Workers are resisting a return to the office. Can leaders make workplaces more magnetic?

Two tools for workplace design ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

TODAY'S NEWS. TOMORROW'S INSIGHTS. A daily newsletter from McKinsey & Company   Edited by Belinda Yu   Editor, Atlanta Rebooting the office The news • So long, cubical farms. With greenery, better technology, and access to the outdoors, today's offices have come a long way from the cubicle farms of yesteryear. Many employers are struggling to get people back into buildings and modifying layouts to be more enticing. Modern workplaces offer added areas for collaboration and plenty of amenities, such as healthy meals, to promote greater employee satisfaction and well-being. One global real estate firm says that 80% of its biggest clients report updating offices to reflect changing work models. [Fortune] • Work from anywhere. The workplace of the future will be much more flexible overall, declares one organizational expert. By then, companies will have figured out some of the growing pains of using the technology and coordinating work in a hybrid office. Soon, people will be able to live and work wherever they want. But before embracing the concept of working from anywhere, people should consider the potential unintended consequences—such as if companies were to use the opportunity to move jobs overseas to cut costs. [FT] "We're seeing an explosion of available work spaces of even more shapes, sizes, feeling, and locations than any one employer could ever provide." Our insights • Make it magnetic. Managers want employees back at the office, but many workers, hooked on flexibility, are resisting the return. With the average cost of having an office about $10,000 to $15,000 per person each year, stakes are high for rebooting the office, McKinsey senior partner Bill Schaninger and colleagues say. One way to make the workplace "really magnetic"? Have a community manager there that brings "a sense of surprise and delight" through, for example, buying hot chocolate for everyone on a cold day, says McKinsey's Phil Kirschner. • The future office. The office of the future can be dynamic, inspiring, and even play a role in accelerating learning, says Kirschner. Employers can shift training rooms from a windowless basement to attractive nooks and alcoves. They can also open the door to the community, bringing new ideas and people into the building. Shifting from reservation-only spaces to more natural "centers of gravity" where people tend to gather can also make it likelier for workers to meet and interact. See two simple, cost-effective ways to experiment with workplace design. Explore how offices may change Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here. Or send us feedback — we'd love to hear from you. Follow our thinking This email contains information about McKinsey's research, insights, services, or events. By opening our emails or clicking on links, you agree to our use of cookies and web tracking technology. For more information on how we use and protect your information, please review our privacy policy. You received this email because you subscribed to the On Point newsletter. Manage subscriptions | Unsubscribe Copyright © 2022 | McKinsey & Company, 3 World Trade Center, 175 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10007