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For your knowledge advantage, we put together the most actionable insights from 13 getAbstract summaries (3 books with a total of 808 pages, 9 articles and one video) on this topic. If you did this work yourself, you would be busy for at least 967 minutes (about 17 hours). Learn more.

The Hybrid Workplace

After the pandemic, there won’t just be the office and the home office – but everything in between. Here are five points to consider if productivity, employee health and a good company culture are important to you.

The Hybrid Workplace

Numerous large companies are now reevaluating their office needs. Upwork, a freelancing site, estimated that 27% of US workers would be remote by 2021. Some 20 million members of the workforce either plan to move or have already moved – mostly away from big cities. Here’s everything you need to know about this trend:

Related Summaries in getAbstract’s Library
Image of: Has the Pandemic Transformed the Office Forever?
Article Summary

Has the Pandemic Transformed the Office Forever?

Office design is changing as leaders rethink the purpose of physical workspaces.

John Seabrook The New Yorker Read Summary
Image of: Remote Work Is Killing the Hidden Trillion-Dollar Office Economy
Article Summary

Remote Work Is Killing the Hidden Trillion-Dollar Office Economy

The businesses that catered to, fed, dressed and cleaned up after office workers face an uncertain fate.

Steve LeVine Medium Read Summary

How should you respond to these trends?

1. Convert the Place

Successful companies understand that investing in a healthy environment helps their workforce perform at its best, which, in turn, benefits the organization’s bottom line. In Healthy Buildings, Dr. Joseph Allen and John Macomber share their expertise in public health, business and forensic investigation by detailing the nine foundations of a “Healthy Building,” including practices to increase ventilation, improve air quality and reduce exposure to indoor pollutants.

Image of: Healthy Buildings
Book Summary

Healthy Buildings

Working environments affect employee health and performance. Boost your building’s health to reap financial benefits.

Joseph G. Allen and John D. Macomber Harvard University Press
Read Summary

2. Convert the Principles

A healthy work atmosphere doesn’t stop at clean air, proper desk height and enough light. Reporting for the Trades Union Congress (TUC), writers Becky Allen and Howard Fidderman provide a comprehensive overview of workplace hazards and chronic diseases, discussing mental illness and health conditions that the workplace generates or aggravates. Although their focus is the United Kingdom – and although this was written before the COVID-19 pandemic – they offer solutions and ideas for employers and employees worldwide.

Image of: Your Health at Work
Book Summary

Your Health at Work

Learn to protect your physical health and mental welfare at work.

Trades Union Congress (TUC), Becky Allen and Howard Fidderman Kogan Page Publishers
Read Summary

At home, you are largely responsible for all these things yourself. Here are a few tips on how to stay healthy at home:

Image of: Tweak Your Work-from-Home Life for Better Health
Article Summary

Tweak Your Work-from-Home Life for Better Health

Add comfort to your workspace; your health will thank you later.

Beth Skwarecki Lifehacker
Read Summary

3. Meet and Balance Expectations

Cambridge University Professor Jennifer Howard-Grenville explains in the MIT Sloan Management Review that corporate culture is much more than the physical elements of an office. With more people working remotely, companies must focus on the core elements of their culture in order to sustain it.

Image of: How to Sustain Your Organization’s Culture When Everyone Is Remote
Article Summary

How to Sustain Your Organization’s Culture When Everyone Is Remote

Your company culture can grow stronger even as your staff works remotely.

Jennifer Howard-Grenville MIT Sloan Management Review
Read Summary

Hybrid forms of work, that is, a mix of employees who are in the office and work from home, don’t make collaboration easier – either for the employer or for the employee. Here’s the elevator pitch:

Image of: People Priorities for the New Now
Article Summary

People Priorities for the New Now

Seven priorities for leading people amid and after the pandemic crisis.

Rainer Strack, Allison Bailey, Deborah Lovic, Jens Baier, Reinhard Messenböck, Fang Ruan, Susanne Dyrchs and Ádám Kotsis The Boston Consulting Group
Read Summary

When it comes to expectations, consider:

  • Your employees want a comfortable environment.
  • Flexible schedules.
  • Work-life balance.
  • Inspiring leaders.

Millennials and gen Z employees, in particular, expect:

  • Corporate responsibility.
  • Sustainable practices. 
  • Professional development.

Even big firms can incorporate these strategies, as many have done for decades. Here is how:

Related Summaries in getAbstract’s Library
Image of: How Coronavirus Will Impact the Future of Work and HR
Article Summary

How Coronavirus Will Impact the Future of Work and HR

Human resource teams need to step up to help companies survive and recover from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Dan Schawbel LinkedIn Read Summary
Image of: Business Resilience
Article Summary

Business Resilience

Learn the keys to building business resilience during the pandemic crisis.

Josh Bersin Josh Bersin Read Summary
Image of: Bring Your Human to Work
Book Summary

Bring Your Human to Work

Honoring human relationships retains employees and builds stronger bottom lines.

Erica Keswin McGraw-Hill Education Read Summary

4. Let’s Talk About Stress…

Most people despise stress, which, according to conventional wisdom, damages your physical and mental well-being. Health psychologist Kelly McGonigal shatters this popular myth. She presents research proving that your outlook on stress determines whether it has a positive or negative influence on you.

Image of: How to Turn Stress into an Advantage
Video Summary

How to Turn Stress into an Advantage

Turn that frown upside down, and reframe your perception of stress.

Kelly McGonigal 99U
Read Summary

5. …and Loneliness

Feeling lonely at work? Most people believe that work isn’t the place for feelings; just show up and get the job done. If you’re in management, your job is to keep people focused on the task at hand. Their personal stuff isn’t your business, right?

Wrong.

According to a Totaljobs survey, 25% of people who felt lonely at work ended up quitting their jobs.

This summary shares tips from Mind, a mental health charity that partnered with Totaljobs to discuss remedies for workplace loneliness.

Related Summaries in getAbstract’s Library
Image of: Connection Is Critical During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Article Summary

Connection Is Critical During the Coronavirus Pandemic

During these trying times, solitude does not have to mean loneliness.

Katharine P. Stallard and Michael Lee Stallard SmartBrief Read Summary
Image of: How to Combat the Rise of Workplace Loneliness
Article Summary

How to Combat the Rise of Workplace Loneliness

Would you choose a high-paying job where you felt shunned by your co-workers – or a lower-paying job where you felt welcomed and accepted?

Emma Mamo TotalJobs Read Summary

Next Steps
Take a look at our Resilience resources page, and our New Work Knowledge Container for further information.

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13 We have curated the most actionable insights from 13 summaries for this feature.
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3 We read and summarized 3 books with 808 pages for this article.
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