Redefining the Workplace: Chaos is Inevitable… but let’s make it short.
Decision-makers in CRE, Facilities, HR, IT, and Security are grappling with radical and complex change brought about by the pandemic because the state of flux continues to send ripples of uncertainty throughout the working world. For some, the goal is to return to the ‘old normal’: the way things were before the pandemic. Yet this stance risks eroding competitive advantage, as forward-thinking leaders strive for something more: a new and better normal. Many teams are embracing flexible, agile, autonomous working practices with relative ease, while more traditional cultures struggle to adapt to online collaboration and remote leadership. Meanwhile, the backdrop of health fears, childcare and family difficulties, economic instability and an array of interwoven issues add to the complexity, threatening wellbeing and productivity.
In the case of COVID-19 and its impact on the way we work, the new status quo will be characterized by greater individual autonomy, trust, and flexibility - that in turn drives higher levels of wellbeing, productivity, collaboration and employee experience; not to mention reducing environmental and financial waste. So, what role might the office/ workplace play in this redefined world of work? What’s the ideal balance between remote and in-office work? Are people ready for change? This is a precursor to the new and better world that we’re striving to create; a new level of performance that not only delivers safety but also brings together the needs of the individual and the organization with greater synergy than ever before. To realize this future, organizations are implementing data-driven, automated approaches that (1) grant employees more autonomy than ever before and (2) enable them to manage demand for the workplace, and all the facilities within it - in a self-optimizing, frictionless way. What are the next steps that might help your company to navigate this issue?
Professionals were asked where and when they’d like to work in the long term, and they expressed an overwhelming desire to mix it up. In other words, almost no one wants to work from the office all the time, nor do they want to work from home all the time (only 6%). Rather 90% of surveyed respondents say their ideal work pattern involves a combination of remote and in-office work: the best of both worlds.
What do people seek from their workplace? When asked how productive they feel when working from home vs the office, 45% of respondents said they’re just as productive either way. About a third (36%) felt more productive working from home, while the remainder (19%) felt more productive working from the office.
Professionals who responded to the survey also said they miss the spontaneous collaboration and idea-sharing that occurs in the office. A workplace that creates ‘planned serendipity’, where people bump into one another and exchange information that sparks innovation, was sorely missed by remote working employees. Now organizations need to consider taking steps to protect their employees’ mental health due to the increased risk of isolation and loneliness that arose during the pandemic.
When, why, and how are professionals returning to work? 29% of respondents said that they had already returned to work. 45% said they expected to return within 6 months, 18% within 12 months and 8% within approximately 18 months or more.
What concerns employees most about returning to the workplace? Employees may have a lack of willingness to return to the office due to concerns around health and safety. And, the lack of employee willingness to return to the office may be due to feeling just as productive or more productive working from home. 38% of respondents said that health risks are the biggest worry, closely followed by traveling to the office (35%). Those relying on public transport may have the greatest cause for concern. And 17% expressed concern around constraints on collaboration and colleague interaction when returning to the workplace, while 10% said that issues with family, childcare, or lack of flexibility in their schedule is the big factor.
Companies need to enable new levels of personalization and autonomy - i.e. the ability to manage demand for the office and all the facilities and services within it. This will include desks, rooms, parking spaces, food catering and equipment. Companies and their employees should be able to use tools to book desks, conference rooms, parking, equipment, services and more. All of those tools will provide advanced workplace metrics to improve utilization and reduce real estate costs. Organizations that leverage utilization data, will be well equipped to make decisions that compress the period of chaos, and pave the way for higher levels of productivity. Those CRE, Facilities, and HR teams who adopt a data-driven, automated approach will have a distinct advantage in rising to the challenge of managing demand in this new world of distributed work.
