The New Eraof Hybrid Work
It’s Time to Give People What They WantGlobal Report

The New Era of Hybrid Work1

About Our ReseachFebruary 2022

About Our Research
Since the onset of the pandemic in
March 2020, Steelcase has conducted
12+ global studies with over 57,000
employees and business leaders tounderstand the impact it’s had on how
and where people and organizations
will work in the future.
This issue shares the insights from a global study
designed to measure the current mindset of office
workers and investigates their experiences, needs
and expectations for working at the office and at
home. The latest quantitative study was conductedin the fall of 2021 in 11 countries and included
4,986 participants.
Steelcase is committed to ongoing research tounderstand how work and the office is shifting
during this time of rapid change to help people dotheir best work by creating places that work better.
To stay connected to our research and insights
visit steelcase.com/subscribe.

12+ 11 57,000
Studies

Countries

Employees and Leaders

What’s Inside:
02

The Trust Crisis
04

05

What People Need andExpect Now

Key Findings
06

The Impact of the Office12

Remote Work vs. Assigned
Workspace

21

Increasing Importanceof Private Spaces

28

The Hybrid Neighborhood
29

How the Workplace Needs toChange to Earn People’s Commute

31

Building a Neighborhoodat Work

32

Design Principles

33

Creating Community at WorkThe New Era of Hybrid Work

2

The Trust Crisis

The Trust Crisis
Organizations around the world are facing crucial
challenges and uncertainty on multiple fronts. The
talent crisis and eroding trust are two critical issues
they will need to solve to successfully compete intoday’s complex business environment. The labormarket is hot and people are quitting in record
numbers. And it’s not just for more money. During
the pandemic, there’s been a major shift in employee
expectations and people are re-evaluating theirlives — both personally and professionally. Whether
you call it The Great Resignation, The Great
Reshuffle, The Great Reckoning or The Great
Recognition, leaders are struggling with what
to do to attract and retain talent.
The change in employee expectations and shift in values
have also led to an increase in employee activism. People
no longer just want a job. They want and expect to work for
a company that shares their values and beliefs and they’re
not just concerned about themselves — they’re concerned
about the big picture and the sociopolitical stance of thecompany. As a result, the voice of the employee has neverbeen louder or had a greater impact.

At the same time, organizations are experiencing what The
Atlantic has dubbed a “trust recession.” Trust is eroding
among colleagues as a result of the physical separation they
have experienced over the past two years. A recent study ofmore than 5,400 Finnish workers found “the longer employees
were apart from one another during the pandemic, the moretheir faith in colleagues fell.” People begin to question theircolleagues’ competence and character.
Eroding trust is exacerbating the talent crisis. Leaders needto“work to rebuild and maintain trusting relationships — withand among their employees,” writes The Harvard Business
Review. “Those that don’t risk far more than lower morale.
The chances of increased attrition, lower productivity andstalled innovation also loom large when trust plummets.”

The New Era of Hybrid Work

3

The Trust Crisis

What people really want is tofeel valued and feel a sense of
belonging to their organization.

Leaders are trying to do the right thing. They’re raising salaries
and benefits, offering signing bonuses and shifting to hybrid
work models to give people more flexibility. Yet, according toresearch from McKinsey, these choices can create a transactional
relationship with employees, and may not provide what people
really want: to feel valued and feel a sense of belonging totheir organization.
This newest installment of Steelcase research conducted with
employees around the world uncovers how the office can help.
The office can be a vehicle for communicating values andcreating a community at work where people feel they belong.
The workplace is the body language of an organization and it
speaks volumes about the culture and what’s important toleaders. This study shows how important the office is to people,
what workers need in this new reality and how the places
people work can be a crucial part of an organization’s
strategy to solve the complex issues leaders face today.
Offering remote work and higher salaries are important steps,
but they’re not enough to create a systemic and sustainabledifference. Leaders must also address the impact the work
experience and the workplace can have to meet new employee
needs and build a more resilient organization that can thrive inan era of change and uncertainty.

The New Era of Hybrid Work

4

The Trust Crisis

What People Needand Expect Now
Last year, Steelcase research revealed people wanta dramatically different and better work experienceand identified five critical employee needs that,when addressed, will improve how they feel about
their company:
Belonginga sense of community, trust and shared purpose
Control
more choice and control over where, when andhow they work
Productivity
support in-office and remote workers more equally
to focus, collaborate and build relationships
Comfortplaces to rejuvenate and support wellbeing
Safetybe and feel physically and psychologically safeThis research continues to reinforce people’s needs and helps
pinpoint actions organizations can take to leverage their office,not just as a place to do work, but as an asset that helps solve
many of the thorny issues they face today.
The research reaffirms the importance of the office and reveals
whether people like or dislike their office makes a difference:
People who like working from their office are significantly moreengaged and productive, connected to their company’s culture
and less likely to leave.

