b'WORKPLACERETHINKING OFFICE SPACE virtual teams with the same level ofItsbeenaprolongederaofvirtual One of the biggest changes to work movingempathyandeffectivenessastheiroffices,socialdistancing,andstrictjob forward may be how employers utilize theirpeersinthenextoffice,whilealsosite protocols. While the severity of the real estate.remainadeptatusingteam-basedpandemic may be receding, many of these software,cloudtechnologiesandnew ways of working will remain, in one Theneedforrealestateiscurrentlystreamingtechnologiesthroughoutform or another, in the years ahead. The being evaluated everywhere, not just in thetheirday.Itsatallorderforthosefuture of work for the aggregate industry aggregate industry, says McGonigle. Withwhomaynotbecomfortablewithisntlikelytobeareturntonormal apossiblefuturehybridmodel,employerstechnology,butmanaginghybridbut a continuation of modified practices may not require the existing square footageteamseffectivelywillbekeytoand policies that keep workers confident, forstaff,orthespaceitselfmaybeusedmaintainingmoraleandkeepingcomfortable,andeffectivewhether differently and possibly for other purposes.operations on track. theyre in an office or out in the field.Either way, I do believe that the days of filling as many people as possible into a building will be modified.Physicalofficelayoutsmayalsolook different.Thosemanaginghybridteams willlikelyembracemoreflexibleoffice layoutswithcommonworkspacesand amenities that can be shared by employees who split their time between home and the companysheadquarters.Moreover,the office environment of the near future may incorporatemoreconnectedtechnologies (e.g.,videostreamingequipment,hybrid conference rooms, team platforms) to keep hybrid teams on the same page.There are a large number of workers who are happy to keep working from home and some may not return if forced to come back totheoffice.Accommodatingbothteams, andensuringtheyremainproductive,will take a leadership approach that treats both teams as equals and keeps them connected, engaged and on the same page.Youhaveemployeeswhopreferthe officesettingversushome,andviceversa. Ahybridmanagerialstylewillberequired toaccommodatethisnewmodel.Some managers may find that difficult, just as some employees find it difficult to feel as engaged andinvolvedwhenworkingfromahome office, says McGonigle.Certainly,managingahybridworkforce willrequirenewperspectivesandskills. Thatincludesthetechnicalknow-howto stayconnectedwithvirtualemployees. Learning and adapting to these new virtual working technologies and formats may be a struggle for some. And then, there are the employees who simply prefer working in an environmentwheretheyhavephysical,in-personmeetingswiththeircolleaguesand clients, says McGonigle.Managing virtual teams will require a mix of soft skills and technology-driven solutions. Managers will need to be able to interact with FALL 2021AVENUES 27'