Why the office still matters – and how to make it count

As hybrid work transforms how and where we work, the role of the office is evolving rather than disappearing. For many companies, it remains a vital space for fostering culture and driving innovation. But to attract employees back, offices need to become more than just desks – they must become collaborative hubs worth the commute.

We spoke with HP Poly’s Lars Berlau, Solution Engineer for the Nordics, and Michael Broholt, Large Account Manager, to learn how companies can transform their workspaces to support a hybrid workforce.

With more people working from home, going fully remote may seem like the next logical step. But Broholt explains why that might not be the best approach:

“Culture is what drives innovation in any company beyond a certain size. Those spontaneous conversations by the water cooler, the quick chat about an open position, the informal exchanges – that's where real collaboration happens. When you're in the office, you naturally stay in tune with what's happening in the organisation.”

However, expecting employees to return five days a week is no longer realistic.

“The future workplace in Denmark will likely involve two to three office days per week," Broholt says. "The traditional five-day office week is a thing of the past. Nordic employees value their autonomy too much to give up the flexibility they’ve gained.”

While office culture thrives on spontaneous in-person interactions, supporting hybrid work requires technology that bridges the gap between remote and on-site teams. The quality of virtual meetings is crucial for effective collaboration:

“Video communication fundamentally changes how we connect,” Berlau says. “Seeing each other transforms our understanding and perception in ways that audio alone never could.”

But not all meeting setups are created equal. “We’ve seen major companies make the mistake of using small-room solutions in all their meeting spaces,” Berlau explains. “A video bar that works perfectly in a four-person room simply can’t handle a space where fifteen people gather. The technology needs to match the environment.”

For hybrid work solutions to succeed, the meeting experience needs to be frictionless.

“The technology needs to be intuitive,” Broholt adds. “When you walk into a meeting room and start a meeting, you should just need to press one button. The camera should automatically find where people are sitting, optimise the sound – everything should happen without you having to think about it.”

And that's exactly the level of ease HP Poly is helping companies achieve with their workspace solutions.

Despite advances in meeting room technology, some leaders still worry about tech failures during important meetings.

“The fear of technology failing during a big presentation is real,” Broholt says. “But modern solutions have become so reliable that these concerns are becoming outdated. The technology just works.”

HP Poly’s systems are built with reliability in mind to ease these concerns.

“Our systems can predict potential issues before they occur,” Broholt says. “We proactively monitor room performance and ensure everything runs smoothly before any meeting begins.”

Today’s workforce has different expectations for workplace technology. “Employees now expect intuitive, one-touch solutions,” Broholt states. “They don’t want to think about the technology – they expect it to disappear into the background and just work.”

Interestingly, in a shift from the past, office technology decisions now involve more than just IT.

“HR has become a key decision-maker in technology investments,” Broholt says. “While IT handles the technical requirements, HR ensures these solutions create an environment where people can thrive and collaborate effectively.”

“The future office must offer something that working from home can't match,” Berlau concludes. “While virtual meetings are efficient, there’s an irreplaceable energy that comes from physical collaboration. That’s what brings people back to the office voluntarily.”

“Be creative when furnishing the office. Create small areas that invite collaboration for a few people. Make silent areas for employees that are easily distracted. But most importantly, make sure that acoustics have a huge impact on work performance.” Berlau adds.

In Denmark, only about 20-30 per cent of meeting rooms are equipped with modern video conferencing equipment, Broholt explains, indicating significant room for improvement in creating better frameworks for hybrid collaboration.

With the right technology, companies can create a seamless experience that bridges the gap between office-based and remote employees – building a workspace that truly meets the needs of a modern workforce.

Besides Broholt and Berlau's job at HP, they are both awarded as Microsoft MVPs in Teams.