The New Era of Hybrid Work

5

Key FindingsKey
Findings

Key Finding #1
The office plays a crucial role in how people relate
to their organization — when people like working
from their office they are more:• Engaged• Productive• Connected to culture• Likely to stayThis new research reaffirms
the importance of the office
and reveals three key findings.
By addressing these findings, organizations have an
opportunity to focus on the things that really matter,and make changes to their workplaces that will havethe greatest impact on their people and their business.

Key Finding #2
People are willing to trade remote workdays fortheir own workspace in the office — while theywant the autonomy and flexibility of hybrid work,
people are looking for choice and control and asense of belonging.
Key Finding #3
Access to private spaces is more important than ever.
Contrary to the headlines, people want their office
to help them collaborate and focus.

The New Era of Hybrid Work

6

Key Findings

Key Finding #1
When people like working from theiroffice, they are more engaged, connectedto the organization’s culture, productive
and likely to stay.
Steelcase researchers analyzed a wide range of factorsthat could influence important employee outcomes such as
engagement, productivity, feeling connected to the company
culture and retention. They looked at things many organizations
are addressing now such as income and offering hybrid work.
They also included other factors such as commute, tenure withthe company and size of the company. The factor that mostimpacted engagement, productivity and feeling connected tothe culture is, perhaps unexpectedly, when people like working
from the office. Employee retention is most influenced by theirtenure with the organization — followed by whether they likeworking in the office.

People who like working from their office are:

33%

30%

9%

20%

More engaged

More connected
to culture

More productive

Less likely
to leave

The New Era of Hybrid Work

7

Key Findings

Key Finding #1

Impact to Engagement
and Productivity
In all 11 countries studied, people are more engaged andproductive if they like working from their office. Some of themost significant impacts to engagement are in Japan andFrance. And those in Japan, China and France saw thebiggest impacts to productivity.

People who like working from their office are:More Engaged

More Productive

33%

Global9%

Global32%

Australia

6%

Australia

26%

Canada3%

Canada

26%

China

18%

China

33%

France13%

France22%

Germany

6%

Germany

31%

India

11%

India

38%

Japan

27%

Japan

21%

Mexico6%

Mexico

26%

Spain

5%

Spain

32%

United Kingdom

8%

United Kingdom

24%

United States

4%

United States

The New Era of Hybrid Work

8

Key Findings

Key Finding #1

Impact to Connection to
Culture and Retention
In all 11 countries studied, people are more connected tocompany culture and less likely to leave if they like working
from their office. Some of the most significant impacts to culture
are in China, Japan and France. And those in the UK, France,
Germany and Spain were significantly less likely to leave than
the global average if they liked working from their office.

People who like working from their office are:More Connected to Culture

Less Likely to Leave

30%

Global20%

Global29%

Australia

20%

Australia

22%

Canada16%

Canada

51%

China

24%

China

35%

France27%

France19%

Germany

26%

Germany

26%

India

19%

India

42%

Japan

19%

Japan

20%

Mexico2%

Mexico

26%

Spain

25%

Spain

29%

United Kingdom

27%

United Kingdom

29%

United States

10%

United States

The New Era of Hybrid Work

9

Key Findings

Key Finding #1

Office or Home?
Nearly all employees (87%) will spend at least someof their week working from the office, so whether or
not they like being there can have a substantial
impact. But Steelcase researchers found that more
employees say they prefer working from home thanthe office.
If organizations could improve the office experience, shift
perceptions of people with no preference and win over someof the people who currently prefer home, it could offer a returnon investment in terms of increased engagement, productivity,
connection to the organization and employee retention.
Simply letting people who say they prefer to work from home
do so even more carries risk. The lack of physical presencein the office hurts retention and organizational connection.
People who prefer to work remotely more than two days per
week are significantly more likely to say they will leave theircompany in the next six months. Those that prefer to workfrom home permanently also have lower scores for engagement
and culture. Although their productivity does not suffer, thislack of physical connection is leading to an overall disconnection
from the organization.
By changing the work environment and giving people more ofwhat they need and expect, organizations can create a better
work experience and improve these outcomes.

