This article is part of the series Beyond Hybrid:
99 Things You Need to Know Now

Humanizing Hybrid Collaboration Insights and ideas 26-37 for a new era of work Technology should fade into the background so people can have more mindshare to solve problems and develop new ideas. While hybrid work may still be evolving, we know everyone, regardless of how often they’re in the office, needs to interact with people in different locations. And leaders know hybrid collaboration spaces require improvement.

Most leaders (66%*) are considering redesigning physical spaces for hybrid work. It’s welcome news to employees who are unhappy with hybrid collaboration spaces they say are too small, uncomfortable, too noisy or lack privacy. And, sending everyone home doesn’t solve the problem. *2021 Microsoft Work Trend Index Hybrid meetings are now the most common kind of collaboration. Like any good neighborhood, the office needs places for people to come together — and now those spaces need to connect people who are in person and remote.

89% 85% Struggle with video Struggle with audio **Logitech Most remote
workers experience
audio and video
difficulties.**

The amount of eye contact and face sizes in video chats is often unnatural.
Especially in a one-on-one conversation, the size of someone’s face makes you feel like your personal space is being invaded which puts you in a hyper-alert state. Seeing yourself constantly in video chats is fatiguing.
You would never want to stare at a mirror all day. It’s stressful. Movement is limited.
Video can keep us stuck in the same spot. People perform better cognitively when they can move. We have to work harder in video chats to interpret people’s non-verbal cues.
When we can only see someone’s head and shoulders, it is harder to know why they are making a certain facial expression or gesture. Virtual Fatigue Back-to-back virtual meetings cause fatigue. Stanford University researchers discovered four reasons why. What they learned can help companies improve hybrid collaboration spaces. The amount of eye contact
and face sizes in video chats
is often unnatural. Especially in a one-on-one conversation, the size of someone’s face makes you feel like your personal space is being invaded which puts you in a hyper-alert state. Seeing yourself constantly in
video chats is fatiguing. You would never want to stare at a mirror all day. It’s stressful. Movement is limited. Video can keep us stuck in the same spot. People perform better cognitively when they can move. We have to work harder in
video chats to interpret
people’s non-verbal cues. When we can only see someone’s head and shoulders, it is harder to know why they are making a certain facial expression or gesture.

Consider the room’s layout
so everyone faces the camera.
That may mean shifting orientation to the long wall instead of the short wall in a rectangular room. Seating in arcs or orienting everyone to face the camera helps improves communication, eye contact and focus. Tiered seating in larger spaces can help everyone’s face be seen on camera. Include plenty of personal tables for individual devices. In the open, consider seating with a high back or a built-in screen for added privacy. Furniture with pegs, hooks and storage keeps cords, personal belongings, and equipment out of the way. In enclosed spaces, center the camera
in the room to ensure everyone at the table is in the field of view.
Avoid excessive on-video motion and distraction by eliminating pathways around the space from the camera’s view. Privacy film can be applied to glass to hide what’s happening on the screen from passers by. In open spaces, position the camera to avoid views of aisles, corridors, or adjacent co-workers. Conversations and movement will be distracting. Focus on speech clarity and privacy,
as well as limiting the spread of sound, atmospheric noise and echos.
Fabric wall treatments, panels, carpet and softer seating can help absorb sound. Acoustic fabric panels opposite the technology in a room can help with sound absorption. Ensure audio settings are adjustable. In noisy areas, use microphones with noise suppression. Set speakers to default to low while still allowing for adjustments. Consider secondary microphones in settings where people are sitting far apart. Provide multi-faceted lighting
of the space, people, and background.
Multi-directional lighting is best to avoid harsh shadows. Lighter colored surfaces within the space promote light distribution. Dimmable options provide the ability to adjust based on the needs of the space. Diffused lighting is preferred over direct downlights. Avoid placing directional downlights directly over peoples’ heads, which can cause dark shadows on faces. Consider programmable light modes in spaces optimized for video meetings. Scott Wharton
VP and General Manager, Logitech We’ve been trying to solve the problem of how to make video meetings more human.” Designing for Hybrid Collaboration The earlier you bring design, facilities and IT together to consider how furniture, lights, video and audio will intersect, the more seamless the experience will be for in person and remote participants. Consider the room’s layout
so everyone faces the camera. That may mean shifting orientation to the long wall instead of the short wall in a rectangular room. Seating in arcs or orienting everyone to face the camera helps improves communication, eye contact and focus. Tiered seating in larger spaces can help everyone’s face be seen on camera. Include plenty of personal tables for individual devices. In the open, consider seating with a high back or a built-in screen for added privacy. Furniture with pegs, hooks and storage keeps cords, personal belongings, and equipment out of the way. In enclosed spaces, center the camera
in the room to ensure everyone at the table is in the field of view. Avoid excessive on-video motion and distraction by eliminating pathways around the space from the camera’s view. Privacy film can be applied to glass to hide what’s happening on the screen from passers by. In open spaces, position the camera to avoid views of aisles, corridors, or adjacent co-workers. Conversations and movement will be distracting. Focus on speech clarity and privacy,
as well as limiting the spread of sound, atmospheric noise and echos. Fabric wall treatments, panels, carpet and softer seating can help absorb sound. Acoustic fabric panels opposite the technology in a room can help with sound absorption. Ensure audio settings are adjustable. In noisy areas, use microphones with noise suppression. Set speakers to default to low while still allowing for adjustments. Consider secondary microphones in settings where people are sitting far apart. Provide multi-faceted lighting
of the space, people, and background. Multi-directional lighting is best to avoid harsh shadows. Lighter colored surfaces within the space promote light distribution. Dimmable options provide the ability to adjust based on the needs of the space. Diffused lighting is preferred over direct downlights. Avoid placing directional downlights directly over peoples’ heads, which can cause dark shadows on faces. Consider programmable light modes
in spaces optimized for video meetings.

