Embracing the hybrid workplace

Your guide to the new era of work

Paving the way to
the future of work

We’re entering a new era of work. The recent shift to remote working has driven humanity to reimagine how businesses and teams operate when in-person meetings aren’t possible. Organizations are now examining how to move forward—from establishing flexible working arrangements to ensuring a safe
return to the office. Despite the challenges, we now have a unique opportunity to fundamentally improve how people work—wherever they are. The path forward is the hybrid workplace.

Read the global workforce survey >

Paving the way to
the future of work

We’re entering a new era of work. The recent shift to
remote working has driven humanity to reimagine how businesses and teams operate when in-person meetings
aren’t possible. Organizations are now examining how to
move forward—from establishing flexible working arrangements to ensuring a safe return to the office. Despite the challenges, we now have a unique opportunity to fundamentally improve
how people work—wherever they are. The path forward is
the hybrid workplace.

Read the global workforce survey >

Trends point to a hybrid workplace.

Only 9% of the global workforce expect to fully return to the office after offices reopen.

98% believe they will have meetings with participants joining from home going forward.

96% want to improve their work environments with intelligent workplace technology.

53% of large organizations are planning to reduce their office footprint.

These trends are driving us toward a new hybrid
work environment—an approach that supports
a blend of in-office and remote workers while
providing people with the flexibility to choose
where and how they’ll work.

Trends point to a hybrid workplace.

Only 9% of the global workforce expect to fully
return to the office after
offices reopen.

98% believe they will have meetings with participants joining from home going forward.

96% want to improve their work environments with intelligent workplace technology.

53% of large organizations are
planning to reduce their
office footprint.

What is the hybrid workplace?

A hybrid workplace provides flexible and seamless collaboration from anywhere. While the benefits are clear, this shift requires a change in the experience people have when working from home or in the office.

A foundational requirement for the hybrid workplace is to provide employees with feature-rich, intuitive collaboration tools to message, meet, call, share content, and collaborate from
any space.

Benefits of the hybrid workplace:

Optimized real estate expenses

Improved employee experience and productivity

Expansion of the talent pool and ability to retain top talent

Greater organizational flexibility and agility

Building a hybrid workplace

Home is the new collaboration hub.

The home office is an extension of the corporate office. In the hybrid workplace, it’s more important than ever that people can work from anywhere with access to tools that support productivity and collaboration. Employees who work remotely, or switch between home and the office, need to be enabled with collaboration software and purpose-built devices to ensure high-quality teamwork and a seamless experience wherever
they are.

Office buildings serve a unique purpose.

Despite drastic changes, the office is here to stay. It serves as the central hub for people to participate in rich collaboration experiences, build rapport with colleagues, and connect to the work culture and community. With a hybrid workplace model, you can expect a rotating cast of office workers. Technology is needed to assist them in finding available spaces to work and collaborate, while providing a safer working environment. A decreased office footprint provides the opportunity to extend technology-driven, intelligent experiences in every space.

Building a hybrid workplace

Home is the new collaboration hub.

The home office is an extension of the corporate office. In the
hybrid workplace, it’s more important than ever that people
can work from anywhere with access to tools that support
productivity and collaboration. Employees who work remotely,
or switch between home and the office, need to be enabled
with collaboration software and purpose-built devices to
ensure high-quality teamwork and a seamless experience
wherever they are.

Office buildings serve a unique purpose.

Each of these phases brings the opportunity to build the foundation for the hybrid workplace and transition in
an agile and scalable manner.

The hybrid workplace blueprint

The 3 phases of the hybrid workplace

Each of these phases brings the opportunity to build the foundation for the hybrid workplace and transition in
an agile and scalable manner.

The hybrid workplace blueprint

Learn more about the hybrid workplace

Bridging the home office to headquarters

Virtual collaboration powered by artificial intelligence (AI) can provide an even better experience than in-person meetings, but it takes the right tools. While many organizations believe a laptop is good enough, it’s apparent that immersive experiences matter.

The most important choice for powering remote teams is choosing the right collaboration platform. When looking for the right solution, consider the experience. Can people easily switch between messaging, calling, and meetings? If a whiteboard is created, can it be accessed by the entire team, anywhere? Can people expect the same experience from technology whether they are at home or in the office? Are there AI capabilities that reduce distractions, remove friction, capture action items, and provide the information people need when they need it?

Intelligent workplace technology can vastly improve the collaboration experience. From AI-powered noise suppression to dedicated collaboration devices that untether the meeting experience from the laptop, the home office is no longer a second-rate work option.

