The “art of conversation” is the future of the office.
This evening I had a wonderful conversation with a like-minded dear friend about the joys of a squiggly career, the wonders of technology, and the beautiful complexities of human psychology — all of my favourite topics.
We discussed how all of these had been impacted by the global pandemic and a year of working from home.
During this serendipitous, in-person conversation, I stumbled upon an insight into the future of the office, as we talked about hybrid working and the many challenges this brings for business.
Upon this reflection, I was taken back to the summer of 2019 when I joined a great co-working space, SohoWorks, in Shoreditch, London, and it fast became my ‘work’ residency.
It’s here where I found my tribe, a wonderful community of creative-minded, entrepreneurial spirits, who welcomed me with open arms.
Reflecting on what made this experience so meaningful, I observed that many pivotal experiences had begun life as an informal conversation.
A casual conversation while making coffee, or having lunch, or bumping into a friendly face while walking to the phone booth, would often result in a fascinating discussion and the forming of a new human connection.
In one particular conversation, I started a side hustle with another member!
What struck me was that the cleverly designed spaces had been curated to facilitate the art of conversation.
To gently encourage and nudge us towards these random moments of serendipity.
And yet, in contrast, over the last year, all of these informalities of conversation had become lost as we reacquainted with our natural habitat and a prolonged period of working from home.
This polarity got me thinking about the future of the office as I looked across the City of London skyline to see thousands of empty dark offices and pondered on their new purpose in a hybrid working world.
The hybrid divide
There are three divides emerging:
1) Those who can’t wait to get back into the office vs those who are much happier working from home.
In fact, in a recent study, 70% of people stated that they would be happier working from home at least 2–3 days a week.
2) The extrovert/introvert divide and where we naturally recharge and get our energy.
There are those who are solar-powered and get their energy from being around people, and those who are battery-powered and get their energy from periods of solitude.
This will undoubtedly impact our motivation to return to the office.
3) And finally, the generational divide.
Colleagues seeking to build relationships in their early career years and learn from more experienced colleagues are keen to return to the office.
In contrast, the more experienced colleagues — who no longer have a significant commute from their family homes out of town, aren’t feeling the same pull as before to return to their City offices.
So, this reality presents us with a challenge that will undoubtedly impact the next generation.
Whom, pre-covid, would usually be learning through osmosis, through a combination of observing and listening to more experienced colleagues in the office.
So what is the new purpose of the office as a hybrid space? And how can it encourage a diverse range of people to come together to facilitate the art of conversation and relationships?
How would we do this…?
#1 No screens
Let’s be honest, how many great ideas have come to us when we’ve been staring at a screen?
Not as many as when we are going for a run or in the shower with no distractions. Or simply when having a conversation.
The office becomes a tech-free zone, or at least parts of it do.
#2 Human-first
Facilitated to create relationships, connection and belonging.
The office is a place of psychological safety and trust where we bring our most authentic selves — which is the best version of us there will ever be!
#3 Designed for a variety of conversations
Informal and formal, brainstorming and collaboration, customers and teammates, the Boardroom to the frontline are all united to imagine new possibilities.
Our conversations come in all shapes and sizes, and our offices are created to facilitate every kind, to make great conversations great.
All voices heard
Do you think to talk, or talk to think?
I’ve become aware over the last year of the difference in how we process information — which is even more critical in a hybrid working environment to ensure all voices are heard.
Some of us prefer to think to talk and require quiet, reflective time to process and make sense of information before we speak, while others prefer to talk to think and formulate our ideas as we speak.
In a hybrid working environment, we need to understand these dynamics and bring the best out in each other.
So where does that leave working from home?
Working from home is for deep work, for thinking, without distractions.
For increased productivity and output, where synchronous and asynchronous work is done.
It is less about building relationships and connection. Or collaboration and cocreation, although these can still be done virtually — just not to the same degree.
It is where we seek silence to plug into our solo work.
All of this became clear to me recently when I was reminded of the power of meeting in person during my first face-to-face business meeting in over a year. With two peers who I’d only ever met on zoom.
At first, it took a little getting used to, as we settled into the novelty of meeting in person.
Being able to meet in real life was great. The depth of our conversation, ideas and collaboration ebbed and flowed, helped by a big dose of chemistry and energy from our connection.
This isn’t something that can be replicated to the same level virtually, unfortunately.
Yes, we have all adapted to make virtual working work; there is no doubt about that. But real life human connection makes collaboration go further and deeper.
We understand each other in more profound, and connected ways. Which builds stronger relationships and greater trust, and that is so important when working together.
The future…
I hope that the future of the office is a dynamic place that celebrates all of the good things about being human; creativity, connection and collaboration.
And that we punctuate this by giving ourselves the time we need in our natural habitats. Whatever that may look like for us, individually.
In doing this, we are creating an equilibrium between our work and lives that fits our unique needs, and helps to keep the art of conversation and connection alive.
If you’d like to hear more, check out the Hybrid Working Bootcamp I’m running with Let’s Talk Talent.
