, maybe you want to get out of your office, or your apartment. So we’re really seeing that blending back and forth. And that’s what we’re seeing people are really excited about. That’s what’s bringing them back to the office. They want to be at home at work sometimes, and they want to be at the office at work sometimes. But they don’t necessarily want those experiences to be totally different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PATRICIA: I tend to say we are living in the era of the mind, body, and spirit, which is why these beautiful places, these plants around us, relate to us. Adopting community spaces and affording them with beautiful artwork that connects to your heart, to your soul, those are the kinds of experiences that people are craving. The other thing relative to work-life balance is an organization that cares about them. It’s much more of a symbiotic relationship between the employer and the employee, which means it’s not just about giving me health care. It means that when I’m there, you deeply care about me. I think those are the conversations that we need to have, and those are the ways in which \u2018the space\u2019 can nurture this sort. <\/p>\n\n\n\nOn the key benefits and drawbacks of hybrid work models both for employees and organizations:<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
On designing a hybrid work strategy that is tailored to representing organizations’ and their employees\u2019 values in the built environment:<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
On thriving in a hybrid environment and making sure it\u2019s accessible:<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
On how people are promoting work-life balance in this hybrid place:<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n