Quieter office spaces in the summer? How to manage the seasonality of hybrid work

The widespread switch to hybrid work has been a great way for companies and employees to introduce flexibility into their working days. Businesses have had the chance to rethink their real estate portfolios, and workers have been able to rethink their schedules. But what happens when seasonal shifts in office spaces leave your hybrid workplace much quieter than usual? Let’s take a look.

Reasons your hybrid office space may be quieter than normal

Just like in traditional workplaces, there are bound to be certain times in the year when your hybrid office is quieter. It’s just life. Let’s take a look at some of the most common reasons your hybrid office could be a ghost town.

Summer school holidays

The summer school holidays are one of the biggest disruptors to normal office hours.

With kids out of school and families going on vacation, it’s only natural that the office is going to be quieter. The summer holidays take up a large chunk of the summer, which means there will likely be people missing.

Weather

Everyone loves to moan about the weather, even when it’s warm!

The weather can wreak havoc on office attendance figures. Some employees will want to work from their backyards in the hot summer months to enjoy the sunshine. On the other hand, some will want to go in and enjoy the office air-conditioning.

It’s a similar story in the winter months. With icy roads or snow often causing closures, people won’t be able to make it to the office. But again, some employees will want to come into a nice warm office where they don’t have to pay the heating bill.

The winter holiday season

More people will likely prefer working from home during the winter holiday season. With celebrations taking place for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and more, December is a busy month.

In the UK alone, Christmas spending hit £548 per person in 2021. To avoid the chaos of shopping on the weekends, many employees will want to work more flexibly in December so they can run to the shops during quieter weekdays. 

But beyond shopping, many employees will be juggling family events, religious ceremonies, and school performances — so they might prefer to work from home to cut commuting time out of their busy holiday schedule.

How to manage the changing demand of a hybrid office spaces

So, hybrid working has let employees enjoy a more flexible working routine, but we clearly run into some issues when organizations need to manage seasonal demand.

Know your capacity

If your scaled-down office has limited space, you’ll need to closely watch your capacity.

There’s nothing worse than having employees travel to the office just to find every desk full. On the other hand, it could be pointless going into the office if no one else is there. After all, hybrid working is all about promoting meaningful, in-office collaboration.

Using a workplace scheduling solution is one of the best ways to keep an eye on how many people are in the office. This kind of system helps you see who’s working where and when. And it can help you send out office-wide messages telling everyone that your space is currently at capacity — saving employees a commute.

Think carefully about the office layout

If your company reduced real estate holdings in response to hybrid work, you’ll need to think carefully about office layout to help you deal with differing demands.

Here are some simple ideas to help you keep your office space relevant and productive no matter how many people are there.

Hot desking or desk hotelling

Hot desking is ideal for smaller office spaces. Since hot desking lets workers choose any open workspace, it helps you ensure everyone has somewhere to work. However, the first-come-first-served nature of hot desking can be chaotic.

That’s why we recommend a desk hotelling system instead. Think of it as hot desking with manners — employees book workstations in advance through a smart system. This eliminates the musical-chairs nature of hot desking and helps you keep valuable usage records.

Moveable workstations

Speaking of rethinking workstations, outfitting your office with moveable and reconfigurable workstations is a great way to keep up with changing demand.

Look for furniture that can pull double duty when the office is full, like desks that can be pushed together for impromptu meetings or cafe tables that you can turn into bookable workstations when everyone comes in to enjoy the air conditioning.

Outdoor office spaces

If your building has an outdoor area, you could turn it into a flexible, outdoor office space. This is great for the summer months when employees may be tempted to stay home to enjoy the weather. Outdoor workspace options give them the best of both worlds — beautiful weather and in-person collaboration.

Consider renting out office spaces

With cloud-based collaborative tools making it possible for most office employees to work from home, you might not need many people in the office at all.

If employees can do the job from home and prefer being there at certain times of the year, consider renting out your office space to recoup some money during super-slow times.

Consider implementing a company-wide work-from-home plan during the winter holiday season. This lets employees spend more time with family and friends and gives you the chance to rent out your offices. You could also try the same thing in summer — work-from-home July could become a great company tradition!

Track usage

No matter how you decide to manage hybrid work’s seasonality, you need to power your offices with data.

Tracking office occupancy figures is crucial to avoid going over capacity. Plus, it helps you forecast future demand. The best office management solutions will let you access analytics at an individual desk and room level to help you understand exactly how your office is being used.

Master all seasons of hybrid working with Smartway2

With Smartway2’s advanced technology, you can minimize the impact of seasonal changes in the office. We take an automated, data-driven approach to hybrid scheduling, letting businesses and employees arrange anything from single desk bookings to whole office spaces.

With Smartway2, you’ll see how data-driven workplace scheduling software can transform your business:

• Say goodbye to desk and meeting room booking mix-ups.
• Save time and money.
• Get more from your resources.
• Make bookings for desks, rooms, equipment, and catering from any device.
• Optimize your workspace utilization to reduce real estate costs and boost collaboration.
• Create the perfect environment for collaboration with the best tools for the job.

See how we can help you transform your workspace with a demo today!