Over the past two decades, the combined trends of open offices, reservable spaces and remote work shifted office design from a ubiquitous maze of grey cubicles towards a more dynamic, open and collaborative environment. Some employees were working remotely part of the time and some businesses were replacing permanent assigned seating with reservation systems.

While we await a return to greater normalcy after COVID-19 vaccines become widely available, an idea of the future for the workforce and workspace has begun to emerge. According to workspace researchers at FM:Systems, the future office will be a Hybrid Workplace that prioritizes people over place.