Much of the workplace technology that’s popular today has existed for over a decade, but it’s only in the past few years that it’s seen widespread adoption. Before the pandemic, the workplace had been slowly easing into the modern era. In 2020, it was forced to make enormous changes quickly, leading business owners to embrace technology they’d previously viewed as a “nice to have … someday.”

Technological advancements have provided new ways of working that allow for remote collaboration, digital file storage, task automation, and much more. Below are five of the most significant changes the modern workplace has seen in recent years.

1. Working remotely

The technology for remote work has been in place for several years, but many companies didn’t see this as a must-have tech asset. That changed with the pandemic. With nearly 60% of employees working remotely at least some of the time, it’s become critically important for businesses to adopt remote workplace technologies such as project management software, online communication apps, collaboration tools, and video conferencing to support remote and hybrid workers.

This digital transformation is the key to the continued success of the modern office. Employees are no longer content to work 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. They’ve seen the benefits of hybrid work models — improved work-life balance, reduced stress, less time and money wasted on commuting — and they’re not willing to give those up. 

The benefits of remote work aren’t just for employees. From video meetings that reinforce culture to automatic syncing that allows colleagues to work simultaneously on a document, remote tech provides the foundation for better teamwork, higher productivity, and increased morale. Companies that embrace the modern workplace, and the remote technologies that enable it, are primed to reap these benefits.

2. Tailoring customer experience based on analytics

The customer experience is a vital focal point for businesses today. (Not surprising, considering 80% of customers feel the experience a company provides is as critical as its products and services.) Since much of the customer experience now happens online, businesses need to have a deep understanding of how customers find and interact with their websites. This is where web analytics technology comes in.

Website analysis tools such as Google Analytics and Mixpanel have led to significant changes in the modern world of work. Jobs that didn’t exist before, such as web analytics specialists, are now key positions that work hand-in-hand with marketing, sales, and design teams. With insights such as bounce rates, customer interests, and real-time web traffic, companies can tailor their marketing strategies to reach the most people. 

3. Understanding building utilization

Just as website analytics can help companies improve the customer experience, building analytics can do the same for the employee experience. Hybrid work models are becoming the standard, and traditional workspace design, with its 1:1 desks and limited collaborative spaces, no longer supports the modern employee experience.

Using building technology to update the office and improve the employee experience is becoming vitally important in today’s workplace. With the increased competition for employees that remote work has created, companies must take every opportunity to design an environment that workers want to be in. 

Reimagining office design can be an overwhelming and expensive prospect for business leaders, but building utilization technology can simplify the process and reduce costs. Utilization data reveals trends about how employees naturally use the office, allowing workplace teams to identify the best areas to create new neighborhoods for collaboration and socializing with co-workers. This data can also save companies money by highlighting underperforming spaces that can be repurposed or even downsized. 

4. Automating tasks

A seemingly infinite amount of automation software is available now. It enables workers to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, increasing productivity, reducing human error, and improving cost management.

Automation technology has already significantly impacted the workplace, and it’s projected to increase even more in the next two years. Gartner predicts that 69% of managerial workloads will be automated by 2024. 

That stat might worry some workers, but automation doesn’t mean the end of certain jobs. Instead, this technology allows employees to move their attention to much more impactful aspects of their positions, such as a manager focusing on building a better team dynamic that improves collaboration. 

5. Replacing physical paperwork with digital files

Cloud storage technology has paved the way for huge changes in the world of work. While it’s an important tool for remote work, it’s had an equally significant but often overlooked impact on the use of paper in the workplace. 

Cloud technology has enabled businesses to forgo the hassle and expense associated with paper workflows and take advantage of the convenience and lower cost of digital files. The considerable square footage that used to be dedicated to storing files can be better used to create a more productive, hospitable work environment. 

Look for ways to modernize your workplace

Has your company experienced these five benefits of modern technology? In today’s competitive market, businesses must rethink the status quo and adapt their workplace strategies and business operations. Look for ways to incorporate new technologies that can improve the employee experience, streamline collaboration and communication, reduce expenses, and improve employee productivity. 

COVID changed the nature of work. We’ve replaced the status quo 9-5 with flexible schedules, the daily commute with remote working, and assigned seating with hoteling and hot-desking.

Some people have begun to wonder if the office is even relevant. 

But while remote working is a viable full-time option for some, having an office to come to remains an important option for many employees. 

Far from facing extinction, corporate real estate is in the midst of an evolution. Dynamic workplaces have become a natural answer to employees’ desire for flexibility and choice. 

What is a dynamic workplace?

A dynamic workplace is adaptable, with the ability to reconfigure itself to the moment’s needs. These workplaces are fully equipped to enhance the employee experience, regardless of whether someone wants to work alone or collaboratively. A typical dynamic workplace has reconfigurable furniture, like walls and desks. 