Where people prefer to work

45%

34%

21%

Prefer Working
from HomeNo Preference

Prefer Working
from the Office

The New Era of Hybrid Work

10

Key Findings

Key Finding #1

Office or Home?
In every country studied, more people prefer to work fromhome than the office. A significant percentage of people haveno preference — which signals a significant opportunity fororganizations to shift perceptions if they improve the officeexperience.
Noteworthy: Canadians prefer to work at home the most, while only 27%
of people in China and 30% in India prefer to work at home. Only 14% of
Americans and 15% of Canadians prefer to work from the office more.

Where people prefer to work

GlobalAustralia
CanadaChina
FranceGermany
India
Japan
MexicoSpain
United Kingdom
United States

45%

34%

47%

21%

36%

62%

17%
24%

27%

52%

14%
21%

47%

32%

21%

51%

27%

22%

30%

40%

41%

39%

34%

21%

41%

42%

25%

32%

58%

25%
26%

52%

Prefer Working from Home

30%

32%

No Preference

Prefer Working from the Office

16%
15%

The New Era of Hybrid Work

11

Key Findings

Key Finding #1

Factors Impacting
Employee Behaviors
How much people like working from their office has thegreatest impact on employee engagement, productivity andhow connected people feel to their company’s culture. It is
second to tenure for employee retention. It ranked significantly
higher than factors like income and remote work.
Noteworthy: To determine engagement, productivity and connection
to culture, researchers used index scores which measure multiple,
proven dimensions of each outcome. They then compared dozens offactors to those outcomes to determine which factors most significantly
impact outcome scores. Retention was a single question, but was
analyzed in the same way as all other outcomes.

Engagement

Connection to Culture58%

How much you like working from your office

62%

How much you like working from your office21%

How progressive your workspace is

23%

How progressive your workspace is

5%

How much remote work is allowed

4%

How much remote work is allowed

2%

Income1%

Income1%

Commute1%

Commute1%Longer tenure

1%

Longer tenure

15%

Other

8%

Other

Productivity

Retention

57%

How much you like working from your office41%

Longer tenure18%

How progressive your workspace is

28%

How much you like working from your office8%

Income6%

Commute4%

How much remote work is allowed3%

How progressive your workspace is2%Longer tenure

2%

Income1%

Commute1%

How much remote work is allowed

10%

Other

19%

Other

The New Era of Hybrid Work

12

Key Findings

Key Finding #2

People are more likely to choose an assigned workspace overmore remote workdays.

People are willing to trade remote
workdays for their own workspace atthe office. While they want the autonomy
and flexibility of hybrid work, people arelooking for choice and control and asense of belonging.
Organizations are responding to people’s desire for flexibility
and privacy by offering a range of hybrid work options, which
can offer a level of autonomy many people hadn’t experienced
before the pandemic — 42% never worked from home and20% did so occasionally. But hybrid work options alone don’t
address employees’ overall needs. In fact, people are willing totrade remote workdays for more privacy, comfort and control
within the office. When asked to choose, more people said
they’d prefer to have an assigned desk in the office and fewerdays working from home.

55%

Assigned workspace +WFH ≤ 2 days a week45%

No assigned workspace +WFH ≥ 3 days a week

The New Era of Hybrid Work

13

Key Findings

Key Finding #2

Which Would You Choose:
Assigned Desk or Remote Work?
Employees’ desire for an assigned workspace is probably
surprising news for organizations who thought they were
giving people what they want by offering more hybrid
options. But having a place to call home within the officesignals to people they belong and also gives them thelatitude to personalize the space and make it their own,
which is more important than many leaders realize.
Noteworthy: Of the 11 countries surveyed, only workers in Australia,
Canada and the UK prefer more work from home over an assigned
workspace.

More people want an assigned workspace in the office

77%
67%
62%

60%
55%

59%

54%
45%

53%
47%

46%
40%

50%

60%

56%

51%

50%
44%

41%

38%

40%

33%
23%

GlobalAssigned workspace +WFH ≤ 2 days a week

Australia

CanadaChina

No assigned workspace +WFH ≥ 3 days a week

FranceGermany

India

Japan

MexicoSpain

UnitedKingdom

UnitedStates49%

The New Era of Hybrid Work

14

Key Findings

Key Finding #2

Desire for an
Assigned Workspace
Well before the pandemic hit, the open plan office was getting a
lot of debate. Inspired by the exceptionally open spaces favoredby tech startups and intended to promote collaboration andinnovation, many organizations embraced the open plan for its
efficient use of real estate. As workers became more mobile,
companies experimented with increasingly unassigned spaces.
Yet the trend toward open offices got pushback from employees
who felt overexposed and struggled to concentrate. Those who
no longer had their own desk sometimes found it freeing to work
anywhere, but also felt unsettled if they didn’t have a clear place
to call home in the office. Then, the pandemic hit. Large numbersof office workers were required to work from home. And for many,
the experience wasn’t all bad. Early Steelcase research foundthat the top thing people disliked was isolation, but they liked
skipping the commute. As people adjusted, many felt a greater
sense of control over their work experience at home (althoughthat experience wasn’t equal for everyone. See The Hidden
Bias of Working from Home). The majority of people globally(70%) have a dedicated workspace at home.

