The workplace is where most people spend the majority of their time. How they respond to that environment has a significant impact on their productivity, job satisfaction and well-being. Get it right and people’s jobs are easier, more satisfying and more effective. A company that gets it wrong, will struggle to attract and retain the best talent.
“Workspaces are becoming sexier as employees become increasingly more concerned with how they look.” ~ The Modern Workplace 2018: People, Places & Technology Report
The startup age
The stakes are high but the idea of considering how employees work best when designing a workspace is a relatively new one. For a long time, it seemed as if companies expected employees to be at their best regardless of their environment, instead of creating a workspace that made success more likely.
“Employees are placing increasing importance on the look and feel of their workplace.” ~ The Modern Workplace 2018: People, Places & Technology Report
And being in the age of the start-up,small businesses are booming, with people becoming their own bosses and working the way they want to. This new era brings its own challenges as much as it brings successes. Smaller businesses often mean smaller real estate footprints, along with potentially less cash flow and the inability to invest as heavily in working environments.
Flexible working
Working flexibly, whether from home, or via desk sharing, has proven to be an effective cost and space saving method. However, true flexibility in the workplace can be incredibly difficult to manage. This is where scheduling applications come in.
37% of UK companies have over 50% flexible workforces (source: The Modern Workplace 2018: People, Places & Technology Report)
By managing facilities effectively with resource scheduling applications, smaller real estate footprints are made more workable. This can be put into action via several different routes – for example, desk booking systems via a scheduling app can allow organisations to cut down on unused space; meeting room booking systems can manage meetings more effectively, particularly for meetings where external clients may be attending; or allowing employees to operate and oversee their plans in terms of where (and how) they may be working on any given week.
Tech corner
Many business leaders have failed to recognise that as our technology changes, our working styles do too, and this has a significant knock-on effect to our workspaces. Whereas the traditional brick and mortar office was once the most appropriate location for the workforce to thrive, advances in tech has changed the rules, and thus, tradition ceases to be as useful as it once was.
“Technology that facilitates mobile or remote working is a top workplace priority.” ~ The Modern Workplace 2018: People, Places & Technology Report
Technology has enabled us to be more flexible in our working style, which no doubt better suits our busy and complicated lives. From remote working to desk booking systems, granting the workforce more pliancy in managing the way they choose to work has seen a significant increase in productivity levels, not to mention a boost in the happiness and satisfaction of employees.
Despite these powerful changes, facilities management teams have often failed to see the important role real estate and workspace can play alongside them. Creating areas that inspire employees, as well as provide the correct tools and IT infrastructure, is a winning combination when it comes to the holy grail of productivity, creativity and contentment at work
By using a scheduling app to manage these streams, instead of other, more convoluted methods, employees are empowered to manage their own timelines and working styles. This is true flexibility – and can not only help save time, money and space, but also can help to boost productivity. When people are given the chance to work to the best of their ability, rather than following outdated trends and customs, only good things can happen.
The modern workplace evolution
In the latest report by Condeco, The Modern Workplace 2018: People, Places & Technology Report, we examine the above even closer, looking at the state of the current workspace, identify trends that are changing our working environments, consider the issues surrounding meeting management and look at the rise of agile working.
Download the report here.