Twilio has begun to incorporate a dynamic design into its portfolio to cater to an evolving demand from employees. Twilio’s workplace team is converting up to 30% of previously desk-occupied square footage into hackable spaces. 

“We’re calling them dynamic spaces where furniture is reconfigurable,” says Devorah Rosner, Senior Manager of Global Workplace Operations at Twilio, “It’s no longer one-size-fits-all. It allows more variety to meet people where they are, to work how they work.”

Dynamic workplaces give the power to employees to choose their work environment. And choice remains one of the essential parts of delivering an incredible employee experience. 

“We’re going to give our people more room, within four walls, and more choice,” says Peter Van Emburgh, Global Head of Real Estate at CBRE, talking about the fate of real estate post-pandemic. “And we’ll be doubling down on healthy buildings, outdoor spaces, technology, and overall experience.” 

How dynamic workplaces improve employee experiences

Your team is made up of individuals. It’s critical that you design a workspace that honors this type of individualism. While much of the talk about RTO has been about collaborative spaces, not everyone comes to the office to commingle. 

Some employees struggle to focus while at home for many reasons. They come to the office for heads-down work. 

“A lot of people talk about the office being just for collaboration and socialization, and I think that’s missing a big part of the picture if you inadvertently assume home is best for focus.” – Sameer Pangrekar, Director of Global Workplace Strategy, Design, and Construction at Twitter

Does your current work environment afford them this option? 

Creating a dynamic workplace makes it easier (and scalable) to democratize the workplace experience for everyone. Five reasons why include: 

Flexibility

Office work isn’t always done best in the same way. Some days a desk is required. On other days a space big enough to gather and brainstorm. And there will always be times quiet and solitude are a necessity.

Creating a space that fully supports everyone, regardless of location, task, or mood makes the flexibility your workers need an easy reality.  

Productivity

Autonomy naturally leads to greater productivity. When you give employees power over their environment, they’ll become more productive. 

Safety

We’re more aware than ever before of how the environment impacts health and wellbeing. Now consider the occupancy levels of your individual spaces (like meeting rooms and neighborhoods) pre-COVID. 

Would that experience sit well with employees today? 

A dynamic working environment with open-plan offices ensures everyone has the space to breathe easily. 

Better workplace relationships

A dynamic office can enhance the communication and exchange of knowledge between team members. People are no longer tied to a desk, having conversations with the same people daily. 

Serendipitous encounters, the smooth flow of ideas, and the unexpected collision of different departments build better workplace relationships. A dynamic workforce naturally lends itself to random and often fruitful collisions. 

Increased employee retention

A dynamic working environment and all the perks that come with improving your employee experience and employee engagement lead to increased employee retention. When workers are happier, they not only work harder, they’re far more likely to stay in their jobs or remain with the company as they develop their careers.

Dynamic work is helping Okta create more sustainable spaces. See how. 

Reimagining the traditional workspace

Embracing the possibilities of remote and hybrid work, opening up the plan of your offices, and emphasizing the need for different spaces that cater to different needs and ways of working create a dynamic working environment and positive company culture your employees can thrive in.

The dynamic workplace also serves as an effective testing ground for design choices. By measuring how your people interact with your existing office layout, you can identify how and where employees prefer to work while in the office. 

Do they collaborate in numbers? Do they prefer to work alone? Knowing this can help you make confident decisions that impact your entire real estate portfolio. 

Creating a dynamic workplace is a step toward redefining the workplace and becoming a forward-thinking, competitive company in the future. 

“If we redefine the workplace to how we work, not where we work,” says Nathan Manuel, Workplace Experience at PagerDuty, “then we really provide ourselves an opportunity to think creatively and intelligently about ways to engage employees and change the employee experience.”

By the way, you can hear more from Nathan Manuel here. 

A clearly defined workplace strategy is good for your company culture and operating budget. 

But the pandemic has reshaped how we all define our workplace strategies. 1 in 3 employees now wants the flexibility to choose where they work. In response,  74% of U.S. companies plan to implement a permanent hybrid work model.

“Hybrid work represents the biggest shift to how we work in our generation.”

Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO

And yet, while 75% of executives believe they operate a flexible working culture, only 57% of employees believe their organizations embrace flexible working.

That disconnect between leadership perceptions and employee experiences can cause long-term damage to your company. Employees may feel less engaged. You may end up paying for space you don’t need. 

Creating a clearly defined strategy for this new era is among the most important goals of every workplace strategist. 

Below are 7 ways you can define your workplace strategy for the post-COVID era.

1. Know your business objectives

Knowing your business objectives is critical when defining an effective workplace strategy. 

What are your team’s (and company’s) current priorities? What do you anticipate your future priorities will be? 

