Hybrid Workplace Trends in 2022

September 26, 2022

The workplace landscape looks radically different than it did 2 years ago, and pandemic practices have shifted the mindsets of employees as they assess their preferences in workplace style and culture. As challenging as this new landscape is, it creates a new opportunity for business leaders to reimagine how their companies work. Aligning priorities and evolving practices from the top down will help bolster business resilience and unite company culture.

According to Microsoft’s 2022 Work Trends Index, 53% of employees are more likely to prioritize health and wellbeing over work and 47% are more likely to put family and their personal lives first. This shift in perspective among employees shapes the way managers and business leaders need to adjust practices. With 52% of employees considering going hybrid or fully remote in the coming year and 50% of leaders wanting to return to the office full time, some version of a clash of absolutes looks to be brewing.

We’ve been learning from this period of the “Great Resignation” that employees are seeking out work opportunities that align with their priorities, and leaving ones that don’t. So how do we create communities that support companies strong enough to retain employees, satisfy both employee and stakeholder expectations and make hybrid-work work?

As many office interactions have migrated to web calls or chat platforms, the Manager-Employee relationship has become more crucial; for hybrid and remote employees, their managers are the primary connection through which they experience their employer. This provides an opportunity to implement practices that both encourage and support virtual connections and implement new practices to reinforce on- and offline employee connections. 

When it comes to remote work, 99% of current remote workers would like to have the option to work remotely, at least some of the time – for the rest of their careers! And as remote and hybrid work have increased in popularity, office trends have followed suit. Once left to startups and small businesses, coworking spaces have become more popular, and demand for these hybrid workspaces grew an astounding 41% from the first quarter of 2021 to the second quarter. And this trend has continued in 2022.

Communal work spaces provide the opportunity for employees to maintain their work-from-home lifestyle with the opportunity to connect with others and help build a structure for a work life balance. Researchers estimate that almost 5 million people will be working from coworking spaces by 2024, an increase of 158% compared to 2020. These spaces give way for creative collaboration, networking, cost saving and provide flexible opportunities for the market to tap into this desire. 

Office design has followed these trends as leaders are noticing these developing work habits. Michael Ford, CVP of Global Workplace Services, comments, “you must design workplaces with enough flexibility to support every employee. A mix of quiet places, collaboration areas, and touch-down locations helps ensure everyone can be connected, engaged, and productive.” Offering diverse opportunities for in-office collaboration provides all kinds of employees with  motivation to work together periodically in-person balanced with their desire to primarily continue working remotely. 

Office spaces themselves have become more “homelike” in design as hybrid work persists, and this trend places a premium on the comfort and natural settings that employees seek. Modern office spaces also include natural elements with trends towards natural lighting, outdoor spaces and operable windows for fresh air, ergonomic design, sustainability and many other elements that make an office feel more welcoming, comfortable and built to favor human factors. 

Since its inception, Vista Canyon has designed a creative campus to furnish easy customization for diverse office offerings. From custom spec suites for businesses to coworking spaces for individuals, the development sees the opportunity for creating an environment that encourages businesses to leverage spaces in the ways that suit them best, rather than attempt to shoehorn them into obsolete offices of the past. Learn more about the creative spaces available at Vista Canyon and the opportunities ahead in the community on our office webpage.