Asana employees celebrated their return to office—What’s their secret? 

How do you create workplace engagement that lasts? 

For Asana, a leading work management platform, the secret is a human-centric approach. Instead of focusing on perks to drive in-office attendance, Asana’s strategy stems from the philosophy of the leadership team: in-person collaboration is critical for innovation.

With that in mind, the workplace design team developed a hybrid plan in 2022 that aligned with company values and supported employees. Years later, their strategy continues to thrive. 

Here’s how Asana crafted their long-term hybrid work solution:

Building a culture, not just a strategy

During the era of remote work and office closures, Asana held onto their physical spaces, planning a return to in-person work when it was safe to do so. To justify maintaining and expanding the real estate portfolio, the team needed to ensure a successful RTO by:

1. Setting clear expectations from the start. Leadership established Asana’s core values, including face-to-face collaboration, and managers were tasked with amplifying that message. Not only was the expectation to return to the office clearly communicated to employees, managers also shared the ‘why’ behind the policy. This also informs Asana’s hiring practices; bringing in new team members who are aligned with the company mission is key to their success. 
2. Creating a structured hybrid policy. Asana defined which days employees are expected to be in person, making time at the office collaborative and productive. 
3. Supporting flexibility. Even with a dedicated hybrid policy, employee needs can always vary. “We encourage people to speak directly with their managers if they have any concerns, making it more personal than submitting a form to someone you don’t know. You’re able to give context and ask for flexibility in terms of coming into the office. We empower managers to make decisions for their teams,” says Asana’s Global Workplace Strategist Uyum Ulgen.

4. Designing collaborative workspaces. Asana’s teams had a vision for their spaces: thriving, buzzy office environments that support collaboration. This informs how they plan and manage spaces, from seating arrangements to on-site amenities. 

Striking the right balance with hybrid 

Efficient spaces are a key part of Asana’s hybrid success, but they also needed to ensure employee schedules aligned. To guarantee teams can connect in the office, Asana embraced a structured hybrid model. 

Structured hybrid—which requires specific days of the week in-office—is now the most common hybrid model for U.S. companies, according to a recent Flex Index study. For Asana, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays are “Collab Days,” with all global and regional teams expected to be on site. On Mondays, each team meets in-person to kick off the week and set an agenda. 

Allowing time for deep focus work is also a priority. To strike the right balance between solo work and collaboration, Asana implemented No Meeting Wednesdays and Focus Fridays. 

Collaboration by design

“Our office is the main place where we do work,” says Ulgen. “Of course, we’re very mindful about how we’re growing and how we’re making our real estate investments because it’s such a big capital expense for the company. However, there is never hesitation around investing in real estate.” The company currently has offices in 13 cities worldwide, including San Francisco, New York, and Chicago, and a brand-new office in Vancouver, BC. 

“We’re a leading company when it comes to cross-team collaboration. Being together in the office is a huge component of that. People always talk about how you run into someone and you start collaborating, but it’s not an exaggeration. I experience this every day when we go into the office,” says Ulgen.

Asana’s on-site cafe in San Francisco, stocked with fresh baked goods and craft espresso drinks, is one place where employees connect. “I run into most people in the cafe; everyone is there in the morning—there are certain times where it’s bustling.”

Even with high in-office attendance rates, there are instances where remote and in-person teams need to collaborate, especially when the team is distributed globally. Workplace teams improved their skills around video conferencing and tech to ensure that hybrid meetings are productive and inclusive, regardless of where people are working. 

Space planning with intention

Asana’s workplace teams were mindful when creating seating assignments, making sure those who frequently collaborate are close to one another on the floor plan, while maintaining a balanced floor-to-person ratio. 

When they first rolled out their hybrid work policy, workplace design teams collaborated with executive assistants and team managers—those who knew their teams best—to formalize a seating plan. They were able to further streamline space planning when they started using digital stack plans and collaborative scenario planning. 

“Stack plans are definitely life savers,” says Ulgen, reflecting on the time-consuming past approach that involved manual Excel sheets and ad hoc seating charts. Now, workplace strategists build scenario plans with relevant stakeholders, designating a team lead to approve seating arrangements and place employees onto the floor plan. 

As workplace shifts are inevitable, scenarios and block and stack planning allow the team to stay agile and make changes without impacting the office layout as a whole. “You can’t do this work without workplace management software,” Ulgen says. 

Measuring hybrid success

For Asana, success doesn’t just come down to numbers. Their revenue, which has exceeded analyst projections, is a clear sign that their policies are effective, but they also measure success through employee engagement and satisfaction. 

Twice a year, the people team sends out an employee engagement survey to assess sentiment about the workplace, management, and leadership. Employees consistently express that they feel connected to their colleagues. “In the surveys, people say they’re comfortable reaching out to their team and other departments and can work with them easily,” shares Ulgen.  

To gauge compliance with their structured hybrid policy, Asana doesn’t measure attendance on an individual basis, but they do monitor trends. By analyzing unique badge swipes, they’re able to clearly understand the impact of their policies on attendance, and strategically manage facility resources. 

Your hybrid workplace checklist

Hybrid work will look different at every organization, but the fundamentals of Asana’s strategy can offer guidance for any team: 

• Build a purpose-driven strategy: Craft policies that align with your core business values. 
• Get buy-in from all stakeholders: Communicate the ‘why’ behind the strategy to get teams on board.
• Get specific: Policies like structured hybrid make it easier for teams to align on schedules and have productive days at the office.
• Plan smart spaces: A mindful approach to space planning, with flex spaces, strategic seating arrangements, and the right tech and amenities, can better support collaboration and productivity.
• Allow time for solo work: Designate time for focus work as part of your hybrid strategy to complement meeting time and collaboration.
• Unlock agility: Leverage digital floor plans and drag-and-drop stack planning to make quick changes as your company evolves.
• Be intentional with real estate: Make investments that align with your hybrid model to minimize wasted space and overspending. 

Want to develop a lasting hybrid work strategy for your organization? Learn how workplace management software like OfficeSpace simplifies space planning with user-friendly tools, and help teams visualize attendance trends to inform policies and real estate decisions. Schedule a demo.