70%of people have a dedicated workspace at home

51%
work in the open plan at the office

The New Era of Hybrid Work

15

Key Findings

Key Finding #2

Where People WorkIn all 11 countries studied, more people have a dedicatedworkspace at home (either a home office or a work zone)
than they do in the office. Workers in Australia, Japan andthe UK are most likely to work in the open plan in the office.

More people have dedicated workspaces at home than in the office

At HomeGlobalAustralia
CanadaChina
FranceGermany
India
Japan
MexicoSpain

Home office: private room dedicated to work
Work zone: portion of space within an existing room with
office furniture
Multipurpose area: residential furniture supports both workand personal activities (ie. dining table)
Temporary set-up: area supports work and personal activities(ie. kitchen counter) that reverts to its primary function when
not used for work

United Kingdom
United States

38%

In the Office

32%

46%

25%

51%

25%

29%

39%

31%

29%

21% 10%25%

23% 6%

17%

17% 7%

24%

23%

9%

26%

11%

37%

16% 7%

39%

28%

47%

30%

16%
14%

22%

35%

29%

22%

11% 13%39%

19% 9%

29%

31%

39%

22% 8%

20%

34%

31%

44%

14%

16%

17% 7%

33%

21%

31%

58%

4%

50%
37%

39%

35%
70%
23%
23%

16%

3%

4%
6%

47%
56%
59%

19%

1%

31% 3%

26%

19% 13%

34%

2%

24%

40%

3%

65%

23%

28%

14%

51%

21%

47%

2%
2%
6%
5%

Home office

Multipurpose area

Enclosedindividual office

Individual workspacein the open plan

Work zone

Temporary set-up

Enclosed teamspace/project room

Unsure/other

The New Era of Hybrid Work

16

Key Findings

Key Finding #2

Leaders Have a Better Work
Experience Than Employees

Leaders are more likely to have a private officeand like working from their office

While the majority of people have a dedicated workspaceat home, those who don’t are more likely to be employees,
who are also less likely to work in private offices than seniorleaders. Yet, employees spend more than half theirtime doing focused work compared to less than a third ofleaders’ time. Given this traditional hierarchy in many offices,it’s also not surprising people say they prefer to work fromhome where — even if they have to work on the sofa — they
are more likely to have a greater sense of control over their work
experience and more privacy. Globally, leaders like working intheir offices more than employees — not surprising given theiraccess to privacy.

79%

49%

56%

51%
31%

Noteworthy: The gap between leaders and employees widens incountries like Australia, Canada, the UK and the US.

19%

Have a private office

Employees

Time spent focusing

Leaders

Like working from their office

The New Era of Hybrid Work17

Key Findings

Key Finding #2

Leaders Prefer the
Workplace MoreIn all 11 countries, leaders prefer working in the office more thanemployees. The gap is especially large in the United States aswell as Canada, the UK and Australia.

Who likes working from their office more?

Employees

Leaders

56%

Global79%

Global51%

Australia

80%

Australia

42%

Canada76%

Canada

73%

China

82%

China

54%

France77%

France60%

Germany

68%

Germany

76%

India

87%

India

37%

Japan

64%

Japan

70%

Mexico85%

Mexico

57%

Spain

77%

Spain

46%

United Kingdom

78%

United Kingdom

50%

United States

89%

United States

The New Era of Hybrid Work18

Key Findings

Key Finding #2

Leaders and Privacy
It’s not surprising that in all 11 countries studied leaders are more
likely to have a private office than employees. The gap is thelargest in the US, Canada and China.

Who is more likely to have a private office?

Employees

Leaders

19%

Global49%

Global10%Australia

44%

Australia

15%

Canada60%

Canada

18%

China

63%

China

32%

France60%

France34%

Germany

63%

Germany

18%

India

37%

India

9%

Japan

29%

Japan

20%

Mexico55%

Mexico

13%

Spain

30%

Spain

12%

United Kingdom

33%

United Kingdom

24%

United States

66%

United States

The New Era of Hybrid Work

19

Key Findings

Key Finding #2

Leaders and Focus Work
Despite having more access to privacy, leaders spend less time
doing focused work than employees. This holds true in all 11 of
the countries studied.

