Have you encountered the catch phrase “Hybrid Work Environment” making its way around the Internet and office workplaces? ThoughtFarmer defines “Hybrid Workplace” as:
“The hybrid workplace is defined as a business model combining remote work with office work. It may look different among organizations, but it typically includes the onsite presence of a core group, while others are free to come and go as they please, within reason.”
Many firms are adopting a balance of in-office and remote work for their employees going forward in this new paradigm. According to a recent Gartner CFO Survey, 74% of companies plan to permanently shift some staff to remote work. According to a recent Amazon blog post, Amazon would allow many tech and corporate staff to work remotely indefinitely as long as they can commute to the office when necessary. The flexibility of three days of work from the office and two days of work from anyplace, according to Google’s CEO, will offer employees with a decent ‘balance.’
The pandemic-induced significant “work from home” movement in 2020 revealed that giving employees the opportunity to work from home (WFH) without sacrificing productivity or experience is viable. Employees have come to demand flexibility, so most businesses will need a comprehensive strategy to serve both in-office and remote workers. Employers will need to adapt and alter to enable this major transformation in working culture and behaviour in order to successfully win back, keep, and attract people.
Companies require a system to standardize space booking and add safety standards to accommodate hybrid and dynamic workstyles (social distancing and contact tracing). Workers need experiences as intuitive as the apps they use in their personal lives—for example, airline and hotel apps, which contain safety protocols, visual seating and floorplans, and a simple, user-friendly experience that requires no training—as they face significant change. Workers can use an app’s integrated employee directory to interact and collaborate with coworkers, as well as get up-to-date information on their current locations (including specific desk and room bookings), in-office plans, and calendar availability.
Employee directories are common in most businesses. Many solutions, however, fall short of providing workers with a complete, cross-functional view of their coworkers in order to increase connection and collaboration in a remote hybrid work environment. Visual, interactive floorplans are key in assisting users in locating items of interest such as desks, rooms, and facilities. Employees who have been out of the office due to work-at-home orders require a tool to discover reserved workplaces and navigate a developing workplace. This mix of in-office and remote work provides an opportunity to evaluate the changes that have influenced how teams collaborate today. OEMs and IT departments must act fast to improve their systems so that they can accommodate an inclusive, supportive, and secure work environment.
Contact us to discuss how Floor Plan Mapper’s products and services can help transition your organizations to the Hybrid Workplace model.
