Learn how to create a safe and fit for purpose hybrid workplace by leveraging occupancy, booking and environmental data in conjunction.
Challenges in hybrid environments
Hybrid work environments are emerging as the primary workplace response to COVID19, enabling employees to work with greater freedom in a controlled and safe environment, whilst maintaining the office as the heart of an organisation.
1. Changing work expectation
Having demonstrated their ability to flex and work remotely, employees now expect to have increased agency in their working lives, deciding for themselves when and for what reason to journey into the office.
2. Adapting workspaces
Demands on office space will change as people spend a higher proportion of their time in the office collaborating, undertaking individual tasks remotely. This means that organisations will need to ensure they’re providing the correct array of workplace assets to ensure that employees never struggle to find the spaces they need.
3. Integrating technology
Furthermore, organisations will need to introduce the necessary tools, such as
booking systems, to enable employees to search for and reserve rooms and desks.
If these challenges are not addressed it will not only cause frustration on an individual level, but also disrupt business operations as projects hit unnecessary delays.
4. Prioritising health & safety
At the same time, organisations face a new challenge in ensuring employee health and safety. Tight controls on capacity are necessary to ensure that social distancing guidelines are maintained and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) remains at a safe level.
There has emerged a new expectation for employers to take an active role not only in the financial wellbeing of employees, but also their physical and mental health. As a result of COVID19 the population is acutely aware of viral transmission and the risk that indoor settings pose.
It is the responsibility of leadership teams to ensure that not only is the workplace safe, but that the measures in place are well communicated and visible.
Leveraging data to make workplace changes
Workplaces will need to be reactive and be supported by evidence based policy. In order to achieve this Senior Leadership and HR teams will require historical and live data informing on their workplace’s
occupancy and IAQ.
“So whilst the hybrid working environment is consistently agreed to be more beneficial for people, it’s a much more challenging environment for the providers, and for organisations to get right” - Yodit Stanton
Furthermore, as businesses grow and adopt hybrid and remote work policies, it is impossible to understand future workplace requirements without workplace data.
Understanding the true
occupancy of your assets and behaviours on geographical and departmental levels enables Corporate Real Estate (CRE) teams to think critically about the future of their real estate portfolios. As well as this, it ensures that unnecessary and environmentally damaging expansions are avoided.
Addressing these challenges is vital to successfully create a functional hybrid workplace and ensure employee safety in the office beyond the pandemic.
Below are outlined the key ways in which leveraging occupancy, booking and environmental data together assist with these processes.
How workplace data can be leveraged
Use case
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Solution
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Benefit
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Controlling capacity
As offices reopen it is vital that systems are in place to ensure that social distancing guidelines are followed
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Occupancy and utilisation analytics
Workspace booking system
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Sensor based occupancy solutions provide a real time view of what workspace assets are currently in use, allowing teams to respond immediately to any spikes in capacity.
Booking systems allow teams to release extra spaces as guidelines change over time, using the booking system itself as a central point of communication.
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Creating a fit for purpose workplace
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Workspace booking system
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By monitoring which workspace assets in your workplace are most regularly booked and utilised, HR and Facilities teams can:
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Ensure workplaces are providing the best possible array of assets by repurposing under-utilised space
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Offices can be used to their full potential, and no space is waste.
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Plan mobility profiles
Limits on space mean there needs to be systems in place to control who can access spaces and when.
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Occupancy and utilisation analytics
Workspace booking system
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By understanding how teams and roles interact with workspace assets throughout the office, HR teams can:
- Create mobility profiles to forecast capacity
- Develop evidence-based policies which ensure occupancy levels remain safe
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Automating no-shows
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Occupancy and utilisation analytics
Workspace booking system
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Sensor based occupancy management systems feed directly into a booking system that automates processes, which would otherwise be highly time consuming, releasing desks and rooms which are unused.
In addition trends in no-shows can be identified by HR and Facilities teams, and policies adjusted accordingly to minimise the issue in the future.
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Foster workplace resilience
As we emerge from COVID19 it is vital that workplaces are able to adapt to sudden changes in circumstances, either as new strains emerge or we encounter spikes in the winter months.
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Workspace booking system
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Introducing a centralised booking system, on which workspace assets can be withheld and released as guidelines change, means that offices can flex immediately and changes are directly communicated to employees seeking to access the office. |
Ensure health and safety
Our understanding of viral transmission has greatly increased over the course of the pandemic, and there are now solid benchmarks against which organisations can measure the health of their buildings.
The following factors can be measured and subsequently controlled in order to minimise the risk posed to employees:
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Temperature: Viruses thrive in cooler, sub-21°C environments and our immune systems are also impaired when cold. By monitoring the temperature throughout offices teams are able to ensure that a safe level is maintained.
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Humidity: Viruses also thrive in dry air and immune systems are impaired when relative humidity is outside of the 40-60% range.
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Particulate matter: COVID19 spreads by attaching itself to particulate matter in the air which is then inhaled, therefore, minimising particulate buildup is vital.
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Measuring CO2 concentration acts as a proxy and by monitoring levels within office spaces, teams can ensure that a threshold of 600ppm isn’t exceeded by adjusting HVAC systems to bring more fresh air into spaces.
Key takeaways
- Leveraging occupancy, booking and environmental data in conjunction enables HR, Facilities and Senior Leadership teams to understand the true occupancy of and demand placed on the workplace, enabling them to plan and forecast capacity.
- Hybrid work environments are centred around the ability of employees to seamlessly access the spaces they require, as such booking systems are vital to the success.
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