Making a Strong Office Comeback

EMBRACING THE MOMENTUM

Though many regions are still bearing the brunt of COVID-19 and navigating vaccine skepticism, signs of normalcy are starting to unfold in major city centres. In the Big Apple, mayor de Blasio wants “literally, everything back to normal” by July 1. Canadians, still overwhelmed by waves in several provinces, are nonetheless embracing newly announced reopening plans in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia – the latter aiming for fully open offices by Sept. 7.

Companies are well underway with their office return plans. Google announced its hybrid strategy in which about 60 percent of employees visit offices a few days a week, 20 percent shift to new locations, and 20 percent work remotely.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella penned a LinkedIn post on the hybrid work paradox: employees prefer flexible and remote work yet also relish in-person collaboration. The software giant recently shared a playbook that breaks down its return to work strategy in terms of social, human, and knowledge capital, and reimagines space that delivers equitable, inclusive experiences.

Over on Wall Street, JPMorgan is an early U.S. bank to return employees back to offices this month in a rotational schedule through the summer followed by a complete return to normal by fall. CEO Jamie Dimon said spontaneous learning and creativity and slowed decision making was taking its toll. Goldman Sachs also told its employees to prepare to be back by mid-July, as CEO David Solomon calls remote work not conducive to productivity, innovation or collaboration.

How are your office return plans shaping up? Download our latest guide which includes key recommendations on change management to support your programs.

ON PLANNING AND PITCHING THE DYNAMIC OFFICE

One challenge ahead is that it is unclear in many cases how employees will behave once they return. In a new article, we explored the ins and outs of change management with industry professional Martin Hofmann, and the role of data in determining how an office is used, maintained, and experienced.

“You can devise the office of the future,” Hofmann says, “but you have to get people to that future.”

To that end, purposeful change management strategies can uncover pain points and opportunities, generate proof points to sway executives and engage employees. It’s not a project but a program, monitored over time by capturing and analyzing data, and evolving as needed.

We’ve got the seven most important tips on planning and managing a changing workplace here. (Bonus: here’s a 2021 list of change management podcasts that may be worth a listen.)

BRING "POPULAR TIMES" METRIC INSIDE THE OFFICE

As offices open, it is helpful for employees – particularly those empowered to self-schedule – to know when is the right time to visit the office. We’re all familiar with the “popular times” metric that pops up when we Google a store, amusement park, mall, museum… you get the picture. Now, indoor location technology can bring that same metric inside workplaces.

By doing so, employees can be as productive as possible while making the best decisions for themselves. The same way someone might choose the right time to hit the supermarket is akin to them planning when to visit the office, selecting where in the office they want to work, and booking the rooms and resources they need. We walk through this possibility in this new article.

NEW IN SMART TECH

Smart rings for cashless shopping? One Japanese company is banking on its “Evering” as a one-stop digital wallet that can lock doors, pay for purchases and more. It’s already caught the attention of Visa.

Google is moving from Smart tech to inclusive tech in its Google Docs program. They are advancing their “auto-complete” feature to actually prompt users to adjust copy to be more inclusive and gender neutral. (E.g. “mail carrier” vs “mailman”). Google’s algorithm will also flag passive voice and offensive language.

As airlines make a comeback, a recent industry conference focused on the role of Smart tech to drive positive experiences inside airports – through which, by 2040, an estimated 20 billion people will move each year. Reimagining the guest experience and tracking satisfaction scores through indoor location technology can play a role here.

IN OUR SPACE ...

Our CEO James Wu along with IMF and Wells Fargo participated in a panel exploring return-to-workplace strategies and how data can support the hybrid office. Read about it here.
Our platform was recently featured in Technology Evaluation Centers.
Figuring out who comes back to the office, and when, is only one part of the journey. See our piece on compliance, capacity and change as corporate real estate teams become epicenter of information for companies.
ICYMI: Our newest guide, The Future of Work(place), explores how HR, IT, facilities and operations teams can work together for the new office dynamic and deploy new tech toward that effort. What trends are coming? How can companies get ahead of the curve? How can you build a better workplace? Download it here.