Consider what’s required to achieve those goals, and turn them into high-level, actionable objectives for your team. Strategic planning on this level makes it easier to ensure you’re focused on how to reduce costs and boost your bottom line while simultaneously improving employee retention and the workplace experience.

2. Understand your workplace

Before you look at changing things, get an unbiased understanding of how everything currently works. Keep in mind that how you assume things are working isn’t always the same as reality.

When possible, dig into data. Measure the behaviors of people using your space. What are employees doing now that you didn’t anticipate?

Why are they doing that? 

Below are key areas to factor in to understand the current state of your workplace: 

• Workplace utilization: Are people using your office space as anticipated? What is your average occupancy rate now that offices are re-opened? What percentage of your allocated working areas (desks, conference rooms, meeting areas) are being utilized? How much space is unused or vacant?
• Operational costs: How much are you paying per square foot? Per employee? What are your total workplace costs? How do they compare to your revenue? Where can you create cost savings?
• Workplace revenue: Is there potential in your corporate real estate portfolio to generate monthly revenue from events, tenants, etc?
• Facilities management: Are you satisfied with the tools and services supporting the safety, functionality, and sustainability of infrastructure, buildings, real estate, and grounds? Where is there room for improvement or cost savings?
• Employee satisfaction: How do your workers feel about their current workspace? How good is your employee engagement? Do you have outstanding maintenance issues? Are there technology gaps that need addressing? When problems are raised, are they swiftly addressed?
• Energy efficiency: Are your workplaces energy-efficient? Are you drawing your energy from renewable sources?

3. Embrace tech 

Technological innovation is the future of work. VR, spatial chat apps, smart buildings, and AI are innovating and reshaping how we work.

Remote and hybrid teams rely heavily on digital technology. Adapting to the latest tech innovations ensures you’re keeping pace with the competition. It also creates an appealing company culture to attract top talent, while allowing you to improve operations and further initiatives. 

A 2022 study we conducted of 1,000 employees found that most workers are willing to embrace new tech in the workplace. But beware – most are adamant about protecting their privacy. 

4. Seek feedback

Survey your team and find out exactly how they would prefer to work. For example, they can tell you how many days they’d ideally like to be in the office each week. Seeking employee feedback will give you ideas on how to create better employee experiences, and empowers your employees to have a voice in how they work. 

5. Redefine your culture

While the need to work remotely forced companies to rapidly adapt to new ways of working, most teams were not built for it. With the return to the office seeing the widespread adoption of hybrid work, it’s time to create a hybrid company culture that encourages and empowers your team with a positive workplace experience, regardless of where they’re working. 

6. Document

Your strategy is a roadmap for achieving your objectives. Creating a specific written record that clearly outlines and documents your planned approach is essential.

Your strategy should outline the approach you intend to take to reach each of your objectives. It should list out your priorities and rationale for your choices. 

Be as specific as you can in your answers. The better you articulate your plans, the more efficiently your team will adapt to the new strategy, and it will be more successful. 

7. Get alignment

Roll your new strategy out to executives and stakeholders before you share it with your team. Their input and critique can be precious. Then, once you’ve perfected it, disseminate it. Your people can’t work to your plan if they don’t have it. You need your whole team on the same page and pulling in the same direction, so be direct and ensure everyone is fully aware of it. 

Make sure you present your strategy in an easily accessible place, in a format that’s clear, concise, and easily understood. 

Hold a company-wide team meeting, and allow everyone to digest the news and discuss future possibilities. The more excited they get at the potential of your plan, the greater their efforts to realize it will be. 

Finally: Keep iterating

Perhaps the most significant takeaway from the pandemic is how rapidly everything can shift. We never anticipated a near-global shutdown that forced most businesses to work remotely. Once it happened, many failed to foresee that we would never be returning to business as usual. The social and economic implications of the pandemic are far-reaching and here to stay. 

We’re creating a new normal, but anybody’s guess is how long it will last. Your workplace strategy should be agile so it can adapt to changing times. Read more about how to create an agile workplace here.

Collaboration is a critical part of your company’s culture. And historically, we defined collaboration as coming together in the same room.

But hybrid work has limited how much time we get to spend with one another in the same room. It’s reshaped how we define “collaboration.”

Yet even though most employees want the option to work from home, they also see the office as a place to collaborate and socialize.

“In real life” still matters.

Social momentum

People miss water-cooler conversations, social interactions, and the moments that happen in-between the meetings and deep work.

Spending a day in the office gives you social momentum, which carries you through the days at home that follow.

Frances Brown, Senior Associate at Hoare Lea

Employees are looking to the workplace as a crucial social element that allows them to forge and maintain effective working relationships.

