Starting with people, Belkin’s RE Director Barry Knudson proposed a new metric for judging the success of a hybrid work model: employee engagement, rather than in-office attendance. To support his point, he referenced a recent survey Belkin sent out to its employees, asking them to respond to questions about workplace and company culture satisfaction. The thinking went: The degree to which people respond to this survey will demonstrate how actively engaged and excited they are to comment on their employers/facilities. In 2023, Belkin had an 82.5% (807 respondents) in comparison with a 62% response rate in 2020 and 49% in 2019.

Kerin Van Andel of JLL highlighted the need for clear boundaries in the workplace to empower employee engagement with flexible designs. Employees often hesitate to use spaces like casual seating or working in the office cafe, fearing it may appear unproductive. Clear guidelines can mitigate this, promoting a collaborative and innovative environment. “Creating those guardrails are important so that employees know what the limits are,” she explained. Additionally, HLW’s DEI Director Anjali Mathai spoke about role modeling, detailing how a company’s leadership needs to demonstrate and encourage behaviors that they want to see their employees perform so that everyone else can see it as allowed. “Nonverbal permission is just as impactful as verbal permission,” Mathai said.