You may struggle to keep your employees motivated in a remote setting, but now life is returning to normal in some ways. If you are looking to capture lightning in a bottle upon people’s return to the office, collaboration is certainly where it’s at. But what does it really take to increase office collaboration? And can you do it in the post-pandemic world? 

Designing Spaces With a Purpose

It’s not always easy, especially if you have small offices, but when you start to set out specific spaces for collaborative purposes, this is going to foster collaboration in subtle, but effective ways.

It’s also going to help with regards to people keeping their distance. You can set up certain working bubbles, which, depending on the rules at the time, can make a process easier, and encourage more collaboration. You could incorporate barriers, floor marking shapes, and other tactics to make sure that each part of the office is clearly defined.

When you are trying to segment parts of the office for collaboration, you’ve got to make sure you don’t create too much in the way of sections, which means you’ve got to understand what your collaboration goals are, and how your employees can achieve them. You can arrange the desks in a certain way, and install better office lighting, but these are worth nothing if you do not have a solid purpose. 

The Importance of Collaboration Mindset

In order for any culture to flourish, collaboration has to be a part of the DNA. Employees have to buy into the idea that collaboration is essential to them, that it will drive innovation forward.

This is why it’s important for you to show your employees the bigger picture. You can’t just encourage collaboration, but you must have it as a through-line in your organization. When it becomes the default approach to work, this is how everybody starts to build up their capacity for collaboration. Employees have to understand that working together is the only way to improve the business and themselves. 

Going Beyond the Meeting Room

You can incorporate collaborative furniture, redesign a room, and think about the culture, but you’ve got to make sure that the space is optimized with the right tools. This all depends on the employees and what they actually need. The simple thing is to go back to employees and ask them what they need to work better.

You may be surprised by how simple the solutions are. An ergonomic chair or a standing desk could make all of the difference. And once these little things are in place, they can tap into the collective power of your employees. 

Collaboration has moved beyond the meeting room, and this is why, in a post-pandemic world, you’ve got to remain flexible with your approaches. But a lot of people are missing the office.

And while you may be able to help your employees back to the office, and they will enjoy the feeling of being back, if you want to make your office a better space you’ve got to make a few changes.