“You can collaborate online,” says Frances Brown, Senior Associate at Hoare Lea, “but it’s not the same as being in the same physical space.” 

Initially, remote work was refreshing, Brown tells us. But gradually, it became a challenge to maintain a rapport with coworkers.

“New people joined the team but you’ve never met them in person,” she says. “You’re not quite sure where they’re coming from or what they’re trying to achieve. Spending a day in the office gives you social momentum, which carries you through the days at home that follow.”

Social interaction

We need around six hours of social interaction per day to feel a high sense of well-being. Being social can boost work performance by 25%, improving efficiency and effectiveness, while leading to better decision-making.

To work effectively, we need to socialize.

People now see the office as a place to hit those six hours of socialization. Introverts and extroverts alike seek connection on some level, and the office can help them obtain that at whatever level they are comfortable with. 

Creating social experiences

A logical answer to the question, how can I support more collaboration in the workplace, is to create more collaborative spaces.

But there’s more to it than that.

First, not everyone wants to come to the office to collaborate. Removing spaces that support heads-down work would be a critical mistake.

Second, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution to collaborative spaces. From meeting rooms to scrum spaces and lounges, collaboration takes on many shapes and sizes.

By knowing how people use your space (through a combination of both measurement and feedback), you can design based on demand.

Or, you can give employees the power to create the space they need at any given moment.

Twilio, for example, has begun to incorporate a dynamic design into its portfolio to address the evolving needs of its employees.  

“We’re calling them dynamic spaces where furniture is reconfigurable,” says Devorah Rosner, Senior Manager of Global Workplace Operations at Twilio, “It’s no longer one-size-fits-all. It allows more variety to meet people where they are, to work how they work.”

To inspire folks to actually come into the office, aim to create experiences that can’t be replicated at home. Because why would anyone come to the office just to sit on Zoom calls all day?

“Show [employees] they’re not just replicating the same day they would have at home, with people sitting next to each other for the same video calls,” Brown notes. “Companies need to actually make it okay for employees to spend time away from their desks, socializing, taking advantage of the shared space to build those invaluable relationships in-person.”

Think hospitality

Consider how you can design your spaces to nurture casual collaboration. And consider how your current design prohibits this.

“When you sit across the desk from somebody, there’s automatically a barrier between you,” says David Shove Brown of //3877. Consider how to remove these overlooked barriers. Shove Brown explains:

“You and I would be sitting in two comfortable chairs right now, sitting across a coffee table, drinking our tea,” he says. “It’s about engagement. There wouldn’t be a desk between us. There wouldn’t be a barrier.”

The office — evolved

Serendipitous encounters are limited when much of the workday is done through asynchronous communication. You don’t bump into people at the water cooler or cross paths in the hallway.

To some extent, this new way of working suffices. People are still productive. They still “show up” to work.

But nearly everyone is yearning to reconnect in real life. Maybe not every day, but they want the option. In other words, the workplace still plays a significant role in the way people work, connect, and thrive.

It’s our responsibility, as workplace leaders, to help our people see the value of the office.

The inconsistent nature of hybrid work schedules can make it incredibly challenging to know how many workstations are ideal for your workplace. 

Challenging, but not impossible — if you measure how people use your space. There are a few ways measuring your space can help you determine how many desks your employees need. 

By the neighborhood

Measuring the average utilization of a neighborhood helps you understand if there’s too much or too little space for a specific team. 

Tip: It’s better to measure the trending utilization of a space over time because the current peak or average utilization may not represent a broader pattern in behavior. 

Below shows the utilization rate (compared to capacity) of the workstations found in the Engineering and Customer Success neighborhoods over the past six months. 

The utilization rate of the Customer Success team is steadily increasing, while Engineering remains hovering at around a 25% utilization rate. 

Why this matters

This data tells you that Engineering doesn’t need more desks. In fact, they would probably be fine with fewer desks (although perhaps not happy).

Meanwhile, CS is nearing full utilization. Whether it’s headcount growth, an in-office mandate, or something else, CS uses its space more than Engineering does. Clearly, they’d benefit from more dedicated workstations. 

By the space type

Do you have the right balance between workstations and conference rooms? 

Comparing the utilization of both space types can reveal the answer. 

The chart below, for example, showcases the percentage of time both desks and meeting rooms on one floor are used over the course of one week: 

The desks on this floor are used less than half of the time, while meeting rooms are used 65% of the time. 

Why this matters

Data clearly indicates that the primary use of this floor is for meetings. Most workstations go unused at any given time of the day. It might be worth turning some of those workstations into dynamic spaces with reconfigurable furniture.

