Thought leadership
backtotheofficefromsquaremeterstoconnection
Back to the office for everyone? The debate about ‘returning to the office’ is heating up everywhere. More and more organisations are introducing guidelines: two, three or even four mandatory days in the office. But amidst this push for physical attendance, one essential question is often overlooked: why do people actually come into the office?
The office as a tool for success
Being physically present is no longer an end in itself. It says little about engagement, collaboration and results. The real question is not how often we are in the office, but what those moments achieve and how you make the most of them. A return-to-office policy is therefore more than just an operational arrangement. It reflects an organisation’s self-image. Are you focusing on visibility or on impact?
The office as a strategic asset
In a hybrid working environment, the office takes on a new role. No longer a place to tick off tasks, but an environment where collaboration, culture and innovation come to life. Organisations that still focus purely on presence lack that insight. They look back at how things used to be rather than forward to what works.
A well-designed office actually facilitates the moments you miss at home: spontaneous encounters, cross-pollination between teams and the strengthening of mutual relationships. In doing so, you build an organisation that innovates and grows. Physical presence only becomes meaningful when it contributes to your strategic goals. That requires conscious choices: when are we together, why and with whom?
Informal networks as the silent driving force
Organisations do not run solely on hierarchies and processes, but primarily on informal networks. Think of colleagues who connect departments, share knowledge and drive projects forward. They form the social fabric of an organisation and are the silent force behind innovation, culture and decision-making.
It is precisely these connections that are under pressure in a hybrid working environment. Not because people are working from home, but because face-to-face meetings are no longer a given. Within teams, hybrid working often works perfectly well. But the chance conversations between teams are disappearing, whilst it is precisely there that new ideas and connections arise. Sometimes a strategically placed coffee corner builds more bridges than an entire day-long retreat.
Data as a compass
What if you no longer viewed the office as square metres to be filled, but as a strategic tool for connection and growth? How do you make collaboration more natural? There is certainly a lot of untapped potential here, particularly in larger organisations.
The answer lies not only in the design of the office, but in the redesign of collaboration. Hybrid working requires conscious choices, based on culture, behaviour and data. Property is often seen as a cost centre, but with the right insights, it becomes a strategic tool.
By combining data from network analyses and space usage, you gain insight into where collaboration arises, where it stalls and where the crucial connections lie. Tools such as Organisational Network Analysis make this visible. This allows you to design offices based on behaviour and need, not on gut feeling. The office then becomes not just a random meeting place, but a purpose-built environment that strengthens collaboration and contributes to the organisation’s success.
The real question
The discussion about returning to the office often remains superficial. The question we really need to dare to ask is: how do we utilise our offices to accelerate collaboration, innovation and growth in a way that genuinely contributes to the organisation’s success?
Those who have the courage to ask that question do not look back at past working patterns, but forward to new ways of connecting and collaborating. Because successful organisations do not focus on presence, but on what people achieve together.
