The Core Answer

Office space planning for hybrid working should focus on how people use the office now, not how they used it before. Before an office fit out begins, businesses should review desk demand, meeting rooms, video call spaces, acoustics, collaboration areas, storage, lighting, ventilation, technology, fire safety and staff movement through the building.

The biggest shift is this:

The office no longer needs to be built around maximum desk numbers. It needs to be built around purposeful attendance.

People come into the office to collaborate, meet clients, learn, focus, socialise, use better facilities and connect with their team. A successful hybrid office design supports all of those activities without wasting space.

Why Hybrid Working Has Changed Office Space Planning

For many businesses, the office is no longer full five days a week.

Some teams come in on fixed days. Others use the office around meetings, projects, training, collaboration or client work. That creates a different type of demand.

The old planning question was:

How many desks do we need?

The better question now is:

What do people need the office to do when they choose to come in?

That change affects everything:

• desk numbers

• meeting room sizes

• video call facilities

• breakout space

• focus areas

• storage

• technology

• circulation

• lighting

• heating and ventilation

• acoustic performance

The British Council for Offices has updated its Guide to Fit-Out to reflect hybrid working patterns, wellbeing, smart technology and net zero transition, showing how office design has moved beyond basic interiors and into workplace performance. British Council for Offices

For London businesses planning an office fit out or office refurbishment, this is a real opportunity. Instead of simply refreshing the space, the project can reshape the workplace around how the business actually operates.

1. Stop Planning Around Full Occupancy Every Day

Hybrid working has changed occupancy patterns.

A business with 80 employees may not need 80 desks every day. However, it may still need enough space for busy anchor days, team meetings, training, reviews and client visits.

The mistake is reducing desks too aggressively without understanding when people actually attend.

What to change before the fit out

Look at:

• average daily attendance

• busiest office days

• team overlap days

• client meeting frequency

• quiet work requirements

• project team needs

• staff who need permanent workstations

• staff who can use shared desks

A good office fit out design should balance efficiency with flexibility. Too many desks wastes space. Too few desks frustrates staff and makes office days feel badly planned.

2. Replace Rows of Desks With Work Zones

Hybrid offices work best when they include different types of space.

Instead of one large open-plan area, consider planning the office around zones.

These may include:

Focus Zones

For individual work, quiet tasks and concentration.

Collaboration Zones

For team discussions, workshops and project work.

Meeting Zones

For formal meetings, client discussions and reviews.

Call Zones

For video calls, private conversations and online meetings.

Social Zones

For breaks, informal chats and staff connection.

Support Zones

For storage, printing, lockers, utilities and welfare.

This kind of zoning helps the office support different behaviours rather than forcing every task into the same open-plan environment.

3. Build for Video Calls, Not Just Meetings

A common hybrid office problem is the rise of video calls.

Before hybrid working became common, meeting rooms were mostly used for in-person conversations. Now, they often need to support remote attendees too.

That changes the requirements.

A modern meeting space needs:

• suitable lighting

• good acoustics

• stable power and data

• screen visibility

• camera-friendly seating

• enough ventilation

• comfortable furniture

• simple technology setup

If this is not planned properly, staff end up taking calls from desks, corridors, kitchens or breakout spaces.

That creates noise, distraction and frustration.

What to change before the fit out

Before building meeting rooms, decide:

• how many people usually attend in person

• how many join remotely

• whether rooms need screens or AV

• where cameras and microphones should sit

• how much acoustic separation is needed

• how power and data will be provided

This should be planned before walls, lighting and furniture are finalised.

4. Treat Acoustics as a Core Design Issue

Open-plan offices can be difficult when hybrid working increases calls, online meetings and mixed work patterns.

Noise often comes from:

• video calls at desks

• informal meetings

• breakout areas

• hard flooring

• glass partitions

• busy circulation routes

• printers and shared equipment

• poorly placed collaboration areas

Acoustics should not be treated as an afterthought.

What to change before the fit out

Review:

• where calls will happen

• whether quiet zones need separation

• whether meeting rooms need acoustic treatment

• how sound travels through open areas

• whether breakout areas are too close to desks

• whether flooring, ceilings or wall finishes can help absorb sound

A good office interior fit out should feel comfortable to work in, not just look modern in photographs.

5. Rethink Storage for Hybrid Teams

Hybrid working often changes storage needs.

Some businesses reduce personal storage because fewer people are in every day. Others need more lockers because staff no longer have fixed desks.

Storage might be needed for:

• laptops

• personal items

• confidential files

• marketing materials

• samples

• stationery

• IT equipment

• cleaning supplies

• spare monitors

• coats and bags

Poor storage planning creates clutter very quickly.

What to change before the fit out

Decide whether your office needs:

• lockers

• shared team storage

• storage walls

• archive storage

• concealed cupboards

• print and stationery hubs

• personal storage for fixed desk users

Storage should be designed into the layout early, not squeezed in at the end.

6. Check Whether the Services Still Match the Layout

A new hybrid office layout may require changes to building services.