Employees spend more time doing focus work

Employees

Leaders51%

Global31%

Global52%

Australia

27%

Australia

58%

Canada31%

Canada

38%

China

26%

China

59%

France40%

France53%

Germany

36%

Germany

31%

India

22%

India

52%

Japan

32%

Japan

43%

Mexico28%

Mexico

60%

Spain

41%

Spain

56%

United Kingdom

31%

United Kingdom

57%

United States

26%

United States

The New Era of Hybrid Work20

Key Findings

Key Finding #2

Assigned DesksAre Decreasing
Organizations are making real estate decisions based onwhat they expect to be reduced levels of occupancy as hybrid
work is adopted. One of those decisions is to shift to moreunassigned desks to accommodate flexibility. Globally, 15% of
employees working for large organizations (10,000+ employees)
have lost their assigned desk; overall, regardless of the size ofthe organization, 10% of employees have lost their assigned
desk, compared to pre-pandemic.
While the data suggests organizations should stick withassigned desks, it is possible to create workplaces that give

people choice and control and help them feel a sense of
belonging by thinking about ownership in new ways — consider
team ownership, project ownership or temporary ownership.
While the strategy to shift to more unassigned spaces may help
with real estate costs, it could increase other costs that are harder
to measure or see immediately. Without a dedicated workspaceor a clear understanding of where people can find a place todo their individual work, leave their belongings or find a teammember, people may feel uprooted. This growing group of
nomads is struggling to feel connected to their company or asense of belonging, adding to the loneliness and isolation theyexperienced working from home during the pandemic.
Just as policies are changing to accommodate the desire forhybrid work, so should spaces. The workplace will need to
draw people in and provide them with even better spaces andamenities than people are currently experiencing at home if
leaders expect them to return to the office.

Fewer assigned workspaces than pre-pandemic
Australia

GlobalCanadaChina

FranceGermany

India

Japan

MexicoSpain

UnitedKingdom

UnitedStates

0%
-3%
-10%

-10%

-8%

-5%

-7%
-11% -11%

-11%
-14%

-15%

-13%

-11%

-6%

-7%
-13%

-8%

-9%

-13%

-15%

-25%

Large organizations(10,000+ employees)

-26%

-34%
All organizations

WhatNew
The
Employees
Era of Hybrid
Want Workin the New
KeyEraFindingsof Hybrid Work21

Key Findings

Key Finding #3
Access to private spaces is more
important than ever, especially as
more work happens on video.
People want their office to help
them collaborate and focus as
they adopt new hybrid work habits.
There are dramatic shifts in how and where people work,
which are likely to continue to evolve as organizations adjust
to whatever form of hybrid work is best for them. In this highly
fluid environment, organizations are trying to determine thebest strategies for their current offices and there is a wave of
conversations suggesting the office should be designed forcollaboration and socialization — some even suggesting theoffice become more like a clubhouse.
Leveraging the workplace to help build relationships is, without
a doubt, critical for creating a strong culture and helping people
feel a much needed sense of belonging. But the office needs
to do much more. People are spending more time than ever onvideo calls, which has radically changed the way work happens.
It’s clear the technology platform is only part of the solution —people also need spaces designed to support this new way ofworking.
Noteworthy: When asked what office features are more important topeople now than before the pandemic, the top two are about spaces
for hybrid meetings. The top three-out-of-four all relate to more accessto private spaces for video calls and focus work.

What people value more in the office now

Global64%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

62%

Single-person enclaves for hybrid meetings

61%

Privacy

58%

Workspace with full or partial enclosure

57%

Reservable workspaces

52%

Flexible furniture

52%

Informal spaces to connect with colleagues

49%

Large number of collaborative spaces

47%

Sustainable office furniture

The New Era of Hybrid Work22

Key Findings

Key Finding #3

What People Value Morein the Office Now

GlobalAustralia

CanadaChina

64%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

68%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

64%

Privacy74%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

62%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

65%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

62%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

72%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure

61%

Privacy

61%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure

59%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

71%

Reservable workspaces

58%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure

60%

Privacy

53%

Reservable workspaces

69%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

57%

Reservable workspaces

58%

Reservable workspaces

52%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure

67%

Privacy

52%

Flexible furniture

56%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

49%

Flexible furniture

63%

Sustainable office furniture

52%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

55%

Flexible furniture

45%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

61%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

49%

Large number of collaborative spaces

51%

Large number of collaborative spaces

40%

Large number of collaborative spaces

58%

Flexible furniture

47%

Sustainable office furniture51%

Sustainable office furniture

39%

Sustainable office furniture

58%

Large number of collaborative spaces

The New Era of Hybrid Work23

Key Findings

Key Finding #3

What People Value More in
the Office Now (continued)

