Rethinking the social clubhouse
Why the office didn't turn into a social clubhouse
When hybrid working made its appearance, the expectation was great: the office would turn into a kind of social clubhouse. A place where colleagues would gather primarily for brainstorms, meetings and social gatherings. Home would then be the place for concentrated work. Reality turned out to be different. Of course colleagues meet back at the office, but just as often they do so digitally. It is now quite normal for employees to videocall from any corner or behind any desk. Large meeting rooms are occupied by one or two people, while others are desperately seeking for silence or a free spot.
- Individual work in silence
- Scheduled meetings
- Phone calls
- Working together in a focused way
- Informal, unscheduled meetings
- Video confererence
- Relaxing & taking breaks
- Informal social interactions
The result?
Crowded meeting rooms that are not available to teams.
Noisy work floors Where phone calls and calls get mixed up.
Employees going home exhausted, feeling that they have been able to do little.
Today's office must offer more: space for collaboration and concentration, meeting and rest. And that requires a smart, flexible layout that adapts to how people work, not the other way around.