For example:

• fewer desks may reduce some power demand

• more meeting rooms may increase ventilation demand

• new collaboration areas may need extra lighting

• call rooms may need power, data and airflow

• tea points may need plumbing or drainage

• more technology may require better cable management

The HSE says workplaces should provide good ventilation, a reasonable working temperature, suitable lighting, enough room space and suitable workstations and seating. HSE

That means office space planning should not stop at furniture and finishes. The building services need to support the way the office will be used.

7. Plan Lighting Around Activity, Not Just Area

Hybrid offices contain different types of work in the same space.

A single lighting approach may not work everywhere.

Different areas may need different lighting:

• focused desk work

• meeting rooms

• video calls

• breakout spaces

• reception areas

• circulation routes

• presentation areas

• quiet rooms

The HSE lighting guidance highlights the need to manage risks linked to poor lighting and understand what good lighting looks like for the task being carried out. HSE

What to change before the fit out

Review:

• glare on screens

• lighting for video calls

• task lighting at desks

• feature lighting in client areas

• emergency lighting

• lighting controls

• natural light

• darker zones within the office

Lighting is one of the most effective ways to make a refurbished office feel better immediately.

8. Make the Office Worth the Commute

Hybrid working means the office has to earn its place.

If staff are asked to travel in, the office should offer something they cannot easily get at home.

That might include:

• better collaboration spaces

• stronger team connection

• professional meeting rooms

• training spaces

• quality breakout areas

• better technology

• comfortable focus space

• access to leadership

• client-facing environments

This does not mean every office needs to look like a tech campus. It means the office should support the reasons people come in.

What to change before the fit out

Ask staff and managers what the office needs to improve.

Useful questions include:

• Why do people come into the office?

• What frustrates them when they are there?

• Which spaces are underused?

• Which spaces are always overbooked?

• Are meeting rooms suitable for hybrid calls?

• Is the office comfortable for focused work?

• Does the space support collaboration?

The answers should shape the office fit out brief.

9. Keep Fire Safety and Escape Routes Front of Mind

Changing the office layout can affect fire safety.

New meeting rooms, partitions, furniture, storage and circulation routes may all affect how people move through the building.

GOV.UK guidance states that workplace fire safety and evacuation plans should show clear passageways to escape routes, clearly marked escape routes, enough exits and routes for people to escape and emergency lighting where needed. GOV.UK

What to change before the fit out

Before finalising the layout, review:

• escape routes

• fire doors

• emergency lighting

• signage

• occupancy levels

• compartmentation

• furniture placement

• storage locations

• fire risk assessment findings

Fire safety should be built into the office space planning process, not checked only at the end.

10. Design for Change, Not Just Handover Day

Hybrid working will continue to evolve.

A layout that works today may need to adapt as teams grow, downsize, return more often or change how they collaborate.

This is why flexibility matters.

A future-ready office may include:

• movable furniture

• flexible meeting rooms

• modular storage

• adaptable desk areas

• services planned with future changes in mind

• simple circulation

• multi-use breakout spaces

• scalable technology

What to change before the fit out

Ask:

• can this layout adapt if staff numbers change?

• can meeting rooms be repurposed?

• can desks be added or removed?

• can storage be adjusted?

• can power and data support future changes?

• will the space still work in three years?

The best office fit outs are not fixed too tightly around one moment in time.

Hybrid Office Planning: A Different Kind of Pre-Fit-Out Brief

Before appointing a contractor, create a brief that answers these questions:

People

• Who uses the office?

• How often do they attend?

• What do they come in to do?

• Which teams need to overlap?

Space

• What areas are underused?

• What areas are overused?

• Do you need more meeting rooms or fewer desks?

• Are quiet areas needed?

Services

• Does the current power layout still work?

• Does ventilation support new room layouts?

• Does lighting suit the tasks being carried out?

• Are data and AV requirements clear?

Safety

• Are escape routes protected?

• Are fire doors affected?

• Does the fire risk assessment need updating?

• Are accessibility requirements being considered?

Delivery

• Will staff remain on site?

• Can works be phased?

• Are landlord approvals needed?

• Are handover requirements clear?

This type of brief gives office fit out contractors a much better foundation for pricing, planning and delivery.

What Businesses Often Get Wrong

Hybrid office planning usually goes wrong when businesses:

• cut desks without understanding attendance patterns

• add meeting rooms without considering ventilation

• ignore acoustics

• treat video calls as an IT issue only

• leave storage until the end

• forget fire routes when adding furniture

• choose finishes before confirming services

• copy another company’s office instead of planning their own

• focus too much on appearance and not enough on use

Avoiding these mistakes can make the fit out smoother and the final office more effective.

Final Thoughts

Office space planning for hybrid working is about making the workplace more purposeful.

The office no longer needs to be a place where everyone sits at a desk all day. It needs to support the moments when being together matters: collaboration, meetings, training, culture, focus, client work and team connection.

Before starting an office fit out, businesses should look carefully at how their office is used, what no longer works and what needs to change.

Barry Turner and Son Ltd supports commercial clients with office fit out, office refurbishment, electrical works, HVAC, plumbing, decorating, fire doors, fire stopping and wider building upgrades across London and the South East.

To discuss an upcoming office fit out or workplace refurbishment project, visit Commercial Services or request a Free Quotation.

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