A representative online survey of 1,032 employees in Germany conducted in March 2022 by Great Place to Work® and IHK-Impulsnetzwerk reveals interesting aspects of why employees in hybrid work models enjoy returning to their workplaces in companies.

At the top of the motivation factors for returning to the office, 74% of respondents mentioned the need for focused and uninterrupted work, followed by the desire for personal contact with colleagues (70%).

Remote work, therefore, does not mean that the demands on the workplace within the company decrease. Instead, employees come with very specific needs to the company. Both concentrated work and interaction with colleagues and collaboration should continue to be possible on-site.
 

Why on-site workplaces are important for hybrid workers

In the future, it will not be sufficient to reduce the role of working in the company solely to a meeting and collaboration function. Employees who prefer a hybrid work model not only want to work in a concentrated manner but also seek contact and professional exchange with colleagues. Only employees who exclusively want to work remotely consider the social aspect less important. Especially executives, younger employees, and colleagues who are new to the company will be more frequently present in the office. Employees aged 18 to 25 would like to work in a hybrid manner, but 56% of them wish for the emphasis to be on office presence. Thus, the company becomes a place for networking and cultural recharging.
 

Source: 2022, Representative survey of employees in Germany by Great Place to Work® and IHK-Impulsnetzwerk, Hybrid Work - Here to Stay

The term New Work was coined at the end of the 1970s by the Austrian-American social philosopher Prof. Dr. Frithjof Bergmann. Today it describes the structural change taking place in our world of work. This is attributable, among other things, to digitisation, globalisation and the development of artificial intelligence, which are opening up completely new opportunities and possibilities for the way that work is performed and organised.

In many sectors, some jobs are being lost entirely due to the automation of processes. At the same time, there is a significant lack of skilled workers to do jobs that did not even exist until only recently. This situation is presenting entirely new challenges for companies. Only those companies that take the issue of new work seriously will be able to thrive long into the future. What this actually looks like in practice depends on each particular company. This is because new work is not just an off-the-shelf solution: Every company has its own specific needs and challenges that are dictated by its customers, the competition, its products or services, its employees, work processes and its own approach to the future.

New work is a term that is used to describe the changes in the world of work that are happening because of the advance of technology and digitisation. It is all about changing and improving the way we work to be more productive and satisfied.

New work focuses on the needs of employees and on creating a work environment that promotes flexibility, creativity and cooperation. It is about breaking down the barriers between work and leisure and achieving a better work/life balance.

It also involves using technology to optimise work processes and improve communication and collaboration. Remote working, flexible working hours and the use of digital tools are some of the key factors behind new work.

In practice, new work means that companies need to adapt their culture, processes and technology to support these new ways of working.

Hybrid work is an approach in which the experience of work is adapted to suit the employees and their location. This means they can work at the company's offices, at other locations or on the go. What is more, hybrid work promotes inclusion, integration and the health of the whole workforce.

A hybrid work model allows all employees at all levels of the company to work both in the office and remotely. Depending on their requirements, they may switch regularly between different work environments to suit the particular circumstances.

Hybrid work gives employees more of a say over where and how they work. Regardless of their location, they can be certain of reliable cooperation with others and a high level of productivity. How flexibly and often employees can switch between working on and off site will depend on the company and on the specific tasks and duties that each employee has.

Not having to work in the office but being able to work from home, a third place or even another country makes it much easier to achieve the right work/life balance and gives employees much more freedom. During the coronavirus crisis, more people than ever worked from home – this meant that remote work finally became mainstream and this will have a lasting impact on the world of work.

Remote work, also known as telecommuting or teleworking, refers to a work arrangement in which an employee or worker performs their job duties outside of a traditional office environment. This typically involves working from home or another remote location, using digital technologies such as video conferencing, email, and instant messaging to stay connected with coworkers and complete tasks. Remote work can be either full-time or part-time, and may be offered as an option by employers as a way to provide flexibility and work-life balance to their employees.

Agile work is a working method or approach that aims to promote flexibility, adaptability, and collaboration in a work environment. It was originally developed in the field of software development but has since gained importance in other areas and industries.

At its core, agile work is about breaking down complex projects or tasks into smaller, manageable parts that can be worked on in short time frames, also known as "sprints." Instead of creating a comprehensive and rigid project plan, the focus is on the continuous delivery of results. This allows for flexible responses to changes and new requirements.

Agile work is based on the principles of the Agile Manifesto, which emphasizes collaboration in self-organized teams, close interaction with customers or users, iterative development, and regular feedback. There are various methods of agile work, such as Scrum, Kanban, or Extreme Programming (XP), each with their own specific approaches and tools.

The benefits of agile work lie in increased flexibility, faster response times to changes, greater transparency, improved teamwork, and continuous improvement of results. It enables closer involvement of customers or users in the development process and helps ensure that products or services are better aligned with their needs.

Design Thinking encompasses various methods and tools that can be applied during the process to support creative problem solving. Here are some commonly used methods in Design Thinking:

Empathy Maps: Empathy maps support a better understanding of the needs, desires, and behaviours of users or customers. They enable taking their perspective and gaining deeper insights into their experiences and challenges.

User Interviews: Personal interviews with users or customers can gather valuable information. Open-ended questions and active listening help capture needs, opinions, and feedback.

Brainstorming: Brainstorming is a creative technique where team members freely generate ideas and solutions. There are various methods of brainstorming, such as free brainstorming, categorical brainstorming, or the SCAMPER method, where existing ideas are modified or combined.

Prototyping: Prototyping involves creating simple, tangible representations of ideas or solutions. These can be sketches, models, storyboards, or even functional prototypes. Prototypes allow testing, validating, and further developing ideas.

User Testing: User testing involves testing prototypes or solutions with actual users or customers. Through observation, feedback, and discussions, weaknesses can be identified and improvements made.

Iteration: Iteration is a fundamental part of the Design Thinking process. It involves continuously reviewing, adjusting, and improving ideas or solutions based on feedback and new insights. Iteration allows gradually approaching the best possible solution.

It is important to note that Design Thinking is not a strictly linear process, and not all methods need to be applied in every phase. The selection of methods depends on the specific requirements and context of the project. The Design Thinking approach encourages experimentation and adapting methods to meet individual needs and challenges.