In the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations were slowly beginning to rethink how their people work. Covid forced an ‘unplanned’ experiment, adopting a work from home policy overnight, despite many organisations having limited experience or infrastructure to facilitate this. Nonetheless, companies soon realised that working from home is not only feasible, but often beneficial.
There isn’t a one size fits all approach…people want flexibility
Almost three years on since the start of the pandemic, most organisations have recognised that flexible working is not just a temporary solution, but here to stay. Employees are also now less inclined to go back to full time office working. Researchers at Ipsos carried out an analysis of more than 175,022 survey responses related to attitudes towards hybrid working, across 95 countries. The data revealed that just 8% of office workers would choose to work from the office full time and 24% would choose to work from home full time. The majority (68%) would prefer to be hybrid. Arcadis data also indicates that flexible working has become an employee expectation, with 80% of staff from various industries indicating a desire to work between 0-3 days in the office.
So how do employers go about meeting their staff’s expectations for flexibility and choice? There is clearly not one size that fits all. Workplace strategies need to be tailored to the respective organisation and its demographics and evolve over time as a result of greater understanding and feedback. Bespoke solutions will meet the organisation’s vision, help drive productivity, and contribute to creating a great employee experience.
How to successfully transition to flexible working
The problem is that business leaders and employees often have different ideas on how workplaces should be used. The pandemic has shown employers that their organisations can operate just as (if not more) effectively when their employees work remotely, compared to when working in the office. For example, researchers reported that out of 30,000 survey responses, almost 60% of respondents reported to be more productive when working remotely. This is the result of the benefits that come with working remotely, including avoiding the daily commute. There seems to be a consensus among employees that they now need to have a good reason to go into the office. For organisations to move towards flexible working, employers need to look at their property strategy with a people-centric approach; understanding what the unique needs of their employees are, whilst also ensuring that the organisation’s vision can be achieved. Below, we suggest two actions that can facilitate this transition:
1. Balance spaces for collaboration with private spaces
Balance is the key when it comes to property as the purpose of the workplace is changing and evolving. A survey conducted by Steelcase found that employees perceived hybrid collaboration spaces to be the most important feature of a workplace. In response, some organisations shifted their property allocation towards more spaces for shared working and fewer spaces for individual work to promote collaboration, and to nurture a strong culture.
In the same survey, however, the top three most important features of a workplace all related to privacy for video calls and focus work. More recently, a study by Gensler found ‘to focus on my work’ as the top ranked reason workers return to the office, a change from previous years where ‘working in-person with my team/colleagues’ was consistently top. Similarly, individual focus work was found to be the most important daily work activity, with an average of 37% of employees across Arcadis client surveys allocating their day to individual focus work.
An optimal workplace is one that accommodates all types of work activities, enabling people to switch between working with others, and working on their own, with ease. However, every organisation is different and will need to identify how it will meet the different expectations of its people in the workplace.
2. Invest in technology
A wide range of technologies will enable flexible working, both at home and in the office. This ranges from the provision of tools to better aid virtual collaboration – high-quality displays, microphones and speakers across the workplace – to sophisticated dynamic occupancy and intelligent building systems – allowing advance workspace bookings, for example.
These technological applications bring the added benefit of yielding real-time data on how the space is used. This data can inform a better understanding of occupancy needs and create workplaces that are best suited to their employees.
Intelligent buildings will also help deliver gains in energy efficiency. Built-in sensors and automated controls in lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning will enable organisations to monitor their energy consumption and help inform their strategy to decrease energy use and costs and deliver their net zero strategies. For example, after investing in intelligent sensors, Arcadis has avoided eight tons of CO2 emissions across meeting rooms at the 80 Fenchurch Street office over the past year; a saving of £25,000.
Dynamic properties enable organisations to operate efficiently and make data-driven decisions, whilst taking into consideration people, space, and sustainability.
The take home message
For leaders in organisations that are transitioning towards flexible working, leaders will want to understand the needs of their employees in order to be able to shape their workplace, employee strategy, and vision. The physical workplace remains an important place for people to work independently, collaborate and connect with others. By investing in Workscape optimisation and intelligent buildings, organisations will create a more dynamic and engaging employee experience and achieve its goals, whether this may be increased employee productivity, or delivering a net-zero strategy.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Arcadis’ bespoke Future Workplace solutions can help you transition towards a future-proof, people-centric workplace. Connect with us to learn more.
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