FranceGermany

India

Japan

56%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

58%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure80%

Privacy

50%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

53%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

57%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

78%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

46%

Hybrid collaboration spaces48%

Privacy

56%

Privacy75%

Flexible furniture

45%

Privacy

48%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure

55%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

75%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

39%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure

45%

Reservable workspaces

53%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

74%

Large number of collaborative spaces

32%

Reservable workspaces

41%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

48%

Flexible furniture

73%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

29%

Flexible furniture40%

Flexible furniture

45%

Reservable workspaces

73%

Reservable workspaces

28%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

36%

Sustainable office furniture42%

Large number of collaborative spaces

70%

Sustainable office furniture

28%

Sustainable office furniture

33%

Large number of collaborative spaces

40%

Sustainable office furniture

69%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure

26%

Large number of collaborative spaces

The New Era of Hybrid Work24

Key Findings

Key Finding #3

What People Value More in
the Office Now (continued)

MexicoSpain

United Kingdom

United States

76%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure70%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

61%

Reservable workspaces

66%

Privacy75%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

65%

Large number of collaborative spaces

60%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

64%

Hybrid collaboration spaces

74%

Privacy64%

Flexible furniture

59%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

63%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

73%

Reservable workspaces

64%

Privacy

53%

Privacy

53%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure

70%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

64%

Single-person enclaves
for hybrid meetings

53%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure

52%

Reservable workspaces

65%

Flexible furniture

60%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

52%

Flexible furniture

51%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

65%

Large number of collaborative spaces

59%

Reservable workspaces

49%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

46%

Flexible furniture

60%

Informal spaces to connect
with colleagues

54%

Sustainable office furniture45%

Large number of collaborative spaces

42%

Large number of collaborative spaces

58%

Sustainable office furniture

51%

Workspace with fullor partial enclosure

41%

Sustainable office furniture40%

Sustainable office furniture

The New Era of Hybrid Work

25

Key Findings

Key Finding #3

People Need the Office toSupport All Work Modes
Certainly, collaboration and staying connected to other people
have been difficult during the pandemic. The opportunities towork side-by-side, where everyone can participate equally,
have been constrained. It’s no surprise when people need towork with others, they prefer to be in the office, and co-working
facilities are viable options for some.

Where people prefer to do different types of work

60%
49%

45%

45%

34%

30%

Which is why, as organizations rethink the role of the workplacein an era of hybrid work, some say the office will become adestination for collaboration and bringing people together,assuming people will do individual focus work at home.
The problem is that’s not how work happens. Weeks aren’t
neatly divided into collaboration days and focus days —people do both group and individual work throughout their day.
Highly effective collaboration actually requires an ebb and flowof working together and alone. And, for most people, thecommute makes it impractical to shift between the office andhome throughout the day, which means people will struggle
to be productive if the workplace doesn’t provide the accessto privacy that has become even more important to people
during the pandemic.

60%

25%
16%

20% 22%

17%

8%

7%
Focus

Home

16%

Meetings

OfficeCollaboration

Socializing/
Networking

Rejuvenation

Co-working

The reason people prefer to do individual work from home may
be because they need more privacy than their current openplan office offers them — which is what most people have —especially at a time when they have focus work and anincreasing amount of time spent on video interactions.
Collaboration may draw people to the office, but if people can’t
do individual focus work there as well, they will struggle to feel
productive after they’ve made the commute.
Note: Numbers do not add up to 100%. Remaining is categorized as “other.”

The New Era of Hybrid Work26

Key Findings

Key Finding #3

Where People Prefer to
Do Different Types of Work
GlobalFocus
Meetings
Collaboration
Socializing/
Networking
Rejuvenation

Australia

30%

60%
45%

34%

7%

67%

16%

39%

Meetings
Collaboration
Socializing/
Networking
Rejuvenation

24% 6%

76%

13%

54%

44%

16% 6%
29%

13%

25%

49%

20%

25%

53%

18%

38%

36%

20%

22%

45%

20%

20%

49%

15%

31%

39%

15%

8%

70%

11% 6%

75%

16%

60%

China

Focus

CanadaGermany

France

52%

37%

6%

56%

8% 8%

34%

5%

57%

32%

7%
22%

15%

41%

39%

24%

54%

16%

33%

9%

50%

35%

21%

55%

18%

20%

46%

28%

12%

30%

28%

27%

16%

19%

47%

26%

13%

68%

12% 5%

59%

15%

48%

Home

OfficeCo-working

48%

37%

16% 7%

Note: Numbers do not add up to 100%. Remaining is categorized as “other.”