That way:

1. Employees can create the experience that suits their needs at that moment (whether it’s head-down work or a quick scrum)
2. You can alleviate some of the pressure from your existing meeting rooms

Staying true to your desk/headcount ratio

Many workplace leaders have pre-determined desk/headcount ratios for each team. By continuously measuring your workplace, you can ensure that each team safely falls within its desk/headcount ratio.

In the example below, Engineering is nearing its ratio limit, while CS has plenty of room to spare. 

Why this matters

This data can help you reassign workstations to where they’re needed most. In this case, Engineering clearly could use a few more workstations. 

The future of work will be powered by data

Our relationship with physical space has changed forever. There is no future in which we don’t measure how people use and interact with our spaces. How much do those spaces cost? How much energy do they consume? Does the space improve productivity and personal well-being?

The built environment has needed an overhaul for generations — the pandemic has merely cast a spotlight on the problem. 

By measuring our evolving relationship with physical space, we can create better, more efficient spaces for our people — and the planet. 

Learn more about how we can reshape cities by reshaping workplaces here.

Choosing who gets what space — and how much of it — can create a hostile environment at work. 

For example, employees might think that you gave Customer Success more desks because you (or someone else) favor them. Historically, it’s been a challenge to show that your decision was based on actual need. 

Historically, it’s been a challenge to show that your decision was based on actual need. 

But by measuring how people interact with your space, you can support your decisions with indisputable data. Employees will struggle to challenge your workplace strategy because the proof is in the numbers. 

To prove our point, we’ve detailed three scenarios you likely have experienced (or will) and how data helps bolster your decision-making. 

Where did our desks go?

As part of your RTO strategy, you didn’t make any drastic changes. You took the ‘wait and see’ approach. You wanted to adapt your strategy based on actual utilization. 

For that, you dive into the percentage of time used for each of your space types.

Turns out, most folks who come to your office spend time in collaborative (or “we”) spaces (see image below). Few people work at desks (me spaces). This tells you folks come to the office to commingle with colleagues. 

To create a better experience based on demand, you remove several workstations to make room for dynamic spaces with modular furniture. That way, people can design their space based on how they need to work at that given moment. 

Great! Except, you’re hearing complaints from employees about the loss of those desks. There’s a chorus of people saying that not everyone comes to the office to collaborate. 

Fair enough — except the numbers tell a different story. Most employees do come to collaborate — your space should support that.

Fortunately, you can use this data to defend your decision. 

Besides, it’s not like you removed every desk. Nor is any decision you make set in stone. You will keep adapting based on actual utilization. If desk utilization inches up, you’ll respond. 

Why did that team get more space … and not us?

CS has petitioned for more space. 

So has Engineering. 

Here’s the problem—- you can’t accommodate both requests without either rethinking your layout or adding more space. 

So you dig into the numbers to see the utilization of each team: 

The graph above, broken down by neighborhood, shows a clear story. Not only does CS use their spaces more, but they’re trending upward. Their request is justified — they’re outgrowing their digs. 

Meanwhile, Engineering has more room to grow. They don’t need the additional space — and the data proves it. This gives you a chance to dig deeper into Engineering’s ask. Perhaps it’s not more space they need, but a different kind of space. Perhaps more workstations, more phone booths.

This is where gathering employee feedback helps bring context to the data. Maybe the Engineering team would rather come in on the days that fewer people are in the office, helping to get rid of that overcrowded feeling. 

Good news — your data can help them with that. 

Below it’s clear Tuesdays and Fridays see the fewest people (mid-week mountain, anyone?). 

Why are the conference rooms always full?

People are coming to the office to collaborate. 

This has apparently put a strain on your conference room occupancy. There are complaints that some conference rooms are never available when needed. 

You head to the data to figure this out. 

The graph above shows that your 12-person conference room is underutilized. Small groups seem to be using it. Two things you can do with this information:

1. If these complaints are coming from larger groups, make clear (with signage) that the 12-person room is for groups of 6 or more.
2. If smaller groups are the ones complaining, split the room in half with movable walls. Your 12-person room just became two 6-person rooms. 

Regardless of your choice, you have the data to back your decision in the event someone complains about the change. 

Go confidently with data

Change is hard. Inevitably, people will complain about the work you’re doing to create better spaces. But in this era of unpredictability, adapting an interactive mindset and workplace strategy are crucial. 

The most effective way to remove office politics from your workplace decision is through evidence. 

Measuring how people use our space arms you with that evidence. 

We often talk about in-office workers and remote workers as two different groups with different needs.

And they are: remote workers enjoy more flexibility over their schedule, put in more hours, and are on average more productive than their in-office counterparts.

But workplace designs need to account for both.

Democratizing the workplace takes away the fear of elitism or one group getting preferential treatment over the other.

How can you do this? By designing your office, your systems, and essentially your company culture to accommodate those who are not there.

Why do we need to democratize the hybrid workplace?

