How to Create a Connected Workplace with a Hybrid Model

According to Upwork, this year an estimated 22% of the U.S. workforce will be working remotely. This is not surprising according to a recent Forbes article which stated that a “staggering 98% of workers expressed the desire to work remotely, at least part of the time.” Globally the overall remote workforce increased from 20% to 28% between 2020 and 2023 alone.

The continued shift towards greater employee workplace flexibility since the pandemic has become a rising global trend. In the United States, about 16% of companies are already fully remote, eliminating the costs of a physical workplace. Others have shifted to a flex or hybrid model to allow for more autonomy and work-life balance, while meeting innovation and growth markers. For companies with global or multi-state or multi-country workforces, the adoption of remote and flexible models has allowed them to source higher-value talent, retain top-performing employees, reduce operational costs, and deliver higher productivity.

But when we look at 2025, data indicates more organizations will seek to leverage a hybrid model (versus full remote), opting for a mix of physical office time and at-home/remote work. Hybrid models often offer the best of both worlds with greater flexibility for employees while maintaining high collaboration, communication, and greater cohesion and creativity. So with this in mind, how can a business create a connected workplace when balancing a hybrid team who will work both at home and in a centralized office space?

What is a Connected Workplace?

First, let’s define what a connected workplace is in terms of 2025. A connected workplace is not about people, workspaces and resources being physically near each other. It is about creating an organization in which employees, business assets, services and resources are all connected and cohesively functioning to the betterment of the workplace, employee culture, and the bottom line. When everything is connected, collaboration, innovation, growth and productivity thrive. This is what a connected workplace is.

Key Elements of a Connected Hybrid Workforce

Many businesses who have adopted hybrid work models know having a centralized access point for employees, business technologies, resources, and assets, is key.

A connected workplace is one in which:

• Physical and digital resources are organized in one place for optimized management and usage.
• Employees can communicate and collaborate effectively from remote and on-site locations
• Technology facilitates communication, aligns schedules and maximizes employees’ time and productivity
• Mobile and desktop technology resources talk and work in-tandem across the business
• Enables colleagues to easily access each other, collaborate and create
• Physical resources are used efficiently, accounting for both sustainability goals and workforce needs

How to Create a Connected Workplace with a Hybrid Work Model

So what does a connected workplace involve with a hybrid work model in place? If your current approach isn’t delivering as much connectivity as it should be, what steps can you take to improve this?

A connected workplace in 2025 will work if the right technologies are in place to allow the entire business to run seamlessly, efficiently, and effectively – regardless of where employees are at different times. Again, we go back to the concept of organizations with multi-state and multi-country workforces who balance remote work and on-site offices and need the ecosystem of these to support a globalized workforce effectively.

Below, we quickly outline the threesteps to take to create a connected workplace, look at a quick example from the Ørsted group, and highlight the technologies necessary to maintain connectivity.

Step 1: Set up your physical offices for flexible workspace success

Being able to run a connected workplace with a hybrid model means accounting for flexible workers. This includes (1) having a mix of flexible workspaces for your employees; (2) establishing hybrid workplace best practices and protocols; and (3) being able to properly manage flexible workspaces.

Flexible Workspaces

If your organization operates on a hybrid business model, having flexible workspaces will be key. Below are two resources to help you evaluate what updates to consider in 2025 to your office space(s).

• 7 zones every workplace should have
• 5 steps to optimize your office space

Hybrid Workplace Guidelines

Having respectful hybrid workplace practices in place will also be key. Usually, these guidelines are written as part of an employee handbook, but some are unspoken. Not sure where to start? Here are some hybrid workplace basics, best practices, and common questions/answers to help you begin.

Managing Flexible Workspaces

There are a variety of flexible workspaces that come with different desk layouts, meeting rooms or creative space setups. Knowing how to properly manage these is important for employee happiness and satisfaction, employee engagement and production, lower office real estate, maintenance and management costs, and lower overhead costs for the business.

• Suggested reading: A Quick Guide to Hot Desking Etiquette

Some technologies that can help do this include a desk management solution that allows employees to book workspaces on-demand and on-the-go from mobile devices. For example, the Workspace booking app and QR code scanning allow employees to find and book workspaces on-site at the office as well as on the go. Another flexible space solution to consider is a meeting room booking system that can streamline meeting planning and booking.

Step 2: Enable employees to focus on their work by leveraging meeting and scheduling technologies

Does your business have a centrally connected meeting software that allows employees to quickly schedule and edit meetings? Can employees also find and invite colleagues? How about simultaneously scheduling resources like laptops and parking spaces?

Having a centralized meeting room and calendar software solution in place can significantly reduce the amount of time employees spend on managing or arranging schedules and meetings.

Real-World Example: Ørsted brought together 7,000 employees across Denmark, Germany, Holland, Poland, and the United Kingdom, with Resource Central, which the company uses to book rooms, equipment, video connections, and catering, supporting more than 1,000 meetings daily. As a result, Ørsted saw significant gains in efficiency and were able to support the entire workforce regardless of when employees were working at home or in the office.

Every business is different in what it needs, but a timesaving calendar management software can be a good place to start if you need to improve productivity and better connect teams who are spread across states or countries.

Ensure employees have the resources they need to work and connect wherever they are

Finally, can employees work successfully wherever they are – at home or in the office? Are all the office resources they need available online?

Microsoft is a great example, and one that many businesses choose to employ due to its dynamic integration capabilities. Microsoft’s suite of technologies provides employees with everything they need from Exchange for email, Outlook for schedule, task and contact management, to Microsoft Teams for meetings, and chat and video communications. The list goes on with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Notes. Employees have everything they need to connect and do their jobs day-to-day.

And because all of Microsoft’s technologies are downloadable to employee devices and accessible online, it’s easy for businesses to stay connected and consistent more efficiently when they use a workspace and resource management system that can integrate with Microsoft (like ours).

For hybrid work models to support efficiency and productivity while allowing employees flexibility, connecting employees via a centralized business solution they can use at home, and that allows them to support in-office needs (like booking meeting rooms or desks) is key.

What are the Benefits of a Connected Workplace?

Creating a connected workplace offers a lot of benefits to both employees and the business. Having the right business management solutions in place will allow any organization, small or large, to access the following advantages and benefits.

1. Operate with more agility, focus, and speed
   Connected technologies and systems talk to each other, allowing employees to communicate better and faster. As a result, a business can adapt in real-time to workforce needs or streamline burdensome processes.
   
2. A happier, more engaged workforce leads to greater productivity
   By syncing up the right tools, employees can talk, retrieve documents, access the office, reserve workspaces, and book meetings all from a mobile device. Mobile connectivity and integration can allow a business to simplify networking setups and offer employees greater flexibility and work-life balance. This also helps keep remote and in-office transitions simple, ensuring there’s no disruption to employees’ productivity.
   
3. A more data-driven approach to operations for greater cost savings
   Everything today is data-driven. Insights into workspace and resource usage can help provide a clearer image of the “big picture” view. Identify opportunities to drive efficiencies, reduce waste, and provide better experiences for employees and visitors alike.

Creating a connected workplace in today’s flexible world doesn’t have to be hard. It all comes down to setting up employees and the organization for success through the power of connected technologies. Learn more about how to create a more connected hybrid workforce this year by talking with our team and learning how Add-On Products’ solutions can support greater cost-savings, security, efficiency, and happier employees.