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Flexible work is only successful when organizations have the right people in the right place, equipped with the right tools and technology. Modern technology and AI enable that.
A well-structured hybrid model requires a combination of strategic space management and modern workplace technology—such as AI-driven scheduling, desk booking systems, and real-time collaboration tools. Without these essential elements, flexibility can lead to inefficiencies rather than productivity. When everything aligns, however, organizations can create a seamless, high-performing work environment that supports both employee autonomy and business success.
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To ensure that remote attendees had an equal opportunity to participate in hybrid meetings, the company focused less on the experience for in-room participants and more on creating a positive and equitable experience for remote workers. Instead of designing meeting spaces to center the process on who is in the building, the company put the remote experience first, which makes participating in hybrid meetings completely seamless.
For example, technology can help solve the 'hybrid coordination tax,' which is the time spent working around the logistics of meeting with people you need to when some are working in-person and others are working virtually. The average worker spends about 37% of their time at work in meetings or coordinating them, and that time spent in meetings and managing them costs employers an annual average of over $29,000.
By using a combination of AI-driven smart scheduling, space management software that shows you who will be in the office, and real-time communication tools, employees in flexible work environments can easily see, predict, and coordinate time together.
“The idea of space-as-a-service is twofold. You could procure the space as a service, buying space for an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, ten years. The more important point is creating space that provides the software and services that enable the person to do whatever they need to do as effectively as possible.”
Skedda’s Space Attributes simplify space selection to help employees find the ideal spot in fewer clicks. Teams can filter spaces based on specific needs (e.g., “double monitor,” “dog spots,” etc.) at a glance for quick space booking.
Our team is ready and waiting to talk through your specific desk scheduling requirements and see how Skedda could work for you.
After committing to hybrid work, the next step for Allianz was to make their office an attractive place for workers to want to come in to work.
Office space design: They have open work areas with desk sharing at most locations, equipped with small telephone booths, different meeting rooms, and agile zones for team collaboration. They also have quiet areas where employees can work in complete silence, and small lounge islands with sofas/armchairs and coffee bars/kitchens where people can chat informally.
Modern workplace technology: They use the right technology to create a collaborative and productive working atmosphere between those who work in the office and those who work remotely. This includes video conferencing and modern collaboration tools that combine meetings, chats, and calls. Additionally, they constantly invest in training so their employees can make the best possible use of these workplace technologies.
Amenities and services: They offer additional services to make employees' lives as easy as possible: fitness programs, dry-cleaning services, and restaurants that provide fresh, healthy meals every day.
“The guiding principle for our flexible working arrangement is to do the right thing in the right place and empower our employees and teams to make this decision themselves. When deciding where to work, we trust them to find the right balance between their own needs and those of our customers, our business, and our teams.”
Modern technology and AI can help organizations foster in-person collaboration and create more attractive offices that workers actually want to go to.
For instance, knowing which team members will be in the office on any given day is essential for fostering collaboration in the office. No one wants to commute to an empty office and sit on virtual calls all day. Leveraging space management software with capabilities to see who’s in the office beforehand supports productive collaboration in the modern workplace.
In an interview with Ameca—the 'World’s Most Advanced' Humanoid Robot, crafted by Engineered Arts and currently living at The National Robotarium in Edinburgh—Ameca shares what the future of work could look like when asked to describe it in poetry form:
In a world where work and home unite,
Hybrid paths bring balance to light.
Flexibility reigns. Stress takes flight.
Productivity soars in this new sight.
Commutes shrink. Creativity grows.
In diverse spaces, innovation flows.
Harmony found in work-life blend.
A future bright where both worlds mend.
Use technology your team already uses daily to ensure that coworkers are in the office together at the same time. Skedda’s integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams allows just that—letting you see which colleagues will be in the office within the apps they already use and love.
Our team is ready and waiting to talk through your specific desk scheduling requirements and see how Skedda could work for you.
"Magnets work better than mandates. Once-a-month gathering weeks are a big success at Airbnb, building meaningful in-person time for teams centered on their product launch rhythms. Instead of creating a backlash, the program has drawn others back to the office. FOMO not RTO."
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An ideal workplace of the future would seamlessly integrate technology with comfort, offering flexible workstations, virtual collaboration tools, and spaces for creativity and relaxation. It would be a blend of virtual and physical spaces with AI and robotics seamlessly integrated, fostering both productivity and well-being.
Technology can provide the data that gives organizations insights into various facets of work. Use these insights to make better business decisions, such as cutting costs, downsizing, and designing better office spaces. Organizations can overcome guesswork with real-time and accurate data, allowing them to make data-based decisions about their space to control costs without compromising on the workplace experience.
For example, facilities leaders can utilize digital twins—technology for creating a digital replica of a building and its assets—for efficient troubleshooting, remote visualization, and remote decision-making. Digital twins provide better visibility, efficient management of assets, and a reduced need for immediate on-site technicians.