Help people see what’s happening and stay engaged.
Logitech’s Scribe camera for whiteboards, and Microsoft Surface Hub digital whiteboard and built-in context camera help people see what’s happening and stay involved. Steelcase Flex Media Cart untethers technology and makes it moveable. Create a more inclusive experience.
Microsoft Teams Front Row layout and Logitech’s Grid View camera setting place remote participants in more natural sizes and locations on screen, and frame each in-room participant in their own personal window. Tables and chairs need to be positioned to maintain natural sight lines between those in the room, those who are remote and shared content. Use intuitive furniture and technology together.
Microsoft Teams or Zoom Rooms spaces enable one-touch join while AI-enabled cameras auto-track and auto-frame. Braiding Tech + Space In collaboration with our technology partners at Microsoft, Zoom, Logitech and Crestron, Steelcase has developed best practices for integrating tech and space to create better equity, engagement and ease. Help people see what’s happening and stay engaged. Logitech’s Scribe camera for whiteboards, and Microsoft Surface Hub digital whiteboard and built-in context camera help people see what’s happening and stay involved. Steelcase Flex Media Cart untethers technology and makes it moveable. Create a more inclusive experience. Microsoft Teams Front Row layout and Logitech’s Grid View camera setting place remote participants in more natural sizes and locations on screen, and frame each in-room participant in their own personal window. Tables and chairs need to be positioned to maintain natural sight lines between those in the room, those who are remote and shared content. Use intuitive furniture and technology together. Microsoft Teams or Zoom Rooms spaces enable one-touch join while AI-enabled cameras auto-track and auto-frame.

37 Use intuitive furniture and technology together. 34 Provide multi-faceted lighting of the space, people and background. 33 Focus on speech clarity and privacy, as well as limiting the spread of sound, atmospheric noise and echoes. 32 In enclosed spaces, center the camera in the room to ensure everyone at the table is in the field of view. 35 Help people see what’s happening and stay engaged. 27 The amount of eye contact and face sizes in video chats is often unnatural. 31 Consider the room’s layout so everyone faces the camera. 26 Most remote workers experience audio and video difficulties. 28 Video can keep us stuck in the same spot, limiting movement.  36 Create a more inclusive experience. 29 Movement is limited. 30 We have to work harder in video chats to interpret people’s non-verbal cues. The Takeaway Insights and ideas 26-37 for a new era of work Better eye contact. The ability to move around. More natural conversations. Great hybrid collaboration experiences need to be designed for equity, engagement and ease. Ease is especially important: if the spaces and technology are hard to use, people will not take advantage of the resources available to them. People on both sides of the camera need to be able to see and hear one another and contribute to content. Whether you’re joining in-person or remote, you should be on a level playing field.

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