We believe that a survey among employees is just a piece of the puzzle. Whilst this is useful information it lacks the insight into how people want to interact with the office in future. It is why it is important to understand not only how many days a week people plan to work in the office but most critically it is to understand their new habits and the spaces they favour and will gravitate towards when in the office.
Pandemic changed all of us in different ways.
Home working is here to stay. So, is office.
People are the future of the organisations.
For a few years, we have heard the term “war on talent” being used and the cry of “work-life balance”. This war for most talented young people who will eventually shape the future of those industries has become more ferocious, with other incentives being leveraged, rather than just the traditional renumeration packages, as employers realise people are looking for rewarding careers not just financial reward.
Organisations have increasingly come to realise these are not only issues for Human Resources department to manage but rather need an organisational wide response. Whilst some organisations have introduced an element of home working, as a step towards offering work-life balance, this has been done reluctantly in cases and rarely was seen as a positive aid to productivity.
The Pandemic has shown organisations that working from home does work and has a place going forward. It like working in the office has strengths and weaknesses and can be used to answer the cry for work life balance but must be leveraged carefully, with the appropriate rules, boundaries, protocols and etiquettes being set.
The office which has always been the community heart of organisations will find itself under some stress to change as people will be it using differently to previously , when it was the centre of operations. It will become more of a hub for collaboration with people remotely acting as spokes, when they are working on more concentration tasks. This pushes demand for different spaces for different activities able to function efficiently even when not everyone is physically present.
Increasingly it becomes important for organisations to understand the personas of their employees and talent. This is an approach where the personalities of employees are meshed with the spaces these people enjoy working and thriving in.
Holistica using their extensive knowledge of workspaces and people have developed a tool specifically aimed at aiding and informing organisations. “Holistic Workspace Insights” can be used across employees to gain powerful insights into their office preferences. The reports generated will show the strengths and weaknesses of the current office and show areas for attention.
Let’s talk!
