allowing our clients to embrace “Hybrid” working…and flourish

Bought by its current owners in 2012, Cambridge Innovation Park has transformed not just itself but also the clients it supports.  Playing host to numerous success stories, many of which have been built upon the power of confident collaboration…it has established an ecosystem that can deliver a truly positive impact.

Our mission is to provide entrepreneurs and businesses alike with environments rich with the knowledge and knowhow needed to build global, transformational companies…something that Cambridge is more than a little famous for.

Today, effective office space is not just somewhere to sit quietly and get on with work. It’s a place where communities come together; create excitement and experiences; and ensure that they are more than the sum of their parts.

To achieve all of this, we have developed an extensive network of collaborators providing our community with easy access to the right insight, support and funding knowledge to help identify and pursue the most attractive opportunities with long-term potential.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) tells us that pre-pandemic offices had become increasingly disliked. In one pre-pandemic study 85% of people surveyed said they were dissatisfied with their office environment.  Whether in attempts to improve collaboration or reduce costs, offices had become increasingly open plan and higher density, sometimes less than 5m² per person.  Consequently they were often noisy, distracting and unhealthy.  Also 40% of office staff were suffering from poor lighting and the temperature was typically not only uncomfortable, but also impeded the performance of women.

These are important considerations as at home people can control their noise level, lighting, temperature and privacy and optimise the environment for comfort and productivity.  It’s not surprising that 35% of workers in UK said they would take a pay cut to continue to work remotely at least part-time post-pandemic and 25% would quit if they couldn’t.

But, and it’s a “BIG” but, a study across six countries shows that 44% of senior executives wanted to get back to the office full time compared to only 17% of their staff.

The power of proximity

In the 1980’s an MIT professor Thomas Allen discovered the power of proximity.  He found that most collaboration happens within an 8m radius and drops to almost zero by 50m. The Allen Curve, still holds true today with people emailing colleagues most who they sit closest to.  This proximity becomes even more critical for new recruits and new projects, where the learning curve is steepest. Proximity also reinforces culture and a shared sense of belonging.

Research by Microsoft shows that remote work led employees to spend less time collaborating with colleagues outside their regular network, so called ‘weak ties’, and people in other functional units. Collaborating with new people often leads to new knowledge and increased innovation.  Steve Jobs captured it perfectly: “creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions.”

Hybrid working is a compromise…but it’s one people and companies are making work.

It allows staff the opportunity to carry out individual “head down” work at home if they feel they can concentrate better there and it provides collaboration-focused office space to ensure connection, knowledge sharing, and unplanned encounters.  For hybrid working to be successful, the office set up had to change dramatically.

Those winning in this “New Norm” have done away with rows of identical desks squeezed together.  They have moved to more varied, flexible and individually controllable environments that suit all workers and work styles.  They give access to quiet rooms, bookable desks and touchdown spaces and seek to implement individual control over lighting, temperature and acoustics.

But above all else, the best hybrid offices are set up for “Ultimate” collaboration – planned and spontaneous, open and private, from one to one to the whole office, internal and client inclusive, face to face and with remote staff, for mentoring, brainstorming, presentations and training.

The lines are blurring across previously distinct aspects of life.  Access to enhanced amenity and social facilities, like cafes, bars, fitness facilities are not only key to enticing staff to the office but can also strengthen a sense of belonging and shared culture, and encourage cross-functional connections and chance encounters.

In summary, the one size fits all approach to workplaces that became the norm in offices across the world does not work for the hybrid office.

For hybrid working to be successful, a balance of space will need to be calibrated to each workplace and the widest range of individuals within it.  What works successfully for one company may be a failure for others and the same goes for different departments, teams and individuals.  Here at Cambridge Innovation Parks we are seeing a plethora of solutions with clients constantly telling us of the need for high quality accessible flexible space.

We are modernising our facilities to give this ultimate adaptability.  As our clients consistently adapt, so their workplaces do too.  Ultimately, the era of the “hybrid office” has to become a self-learning and continually evolving ecosystem.

We have on-site design specialists who are working with our clients to make this happen.  If you’d like to find out about how we’re adapting and how our clients are creating successful hybrid environments, we’d love to talk and to put you in touch with those that are succeeding.  They will be able to tell you how they recruit and retain the most diverse range of talent, improve staff health and wellness, enhance collaboration and performance, and adapt rapidly to change.

Hybrid working is not an easy option. However, done mindfully, it can provide the most effective way of working.

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