Bridging the home
office to headquarters

Virtual collaboration powered by artificial intelligence (AI) can provide
an even better experience than in-person meetings, but it takes
the right tools. While many organizations believe a laptop is good
enough, it’s apparent that immersive experiences matter.

The most important choice for powering remote teams is choosing
the right collaboration platform. When looking for the right solution,
consider the experience. Can people easily switch between
messaging, calling, and meetings? If a whiteboard is created,
can it be accessed by the entire team, anywhere? Can people
expect the same experience from technology whether they are at
home or in the office? Are there AI capabilities that reduce
distractions, remove friction, capture action items, and provide
the information people need when they need it?

Intelligent workplace technology can vastly improve the
collaboration experience. From AI-powered noise suppression
to dedicated collaboration devices that untether the meeting
experience from the laptop, the home office is no longer
a second-rate work option.

Learn about remote work tools >

Planning the return to the office

As organizations take a hard look how to modify their environments to support employees as they return to work, video conferencing devices not only play a large role in connecting distributed teams, but they also provide intelligent capabilities that can help inform workers of guidelines, provide alerts when the capacity of a room is exceeded, and even notify workers of the last time the room was cleaned. AI-powered experiences, like those from enterprise-grade digital assistants, are in demand to deliver zero-touch experiences in meeting rooms and common areas.

Sensors, AI, and advanced analytics can be leveraged to create a safer and healthier work environment as
well. Intelligent screen messaging helps direct foot traffic, thus avoiding overcrowding and contamination risks. In addition, these capabilities provide valuable usage insights for IT, HR, and facility managers, helping drive workplace optimization.

Planning the return
to the office

As organizations take a hard look how to modify their
environments to support employees as they return to
work, video conferencing devices not only play a large
role in connecting distributed teams, but they also
provide intelligent capabilities that can help inform
workers of guidelines, provide alerts when the capacity
of a room is exceeded, and even notify workers of the
last time the room was cleaned. AI-powered
experiences, like those from enterprise-grade digital
assistants, are in demand to deliver zero-touch
experiences in meeting rooms and common areas.

Sensors, AI, and advanced analytics can be leveraged
to create a safer and healthier work environment as
well. Intelligent screen messaging helps direct foot
traffic, thus avoiding overcrowding and contamination
risks. In addition, these capabilities provide valuable
usage insights for IT, HR, and facility managers,
helping drive workplace optimization.

Learn about how technology can enable a safe return to the office >

Building intelligent workplaces for a
future-ready office

Providing remote workers with the right technology and ensuring a safe return to the office are essential to business continuity, but the organizations that emerge stronger from the pandemic are the ones that are thinking strategically, with a long-term vision for the future of work. Building the foundation for the hybrid workplace in the first phases will ensure that your organization is well positioned to adjust and excel in the
years to come.

Intelligent workplace solutions from the Cisco Webex® platform support the modern workforce. From the home office to the boardroom, displays, sensors, AI, and automation deliver technology-driven experiences and accelerate transformation to keep workers safe and productive.

Building intelligent
workplaces for a
future-ready office

Providing remote workers with the right technology
and ensuring a safe return to the office are essential
to business continuity, but the organizations that
emerge stronger from the pandemic are the ones that
are thinking strategically, with a long-term vision for the
future of work. Building the foundation for the hybrid
workplace in the first phases will ensure that your
organization is well positioned to adjust and excel in
the years to come.

Intelligent workplace solutions from the Cisco Webex®
platform support the modern workforce. From the
home office to the boardroom, displays, sensors, AI,
and automation deliver technology-driven experiences
and accelerate transformation to keep workers safe
and productive.

What does the future hold?

Even though the situations we face will continue to evolve, our research shows what people want now and in the future. They want technology to help them throughout their day. They want to connect to the company and the culture. They want flexibility.

The hybrid workplace is the path to extending flexibility while providing technology-driven experiences, optimizing real-estate costs, and winning the talent war.

The workplace is wherever you are—it’s your home office, it’s on the go, and it’s the flexibility to choose where and how you want to work. While the future isn’t clear, the opportunity is.

The hybrid workplace is here. Are you ready?

What does the future hold?

The workplace is wherever you are—it’s your home office, it’s on the go, and it’s the flexibility to choose where and how you want to work. While the future isn’t clear, the opportunity is.

The hybrid workplace is the path to extending flexibility while providing technology-driven experiences, optimizing real-estate costs, and winning the talent war.

The hybrid workplace is here. Are you ready?

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