How Global Companies Use Hybrid & “Work From Third Places” To Supercharge Teamwork

The big shift: hybrid as the default, connection by design

Across industries, hybrid has settled in as the dominant model. Research highlighted by Reuters and Stanford shows hybrid can maintain productivity, improve retention, and boost job satisfaction—when it’s designed, not improvised.

“Hybrid work represents the biggest shift to how we work in our generation.” — Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, The Economic Times

What leading companies actually do

1) Make the office a collaboration hub

Dropbox transformed its offices into “Studios” for brainstorms and rituals, while keeping day-to-day work remote-first. The result: higher applicant interest and strong acceptance rates, with team energy reserved for moments that matter.

2) Create purposeful gathering places

Salesforce prototyped the “Trailblazer Ranch” concept to deepen culture, learning and cross-team bonds—offsites as a strategic asset, not a perk. (More coverage: Forbes.)

“An opportunity to disconnect from technology and connect with each other.” — Salesforce (on Trailblazer Ranch), The Guardian

3) Give people true location flexibility—then meet up intentionally

Airbnb’s “live and work anywhere” policy sparked a surge in applications and set an expectation: focus work happens wherever you’re most effective; teams gather with purpose.

“The office as we know it is over.” — Brian Chesky, Airbnb CEO, TIME

4) Use a network of third places near employees and customers

Hybrid leaders complement HQs with flexible, on-demand spaces—coworking venues and hotel work hubs—for project sprints, client workshops, monthly rituals and recruiting days. Hotel groups and workspace providers built offerings precisely for this use case (Skift on Marriott; Reuters on IWG).

“Mandating a return to office is like trying to force people back into malls and movie theaters.” — Drew Houston, Dropbox CEO, Business Insider

Why third places amplify teamwork

• Proximity: Meet in a space that’s a short ride for everyone—no need to drag the whole team back to HQ.
• Right-sized rooms: Pick a room that fits the task—design sprint, client pitch, 1:1s—without overpaying for empty space.
• Repeatable rituals: Book the same venue monthly to anchor recurring ceremonies (retros, demo days, onboarding).
• Talent access: Host interviews or pop-up collaboration days where your candidates and customers already are.

A simple blueprint teams can copy

1. Codify your “together” moments. Decide which rituals are in-person (kickoffs, quarterly planning, user testing) and how often.
2. Map your network. Combine HQ/own spaces with on-demand third places near employee clusters and customer hubs.
3. Book with intent. Use daily hot desks and meeting rooms where amenities (whiteboards, hybrid A/V) match the job to be done.
4. Measure outcomes, not occupancy. Track decisions made, cycle time, NPS of sessions—not seat-fill rates.

How Spacent supercharges teamwork

• Third-place network across Europe: A curated network of hubs and meeting rooms where your teams already live and travel. Explore our locations.
• Policies & guardrails: Business accounts with budgets, policies and preferred venues to keep bookings aligned with your hybrid playbook. See our products and practical FAQ.
• Right room, right tools: Filter by capacity, layout, A/V and whiteboards to match the job-to-be-done. Browse working desks, meeting rooms team rooms and private offices on the Spacent App.
• Insights that matter: Model savings and CO₂ impact with our Hybrid Work Office Calculator, and learn from customer stories and user survey insights.
• No long leases: Scale up or down by project or market with transparent pricing (download our service & pricing guide).