Traditional Worker is Going Extinct

Before COVID we had already begun to reevaluate our relationship with work and our office spaces. Technology gave workers the resources to work from anywhere. Zoom meetings had already started to grow in popularity, smaller companies were avoiding commercial real estate and going with coworking spaces and working from home was happening at higher levels in companies. 

COVID just sped up what we were already seeing – the workplace is changing, and the workforce is changing with it. Now the CDC is telling us to return to normal and many companies are realizing that their employees don’t want to go back. 

Managers and leaders are resisting these changes, claiming that allowing employees to continue working from home would lower morale but, according to a survey taken by YouGov, 39% of remote workers say it would be their preference to be “remote full time” and 32% say they want to be “remote most of the time, with the option to go into the workplace occasionally.” Only a handful want to be in the physical workplace all of the time, a total of 5% of workers. 

There are industries who seem to be listening to their employees and researching the numbers. According to a survey taken by LinkedIn, the top 3 industries embracing these changes are IT, Transportations & Logistics, and Legal. 

Within these industries we’re seeing a variety of workers: full-time remote, hybrid, office first- remote allowed, and full-time office. 

Full-time Remote Worker

This employee works at home every day and may not even live the same city as their employer. They utilize technology to participate in meetings and in team building activities. This type of worker thrives on independent work and is a self-starter.



Hybrid Worker

A hybrid worker is someone who comes into the office 2-3 days a week and works from home 2-3 days a week. This seems to be the best compromise between employees looking to stay remote and companies looking to have in-person meetings again. Companies like Apple are setting the standard for which days are designated “office days” to encourage collaboration with employees in the office at the same times.



Office First- Remote Allowed

This is an employee who works in office most of the time but occasionally can work from home with manager approval. Many companies started this before COVID hit. Employees could work from home if they had a doctor’s appointment or were waiting on contractors, etc.

Full-time Office

This is someone who wants to return to normal. Surveys show that only 5% of employees actually want this option. We are finding that it is mostly leaders in companies who want employees back full-time.

As more companies lean into change, they will discover benefits such as being able to widen their hiring pool and reduce their overhead. More companies will begin utilizing Coworking spaces to avoid dealing with commercial real estate. They may even adopt the rotating desk model for the offices they do have.

At Engage we have seen that rotating desks work really well for hybrid employees. Everyone has their own laptop that they carry between home and work, and at the office they utilize a shared space that is just plug-in and go. Many coworking spaces offer open-area desks that could work well for these hybrid businesses but while they cost less, certain industries need to be careful.

Law firms, for example, always have to prioritize their security and privacy. So, these open-area desks may not work for the legal industry. At Engage, we have private offices and offer physical and virtual security to all of our members. Since we cater our services to lawyers, we can provide a more professional setting that would still accommodate any type of worker: Full-time, hybrid, remote occasionally.

We even have Virtual Memberships that work great for our full-time remote attorneys. You can lease an office with us for all of your hybrid workers, or an office for your full-time in-office attorney. We also have a day desk for the occasional in-office attorney. Flexibility has always been a necessity as law firms grow and change, but even more so now that many attorneys prefer the comfort of their own home office.

We’ve made it our mission to build a space that is one size fits all for law firms. So, as you start to plan your return to the new normal, come and check out our space and let us help guide you into the new future of the office space.

Engage Workspace for Lawyers is an office space for lawyers built by lawyers. Unlike other coworking spaces, Engage charges a flat monthly rate for access to a full suite of resources and limits membership to a community of lawyers. If you are looking for law office space where you can focus on your practice and be surrounded by great colleagues, please contact us or book a tour.

© Elysium Consulting LLC dba Engage Workspace for Lawyers.  2018-2023.  Represented by intellectual property law firm, Klemchuk PLLC.