“With digital twins, you can visualize what's happening with that asset, and you can make determinations before you physically go out there and either troubleshoot that asset or call in a vendor to troubleshoot it.”
Space management software provides information to help you make data-based decisions about your space, whether it's to redesign workspaces based on actual usage patterns, identify opportunities for downsizing or reconfiguring spaces, or control costs without compromising on the workplace experience. With half of the respondents to a CBRE 2024 survey stating cost as a critical factor for influencing both lease renewals and relocations, getting a clearer picture of your space utilization becomes ever more crucial.
Space management software provides data and insights that can help you understand when and where your teams work best, supporting space optimization efforts to control costs without compromising the workplace experience. Skedda’s Workplace Intelligence gives you accurate attendance data and helps you make the best use of your available spaces.
“Having that data helps tell the story. You look at it from a space utilization standpoint. Having those sensors and that information help tell a narrative that will help you engage your leaders. So multiple data sources are fantastic.”
Additionally, implementing AI-powered tools can provide you deeper trend analysis that can make the whole system more efficient, such as automating energy management to lower costs. From predictive maintenance to energy management, AI will help facilities leaders streamline operations and manage processes more efficiently.
“Augmented reality powered by AI is going to be another powerful combination that’s coming out. In the immediate 1 to 3 year horizon, enhanced automation and efficiency. Predictive maintenance and energy management is a huge opportunity for another frontier. There are still some opportunities in space utilization and optimization. And even at an individual level, you have an opportunity to use AI in some application that only you or your department know about.”
AI will drive a greater need for office presence to foster innovation, as employees will increasingly become more productive on an individual basis, leaving more emphasis and importance on in-person collaboration and ideation.
As such, organizations need to upgrade their tech stack to ensure flexible working is efficient and can scale accordingly as the business grows. They need to ensure that both the physical and virtual experiences are conducive to productivity, and in addition, ensure there’s ‘workspace blend’ when employees transition from their home office to the shared office. The less friction that employees experience in the workspace transition, the easier it is emotionally and physically for them to make the transition and do their best work.
Teams want to be able to hold productive meetings and brainstorming sessions together no matter the location. Skedda’s two-way sync with Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 improves collaboration through centralized scheduling, a streamlined workflow with automatic updates, and consistent and up-to-date information.
“If the office space is not so different from your home environment, it's easier to transition. The fusion of the fair spaces, the home environment, and the office, helps people to not feel that difference when they move from one space to the other.”
Organizations are also making real estate changes to optimize their workplaces as they scale their business. In a survey of more than 560 members of the Harvard Business Review audience who are involved in their organization’s workspace decisions, respondents noted changes their company is making or has made in the past three years, such as:
Additionally, knowing how office spaces are used can help organizations design the right spaces that support and adapt to workers' needs. Smart sensors or Wifi occupancy tracking can provide more accurate data on space utilization and occupancy. From there, organizations can use the data for AI-driven reconfigurations like predictive maintenance and recommendation systems to improve functionality.
The combination of tech, data, and AI will help organizations design flexible spaces that can quickly adapt to changes. Adaptable spaces are key to meeting challenges ahead, like changing work patterns, aging infrastructure, climate change, neurodivergent needs, and the continued rise of AI.
“We wanted to use technology to make our values come to life. We over-invested in the things that could fulfill the design criteria related to our culture: high-quality WiFi, sound, cameras. Our vision was a workplace in which everyone, in every room and every location, could equally see, hear, and engage with each other.”
Pinterest’s hybrid model proved to be financially sustainable, efficient, and scalable. Since they introduced PinFlex, they’ve more than halved their real estate costs, thereby allowing them to invest in world-class offices that inspire creativity, collaboration, and community for employees and that enable them to host regular off-sites, client engagements, and other events.
“My advice to my fellow chief people officers, CHROs, and C-suite executives across industries? Follow the data—it doesn’t lie. It’s time for business leaders to stop relying on badge swipes as the primary measure of employee productivity and start focusing on outcomes. And listen to your people. They are one of your most important stakeholders, so if you want them to help you achieve business success, try to meet them where they are.”
The data and insights in this report come from top voices, researchers, industry pioneers, and business leaders experienced in the world of facilities management, flexible workplaces, and AI. Some of them have guest-starred on the Heroes of Hybrid Work podcast, hosted by Skedda SVP Jenny Moebius. Some of them are customers who have undergone their own workplace transformations. All data and research we cite here are taken from public sources.
In this study, we shed light on the state of the modern workplace in 2025 and how organizations can adapt to this ever-changing world of work by leveraging tech tools and upskilling their facilities leaders, who are at the forefront of these workplace shifts. From optimizing workplaces with space management software to improving efficiencies with AI, we break down the essentials so you feel confident effectively managing your office space in the modern workplace.
Say goodbye to the chaos of space allocation and welcome a new era of workplace harmony.
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