As the pandemic winds down and companies invite employees back to physical offices, we’re seeing the biggest shakeup in the labor market in decades.

Millions of employees are leaving to pursue better work-life balance, job satisfaction, wellness, or simply a workplace where they feel they have a say in the decision-making process.

This has created a competitive hiring market where employees are willing to take their chances to seek companies that help them achieve those lifestyle goals.

A workplace that’s designed to accommodate remote and hybrid employees will help you attract and retain top talent as well as tackle proximity bias so that everyone has a fair chance of succeeding in your company.

Attract and retain top talent

According to the U.S Bureau of Statistics, 68.9 million Americans left their jobs last year and 47.4 million (68.8%) of those were voluntary quits.

A huge majority (63%) of that number left because they didn’t see enough opportunities to advance in their careers and because there wasn’t enough flexibility to choose their working hours.

When we piece all that data together, a pattern emerges: workers are leaving rigidly structured companies for workplaces where they feel they have more room to advance in their careers and where they can achieve better work-life balance.

You might be running a hybrid work model but employees will still churn if they sense hostility towards them for working remotely. Further, you’ll have a hard time attracting fresh talent unless remote employees are satisfied that they can expect equal opportunities for career growth as their in-office colleagues.

Tackle proximity bias & signal that remote employees have fair career prospects with your organization

Proximity bias is the notion that employees who work from the office will be perceived as more productive and will end up with more opportunities to advance in their careers vs. those working remotely.

As many companies switch to a hybrid model, it’s kind of like saying: you can work from home, but don’t expect equal career opportunities with employees who are willing to be physically present.

This is not a fringe idea and we’ve had executives like Ken Griffin, founder of hedge fund firm Citadel publicly state that “employees just starting out are risking their career advancement by continuing to work remotely.”

In an environment where in-office employees have an edge by default, companies need to proactively adopt policies and practices designed to level the playing field, advocate for remote employees, and ensure the virtual workplace is designed for equity.

What are the benefits of a democratized office culture?

Redesigning the workplace to advocate for remote employees’ well-being gets down to the root of your company’s culture and focuses on giving everyone an equal opportunity to grow professionally and pursue a better work-life balance.

This in turn produces a myriad of benefits, such as:

Better employee engagement

Research shows that only 36% of employees were engaged in their work while 13% were actively disengaged and miserable in the workplace.

Judging by those figures, it’s little wonder why we’ve seen employees leaving companies en masse to focus on their mental health and find a new definition of work with the employees at its center.

Initiatives as basic as giving remote employees feedback on a regular basis can improve engagement and their drive towards work by 300% more than without it. Integrating remote employees and letting them know they have an equal place on the team drives employee participation and helps them stay productive.

Improved profitability

Talent democratization also means increasing diversity–and not just going about it as a box-checking exercise.

A McKinsey & Co. study revealed that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were 25% more likely to record above-average profitability compared to organizations in the fourth quartile.

Those at the top for gender and ethnic diversity were 36% more likely to outperform bottom-level peers in profitability.

Digging into that data simply tells us that democratized workplaces develop better diversity of thought which can be channeled to serve customers better and bring in more revenue.

Access to a larger talent pool

While the Economist reports that companies are struggling to fill vacant positions, research by CareerBuilder shows remote positions are getting seven times (700%) more applicants on average.

Adopting remote-friendly policies across your company will create an attractive option for employees who’re looking to work flexibly without sacrificing career growth and compensation.

Higher retention rates

A full 39% of remote employees will consider quitting if they’re forced to work from an office all the time. Advocating for your remote employees will help you cut down on that churn and retain employees.

That advocacy goes beyond letting employees work remotely some or all of the time but should focus on creating a working environment where remote employees see themselves as stakeholders who can voice their concerns and have access to the same tools that their in-person colleagues have at work.

How companies are navigating workplace democratization

What are companies doing to build belonging for remote workers even as their employees return back to the office?

What metrics do you use to measure the impact of the efforts you make on worker participation? It all boils down to the willingness to change, the resources available, and the culture you want to create.

We’ll examine how industry giants like Google and Microsoft are navigating the return back to the office and how you can adapt their tactics to design your workplace around the needs of your employees who’re not there.

Google’s campfire setup for group calls

Google aims to operate a hybrid work model post-pandemic where 60% of Googlers come into the office a few days a week, 20% work from their new campuses, and 20% work from home essentially indefinitely.

To help launch that vision, Google has been testing several hybrid meeting setups designed to improve communication between office-based and remote employees. One of such is Google’s Campfire meeting setup that has office employees sitting semicircular opposite their remote colleagues who’re connecting through video.

Microsoft’s conference table redesign

The traditional conference boat-shaped conference table created a scenario where meeting attendees couldn’t face the camera and participants often focused on those nearer vs. the main speaker.

