For many workers, return-to-work plans remain ambiguous as companies anxiously await solid confirmation that the worst of the pandemic has passed. That's not the case for employees at the Kraft Heinz company.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the American food company already has decided that it will adopt a hybrid work model where employees split their time between working remotely and in the office. To prepare for that change, the company has moved forward with renovations to its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.

Based on the premise that the purpose of the workplace is for collaboration, Kraft Heinz's global chief people officer told the Tribune that now is the time to rethink the office. For Kraft Heinz, that means trading common conference and meeting rooms for wider collaboration spaces. The company also plans to test out hoteling—an office management practice where employees reserve desk space—at its headquarters to see whether that fosters collaboration.

The company expects office renovations to be completed by the end of the year and to have employees return to the office in January 2022. However, even if the grand reopening is delayed, whenever employees do return, they will be greeted by a reimagined workspace designed to be more conducive to fresh ways of working.