The New Era of Hybrid Work

27

Key Findings

Key Finding #3

Where People Prefer to
Do Different Types of Work (continued)
India

Focus
Meetings
Collaboration
Socializing/
Networking
Rejuvenation

Japan

30%

55%
28%
19%
24%
36%

50%
49%
38%
27%

11%

49%

16%

23%

25%

22%

19%

11%

16%

64%

Spain

Focus
Meetings
Collaboration
Socializing/
Networking
Rejuvenation

8%

61%

66%

9%

29%

48%

13%

57%

11%

25%

51%

20%

10%

21%

42%

15%

14% 5%

50%

41%

61%

United Kingdom

27%

63%
41%

Mexico

42%

6%

74%

12%

44%

28%

17%

10%

8%

United States

43%

19% 6%

67%

10%

47%

26% 4%
37%

11%

28%

52%

12%

31%

47%

18%

36%

43%

12%

26%

52%

15%

25%

45%

14%

29%

44%

11%

8%

71%

11% 6%

67%

29%

50%

Home

OfficeCo-working

17% 4%

Note: Numbers do not add up to 100%. Remaining is categorized as “other.”

The New Era of Hybrid Work

The Hybrid Neighborhood

The Hybrid
Neighborhood
The hybrid workplace should be
more like a thriving community where
people feel belonging and purpose.
Hybrid work changes everything and people havenew expectations for their workplace. The office must
adapt to evolving and fluid work patterns. Hybrid
neighborhoods are diverse, inclusive and respondto what people and organizations need today.

28

The New Era of Hybrid Work29

The Hybrid Neighborhood

How the Workplace Needs toChange to Earn People’s Commute
The paradigms that guided office design in thepast no longer work today. As this research shows,
87% of people are going to spend time in the office,but they’re going to be working differently than they
did before the pandemic. What matters most to
employees has changed and the way work happens
has changed. Offices will have to change to meet thepragmatic needs for this new era of hybrid work. But
they also have to address the needs and expectationsof people who are looking for a fundamentallydifferent experience at work. In short, the officemust earn people’s commute.

The workplace should draw inspirationfrom a new source — the vibrantcommunities in which we live.
Jane Jacobs, author of “The Death and Life of Great American
Cities,” argued decades ago people need diverse neighborhoods
to thrive, where homes, bustling sidewalks, shops, parks andpublic spaces come together and “exist in extraordinary variety.”
They exude vitality and energy — nothing is static — places andactivities adapt and change. The neighborhood is where people
form relationships, feel a sense of belonging and build trust.

The New Era of Hybrid Work“A better vision for a workplace is acommunity — a place where people
bond around shared values, feelvalued as human beings, and havea voice in decisions that affect them.”
Adam Grant

30

The Hybrid Neighborhood

Organizational psychologist and author Adam Grant agrees
with this today. “A better vision for a workplace is a community —a place where people bond around shared values, feel valued
as human beings, and have a voice in decisions that affectthem,” says Grant. The best neighborhoods are ones that foster
inclusion and exude personality, where ideas are born andtrends are launched. This is what people at work need morethan ever before.
Organizations can create diverse neighborhoods in theirworkplace as a tangible way to communicate their values andshift their culture. The workplace can create the same energy
and connection that people feel sitting in a sidewalk cafe or
the same level of flow they experience in their local library.

The New Era of Hybrid Work

31

The Hybrid Neighborhood

Building a
Neighborhood at Work
Neighborhoods at work, like the ones people live in, area homebase for people and teams, departments or project
teams. They include a variety of interconnected space
types that support a mixture of uses, feel organic andflow naturally from one to another. They include:• Individual spaces that are assigned to one personor shared among the team• Collaboration spaces for in-person and virtual interactions
that support the different ways people need to work together• Places with appropriate privacy for individual heads down
work or finding solitude and rejuvenation• Areas to gather, socialize and learn with teammates
Neighborhoods become a destination, where people feel
comfort and confidence they can find their teammates andthe tools they need for their work.