Quoting Microsoft’s chief scientist, Jaime Teevan, “The risk of hybrid meetings is that in-person attendees become anonymous faces in a room, while remote attendees are left speaking into a void, not knowing if they are seen or heard, or how to jump in and take a turn.”

With that in mind, Microsoft’s new U-shaped conference table has been designed to help in-person attendees focus and connect with their remote colleagues.

Recognize small victories across all teams —Make remote employees feel just as appreciated as those in-office

Thanks to video conferencing tools like Whereby and Around, it’s easier than ever to send teammates thumbs up on a video call.

That’s great, but you can go even further with a culture of positive feedback where remote employees feel just as appreciated as those working from the office.

This can be as simple as a weekly standup (with an emphasis on remote employees) where employees share their wins or asking employees to send out at least one shout-out for work well done to another team member every week.

Think of it as a step towards more workplace democracy designed to give your employees (in-office and remote alike) a bigger say over how your company runs.

Food —if you’re offering in-office food, send remote employees a food experience so they feel included

Tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have world-class catering services for employees based on campus and it’s often a given that remote employees shouldn’t expect the same perks as in-person workers.

But providing the same food experience to your remote employees can help them feel included and reinforces that they don’t have to sacrifice any upside of the office experience for choosing a more flexible lifestyle.

You can expand this to offering meal vouchers, subscriptions to HelloFresh or Swile, or an occasional care package from their favorite bakery.

Equal tech stack— provide the same tech capabilities and advantages both to in-office and remote employees

Remote workers can be out of sight and out of mind if there’s no strong case for advocating for them and provisioning the tools they use on a day-to-day basis.

You can change that by making it an IT priority to grant remote employees access to the tools (including software, hardware, etc.) and assistance they need to do their work. 

Create inclusive workplaces designed to accommodate remote employees

According to Buffer’s 2022 State of Remote Work Report, 45% of employees noted that career growth can be tougher for remote workers to achieve.

But that hasn’t stopped the tide of millions of employees quitting to pursue better opportunities where they can work flexibly and have equal chances of success at work.

Whether you choose to go remote-friendly or remote-first, reconstructing your company’s culture to accommodate remote workers will help you create an equitable workplace where you can attract and retain the best talent, grow your profits, and promote a healthy work-life balance.

Would it be useful to know how a city is used?

We believe the answer is, yes. If New York City all of a sudden knew how it was used, it would identify its inefficiencies and redesign itself. An entire city reliably knowing how it was used would unlock a world of new possibilities.

Andrew Farah, Density CEO, highlighted this while speaking at the Axios: What’s Next Summit.

The challenge

Buildings are the most valuable assets in the world whose performance we do not measure. This lack of measurement has resulted in rather profound inefficiencies.

Pre-pandemic, 41% of the 11 billion square feet in the U.S. dedicated to workplaces sat vacant. Imagine what that number is today, when working from home has become a widely accepted practice.

Now consider that buildings account for 39% of global CO2 emissions.

The impact

Our current use of space results in wasted time, bad design, inefficient energy use, underutilization, and incalculable opportunity cost.

Making a change

The future of physical spaces is uncertain, and the only way to predict what buildings and cities should look like going forward is through data.

Understanding how spaces are used will help companies make informed decisions about the design, construction, use, and safety of their buildings.

Only through data can NYC, Boston, Berlin, Mexico City, and Mumbai reshape themselves to be more efficient and more sustainable.

For years, inefficient technology could be blamed for the lack of this data. Building an autonomous system that can make sense of the remarkable complexity of human behavior in buildings is fascinating and very hard — particularly when you value preserving a visitor’s reasonable expectation of privacy.

Tackling this technological challenge has been our focus since the founding of Density in 2014. We set out to create better tools of measurement because measurement will lead to improvement.

Better measurement tools will help companies:

• Design better employee experiences that attract and retain top talent.
• Create more efficient spaces based on how they’re used — not how you think they’re used.
• Save on avoidable lease expenses by showing you how to use your existing space better.

Historically, we have designed and used buildings based on observation, trends, surveys, and precedent. That no longer suffices.

Our relationship with the workplace has never been more complicated than it is today. Workers overwhelmingly prefer a hybrid work model. We can no longer assume utilization based on set 9-5 schedules.

• We need the ability to navigate 10 million sqft of space as easily as you pinch-to-zoom.
• To replay how people use space without invading their privacy.
• To see if a space is available in real-time.
• To compare the performance of a room or neighborhood or floor or building.
• To find successful spaces, identify productive behaviors, and see where there is collision, lingering, or focus.
• We need the ability to A/B test physical space.

Our mission is to measure and improve humanity’s footprint on the world. In time, our goal is to help reshape cities.

