In this period of changing business models and labor shortages, companies need to rethink the design of their workspaces to continue to attract the best talent.
Working from home and hybrid forms of work seem destined to last. A survey conducted by Deloitte in 2021 showed that 88% of respondents wanted to integrate remote working into their daily work life at least partially. In addition, employees' motivations for going to their employers' offices have changed. According to the Gallup consulting firm, human interaction and the use of technology not available at home are now the main reasons for travel. Here we interview Samuel Dumelin, co-founder of Novu Office, a Zurich-based company that offers customized furniture and workspace solutions adapted to the new reality of the working world.
Why should a company rethink its office space?
Samuel Dumelin: Working from home has become the norm in many industries and a lot of work can now be done from home. In the past, offices were designed to allow employees to focus on their work. But with the current changes, the main reason for being in the office today is to maintain interaction with employees or customers. The office has become a meeting place, and companies must adapt to this new reality to ensure the motivation of their employees and remain competitive in the job market.
What are the main challenges for companies whose employees work from home?
Dumelin: Perhaps it's to facilitate remote working while continuing to engage their employees in the workplace to maintain a sense of community and social comfort that fosters innovation. Innovative ideas are hard to come by when employees interact only via video conferencing. However, if an employee decides to come to the office but can't find any other team members there, this social aspect is no longer guaranteed. This can be remedied, for example, by establishing collective attendance schedules for each team. Another solution is to make the company's premises more conducive to social interaction through a more airy layout. Incentivizing employee attendance by offering fringe benefits – such as free breakfast for early arrivals – is an additional option.
What would the perfect office look like for hybrid work forms?
Dumelin: It is a matter of allowing a certain modularity and flexibility. Open spaces with fewer walls should be favored, without neglecting closed spaces which allow people to concentrate on their work. Conference rooms should also be designed and equipped to accommodate hybrid meetings: people in the office should be able to sit at the same table to exchange ideas and those at a distance should be able to follow the discussions and participate without constraint. It is also possible to consider the use of company premises for non-business purposes, for example by making them available for movie nights.
Regarding working from home, should companies provide their employees with work equipment?
Dumelin: Some employers choose to contribute to the costs of working from home (furniture, electricity, internet, heating, etc.) up to CHF 50 or 100 per month. In this way, employees do not have to pay out of their own pockets for costs that would be covered by the company if they were in the office. This is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. The ergonomics of the home office are crucial in allowing employees to perform their tasks in the best possible conditions. Too often, employees work from home from the living room table for eight hours a day, which can lead to a long-term decline in productivity. Fully equipping and furnishing a home office not only reminds the employee that the company cares about their well-being but also ensures greater employer satisfaction.
What can be done to support employees who are unwilling or unable to work from home?
Dumelin: The challenge is to understand the needs of your employees. Removing a fixed workstation for people who come to the office 4 or 5 times a week is not a solution. One idea would be to set up a categorization system that distinguishes between an almost exclusively face-to-face model, a hybrid model and an almost exclusively home-based model. For those whose work cannot be done remotely, such as salespeople, solutions such as spreading the weekly hours over four days or the possibility of working in another branch to be closer to one's interests and loved ones can be particularly appealing.
