Improving the hybrid work experience by redesigning offices

Most organisations in the Asia-Pacific region intend to redesign their offices to improve the workplace experience and productivity, ahead of bringing their workers back to the office. Around 25% of organisations are already redesigning their offices, while 70% plan to do so within 18 months, revealed findings by market research firm IDC.

Lily Phan, research director, future of work, IDC Asia Pacific, said, “Hybrid work is no longer debated – about 60% of employees prefer to work remotely, so the office must provide a comparable or even better experience for them when they are to come back in person.”

Major drivers for firms to redesign their offices include improving the employee experience, enhancing operational efficiency, accommodating hybrid work, developing the company culture, and saving costs. 

Businesses are willing to invest 11 to 30% of their budget in office redesign, in hopes of enhancing team collaboration and focused work by 2024, the report highlighted. 

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However, when it comes to the main challenge faced in workplace redesign, disruption to operations is the top cited roadblock by organisations. “[Leaders and organisations] are averse to any disruptions to their business operations, even if these will improve productivity,” Phan said.