Miro, the team's visual platform to connect, collaborate, and create, is making everything in a digital way. They are truly believers of getting people to the office to accomplish an hybrid working environment.
We recently discuss with Wilco Poppelier, Global Lead Workplace Strategy and Design. After 11 years as a Workplace & Change Consultant, Wilco is now responsible for the workplace strategy for Miro’s 2,000 employees across the12 hubs around the world. His team is doing researches on how to bring the digital to the physical part of the workspace and really understand how to set the "Mironeers" up for success! So how does Miro get to make the hybrid mode achievable for everyone at the office?
Let's find out how to take workplace from better to best according according to Wilco's vision.
In a hybrid work model, companies are facing a two-way road: mandate people to come to the office a certain number of days or not mandate and try to influence demand by organising simple things like some events.
Miro’s hybrid direction is team based on non mandatory “team days” at the office. On certain days there are empowering community and socialisation events. The days with events are the most popular within Miro. Not surprising considering that social link is the first reason to come to the office (2023 Paris Workplace Study).
Is the company a big believer in bringing people because that will spark more creativity, efficiency or productivity?
According to Wilco, companies should have a strong vision or idea about why bringing peoplea the office:
“It’s simply a "Why" question. My advice would be to simply start this conversation and explore and understand what people need to ensure a day in the office is successful.”
In response to the changing world of work, Miro based its workplace model on flexibility and adaptability. Miro's workspace concept is heavily based on continuous user feedback. As an example:
“During the pandemic we did a survey with the following results: everyone would come to the office for the collaborative aspect. 60% of the workplace setting was dedicated to collaboration and the 40% left for focus tasks. The big assumption about this feedback was that collaboration only happens in a certain "collaborative" room setup. During a later study we found out that a lot of collaborative activities happen behind a work stations. This was something that needed to be adjusted to have a better fit with our population and set them better up for success during their day at the office.”
The flexibility and adaptability of Miro's workplace concept made it possible to change aspects of the workspace based on learnings after the pandemic, such as: desks vs informal seating and collaborative vs focus.
To make people want to come back to the office it’s crucial you offer what they need to make their day as successful as possible. This strategy allows the workplace team to change the furniture settings according to the collaborators practices:
“We are looking into needs and we explore all kinds of possibilities to be as flexible and as modular as possible to really be able to set people up for success when they are coming to the office.”
This is also the reason why Miro shifted its office concept from activities based to neighbourhoods basee. Wilco’s team saw a shift in the need to sit together with close team members to make a day in the office efficient and successful.
“It’s about listening to the people on what they need to get the job done! We are also having closer looks on which departments are really connecting on a day to day basis, to ensure they are sitting close to each other in the new neighbourhood setup. We are currently looking into the possibility of dedicated floors to a group of departments, and together we will decide on what is the best possible setup for that specific floor. We want to unlock the ownership part of users and give them a certain degree of freedom to decide on future workplace changes.”
By initiating the discussion and identifying ambassadors per department, companies can really be successful in finding the right workplace setup for their hybrid practices.
➡️ See more : Zoning, why and how to divide workspaces into zones?
Wilco’s vision about flexible offices is clear: for some people it is just difficult to accept sharing "their" space. But there is always something behind why this would not work for them. The most important thing is to start a conversation and find out together the best possible solution.
“From my perspective, workplace managers should look and initiate with every business line. I think there is definitely a possibility for flexibility in every organisation, but maybe only to a certain degree. For instance, having a team neighbourhood per floor, but within the neighbourhood employees you should flex. The level of flex possibilities depends on the company culture, the way of working in the department and the employees needs to be successful.”
It’s also about perception. If teams feel that they are empowered by their workplace, they ultimately will be more successful. This is why it’s so important to be open and provide real support.
Employees need to be aware that workplace teams have limitations as well. Sitting down with the different teams and explaining and actively participating in the creation of their new workspace is the key to be successful: “we are adapting the space to your needs according to our financial and space limitations”.
“You can create a great office that looks amazing, but if people don’t adopt the office and there is lack of ownership and understanding, how successful are you?”
To better understand the employee needs, workplace managers can start by telling their challenges (be open) and make clear that the user is the expert on what is needed to have a successful day at the office (again, within limitations of the workplace team). This is why discussion and co-creation are essential when creating a workspace for your users.
With the new hybrid way of working, companies have to ask themselves if they can accept the fact that offices are only highly occupied for two or three days per week. Do they accept that other days the occupancy rate could drop to 30%?
According to Wilco, it’s all about accepting the new hybrid way of working. So don’t look at your average occupancy but look at your peak occupancy trend to set your office up for success on those 2 or 3 days a week!
See more : What criteria should be taken into account to determine the "right flex office rate"?
“I think that companies should invest in their workplace environment to be able to fully unlock employees' potential when in the office.”
Getting people physically together creates a vibe that can’t be mimicked digitally. It sparks creativity, feeds the social need, and creates a healthy mindset. In Wilco’s opinion ”offices are far from disappearing as we are just scraping the tip of the iceberg about the effect of the pandemic on our in office working behaviour”.
Flexibility in desk arrangements and employee involvement are crucial in creating a successful work environment. Miro invests in the workplace environment to unlock the full potential of their employees!
➡️ See more : Macro-zoning on Deskare!
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