Hybrid neighborhoods meet new ways ofworking and expectations when based on
three key design objectives.
EquityCreate a more equitable and inclusive experience
for all participants, with a design goal to eliminate
the gap between co-located and remote employees.
Engagement
Design settings for a range of experiences that
help people participate fully, focus deeply andstay in flow longer.
Ease
Design a variety of intuitive virtual and physicalexperiences that are easy to navigate and control.

The New Era of Hybrid Work32

The Hybrid Neighborhood

Design Principles
While every neighborhood has its own distinctive
character — Soho in New York is very different
from Soho in London — there are four key designprinciples that can guide the creation of a vibrantneighborhood.

Me + We
Just as city neighborhoods have homes andshared spaces, the new neighborhood at work
supports both individual and team work. The
amount of space for each will vary, but theneighborhood supports people doing different
types of work throughout the day. Most say
they spend 55% of their day working alone
and 45% with others, making it impracticalto plan an office for collaboration only andexpect people to simply go home to focus.
Neighborhoods also help people make quick
shifts between different kinds of work andlearn from being around others.

Fixed to Fluid
Great neighborhoods evolve as needed when
new people move in or a new store opens. At
work, change is constant, sometimes in small
ways as teams need to add more people, orin significant ways when they need morecollaboration spaces. Spaces in the new
hybrid neighborhood are modular, movableand multi-use — they can support different
types of work and be reconfigured or
modified easily.

Open + Enclosed
Privacy in the office has surfaced as one oftheissues that became even more importantduring the pandemic. People struggled withsignificantly open office plans and now, afterworking from home, have become even moresensitive to the need for control over theirprivacy. Great neighborhoods offer the blendof private and public spaces that makes theneighborhood diverse and dynamic — thekind of place people choose to live in.

Braiding Digital and Physical
Just as urban planners are creating smart
cities, hybrid neighborhoods at work need to
do the same. Video meetings are a new normin the office and everyone needs to see and be
seen, hear and be heard. With fewer assigned
spaces, online booking systems can help
people find a place to call their own, even if
it’s just for a day. The technology needs to beeasy to use, but most employees say thebiggest issue with their current areas for video
meetings is that the space is too small or
uncomfortable.

The New Era of Hybrid Work33

The Hybrid Neighborhood

Creating
Community at Work
Communities are living systems, whether they are places
people live or groups connected by a shared purpose. They
areable to adapt over time, which is how they survive in theface of dramatically changing circumstances. Sociologist
Eric Klinenberg’s research shows a community’s health andresilience is influenced by what he calls “social infrastructure”— the physical places where people develop social capital —which is why organizations should look to thriving communities
as a model for work and the places where people work. People
are not static. Work is not static. And a workplace can’t bestatic if companies want their many stakeholders to thrive.

When the workplace is conceived
as a community, made up of diverse
neighborhoods, it helps people by creating:• A sense of belonging and higher levels of trust
among teammates• Greater choice and control of their overall work experience• More options for equitable access to private places• The ability to shift easily between collaboration andindividual focus work
• Ways to build social connections and learn from one anotherFor organizations, neighborhoods help:• Attract people to the office• Increase engagement and productivity• Build a connection to the culture and senseof community which helps retain employees• Foster resilience• Adapt easily to changing levels of office occupancy
Thinking of the workplace as a community made up of thriving
neighborhoods is a big shift for many. Since its inception, theoffice has been built on conventional thinking and valuing
efficiency over the wellbeing of people and their desire to feela sense of purpose and progress.

The New Era of Hybrid Work34

The Hybrid Neighborhood

The experience of working througha pandemic has caused the world tofundamentally rethink the work we do,
the way we do it and the choices weneed to be successful and fulfilled.

Working from home shed light on the benefits of focus asmuch as it did on the need for social interaction. People aresocial animals and work is inherently a social undertaking.
Keeping people tethered to a computer screen is not theanswer, nor is keeping them tethered to a workplace that
doesn’t help them do their best work.
It’s time to put the needs of people in the forefront and design
policies and places that help people and organizations thrive.
Just as with any great neighborhood, it’s not the buildings
and architecture alone that makes it a place people want tobe —it’s about the energy, spirit and sense of community theyexperience when they’re there.
It is an investment in human capital that starts with
understanding what matters most.

Our Commitment

Connect with us:

Steelcase is committed to continuing research tounderstand what’s next and share what we’re learning
to inform new products, solutions and innovations thatwill help organizations create a better workplace. Right
now, explore new essential solutions for hybrid work at
steelcase.com/new.

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