The Challenge:
While remote work offered flexibility and improved work-life balance, the company faced growing challenges. The lack of in-person interaction led to reduced team cohesion and fewer opportunities for spontaneous collaboration—critical drivers of innovation and a strong organizational culture. Employees working in isolation reported feeling disconnected, potentially impacting morale, engagement, and retention.
In a competitive talent market, attracting and retaining top-tier professionals required more than remote flexibility. Candidates valued environments that balanced individual needs with opportunities for collaboration and growth. The company needed a solution that addressed these challenges while maintaining its reputation as a top employer.
The Solution:
The company introduced a new hybrid work policy with a focus on facilitating strategic in-person collaboration. This included:
- Encouraging spontaneous interaction:
The policy empowered employees to book workspaces for impromptu gatherings, fostering organic connections, team-building, and creative brainstorming outside structured video meetings.
- Meaningful in-person connection:
Employees could utilize a workspace marketplace to book spaces for coworking days, meetings, or brainstorming sessions, allowing them to work from the location that best suits their needs while strengthening team relationships and productivity.
- Global collaboration:
The chosen workspace marketplace's extensive network ensured geographically dispersed teams could find the right spaces to convene, regardless of location, enabling seamless communication and efficient project execution worldwide.
It's huge for togetherness... It's always great to see when people post in Slack that they got together.
- Senior People Operations Coordinator, Data & Analytics Software Company
The Results:
The impact was swift and significant:
- Soaring employee satisfaction:
Quarterly anonymous surveys revealed a remarkable increase in employee satisfaction. Flexibility, enhanced work-life balance, and increased opportunities for in-person interaction were cited as key factors.
- Eliminated real estate waste:
The company maximized the utility of their real estate footprint, eradicating unnecessary expenditures and overhead costs.
- Competitive advantage in recruiting:
By leveraging workplace flexibility as a key selling point, the company gained a competitive edge in talent acquisition. Their progressive work policies attracted top-tier candidates.