But to reshape cities, we must begin with the workplace.

As we shift into a post-pandemic workforce, we are still redefining what a workspace means for our organizations and employees. However, one thing is for certain – we’re all finding new ways to reinvent our workspaces as we step into a hybrid model.

Countless companies are making radical changes to their floor plans to answer the call to the new standard of work. For many, this means flex-work schedules, hybrid work systems, upgrades to workflows, and yes, an office restack.

But instead of downsizing, many organizations are evaluating the state of their existing offices to see how they can transform their workplaces into collaborative spaces for their teams.

Why an office restack?

A restack isn’t just reconfiguring your workplace through conventional space planning. It’s manifesting your organization’s value in a newly defined space.

The pandemic has created a rippling effect within the workforce and has forced organizations to reconstruct how they manage their teams. Companies are striving to build out their spaces for workers to be more productive, more collaborative, and more unified.

There are often three reasons why a company would consider restacking:

1. Consolidation of unused workstations and deconstructing of old floor layouts
2. A shift in branding (including real estate) and the need for that shift to be communicated across an organization
3. The implementation of new work systems to fulfill a human-centric need for their employees

Careful planning and project management will help you maximize every square foot for your team.

Looking to revamp your office space and get your restack running? Here are seven tips facilities management and real estate leaders should keep in mind before getting started.

Communicate with your employees

Before you set anything in motion, make sure to align your restack process with your organization’s long-term goals. Talk to your employees and evaluate their space needs to build a space that facilitates their daily workflow.

To minimize interruption during the restack, provide clear communication of where their new workspaces will be and how they can access them. Explain why an office restack is necessary and what role they’ll play in transforming their new work environment. 

Reinforce employee engagement

Involve your employees in the process by opening communication channels through chats, voting polls, and frequent meetings. There must be a sense of inclusion and empowerment throughout your restack process for employees to become part of the transformation.

Change management should also play a crucial role in your workplace transformation. With an unforeseeable future at hand, we’ll have to nurture a new way of thinking to build an infrastructure that will support our upgraded spaces. (Read more about managing the shift to flex seating here).

Keep your business moving

As a workplace leader, you’ll need to find a strategic way to provide all the tools necessary for your employees to work during the restack—plan for uninterrupted business connectivity by providing a swing space for your employees while transforming your office.

This is a perfect opportunity to leverage your hybrid model to define collaborative efforts and individual tasks. Bring your team together by carefully planning a work schedule with options to work from home for individual tasks and a swing space for team meetings, creative collaborations, or simply a space to connect after work hours.

Don’t reinvent the wheel

There’s no need to build or create additional spaces during your restack. Be mindful of your existing conditions and see how you can improve their capabilities to fit your team’s needs. When structuring your restack, factor in the new average occupancy levels of your workplace, and find ways to make your workplace more efficient as a result.

With a new generation of employees entering the workforce, many have ranked sustainability and human-centric design as high priorities in their office space. As more organizations are starting to renovate their office, we see a higher standard of environmental quality, open floor plans, and a focus on city-centric work locations. 

Recyclable items

You’ll inevitably have lingering furniture with no purpose after your restack, but don’t let these items limit your process — sometimes you’ll just have to let them go. Have a strategy to either sell, reuse, or recycle office furniture that won’t fit into your newly renovated workspace.

“I hate thinking about all of that furniture that gets landfilled all the time,” says Danielle Newton of Zendesk. “So we are shipping it out to partners all over the world, in every region.”

There are plenty of ways to dispose of unused items during your restack, whether you’re donating to a non-profit or liquidating your assets to repurpose resources for a more sustainable work environment.

Safety & protection

Consider providing a schedule for your contractors and employees. If employees want to use the swing space during the restack, use barriers for construction, noise reducers, and regular clean-up to limit distractions and setbacks. Safety procedures should also be communicated to employees and staff to ensure contractors can work diligently and without pause.

Set a realistic timeframe

There will be more than a few moving parts, so make sure to set realistic expectations for and during your restack. Plan for relocating your office tech to avoid damage during the move, ensuring that the office can stay connected and provide functionality for your employees.

Find the right partner

Do your homework and find a team that has experience managing restacks for companies in your industry. It’s crucial that you find a partner who can communicate each phase of your restack and develop a structured plan to address issues and share significant milestones. This will help minimize delays and keep your restack on track.

Rethinking the workplace

All organizations will need to make some type of internal change to stay relevant to our current working conditions. Still, steps like restacking can help your organization become more agile and effective as more workers choose an alternative work-life balance. Cubicles and closed office layouts are now a thing of the past.

Rethinking our workplace may just be the next step your organization needs to thrive in the future of work.

Learn how workplace leaders are creating the right mix of “me” and “we” spaces here.