Sales: (650) 772-4997
Gartner forecasts that IT spending worldwide will grow 5.1% this year – which equals $4.5 trillion. The majority of that is predicted to be on cloud technology and other similar technologies designed to support remote and hybrid remote work.
Failing to provide the right technology to support your hybrid employees is the quickest way to lose momentum in the coming year, according to a 2022 Forrester report. Strong information technology leaders need to shift from the short-term problem solving focus of 2020 to now, and turn their attention to long-term innovation.
Don’t lose sight of the speed at which technology is changing. Companies will look ahead to implement AI technology, automate and streamline software solutions to work cohesively across platforms, and rely heavily on IoT for automation and real-time data.
VergeSense released a report that shows smart offices are a growing fixture in keeping employees engaged, comfortable, and invested in their work. They said a workplace that disregards the concerns and expectations of its employees or chooses not to offer a hybrid work model runs the risk of employee disengagement and turnover.
According to McKinsey, 40% of recently polled employees fear disengagement from the workplace if their employer decides on a mandatory return to office. In that case, many of those employees plan to seek an alternative, agile work environment.
Consider implementing the following technology to set your teams up for success in the remote environment.
Connected software solutions for space management and planning
Software solutions that connect your people, places, and data are essential for managing a more distributed workforce. Space management software and move planning solutions transform static floor plans into dynamic layouts you can use to visualize new scenarios to meet changing occupancy needs.
With these planning tools, you can:
- Assign employees to groups based on how frequently they use the office and whether they need a designated desk
- Group employees into assigned shifts
- Plan an office move by grouping employees and assets
- Identify underutilized office spaces and reconfigure them as needed
- Reconfigure spaces for social distancing as needed
- Quickly see how much available space you have
- Develop space forecasts based on anticipated growth for each department
- Manage chargebacks for departments or tenants
- Overlay sensor data for greater visibility and more efficient cleaning
Smart space & occupancy sensors
Smart sensors provide an easy, unobtrusive way to gather data on and monitor your space utilization. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the interconnectivity that allows technology to create an information link. Think about the smart devices you use in your home to connect entertainment with productivity – IoT sensors do that same thing for your office.
Sensors also provide for employee comfort through health and safety monitoring. Smart sensors are part of an agile workspace and can track anything from how many employees are in one space, for how long, and how frequently, to the air quality in a specific part of the building. Occupancy sensors such as those from VergeSense provide real-time data every 30 seconds, and implement smart cleaning reports on most frequently used spaces throughout the office floor plan, helping to plan optimal cleaning schedules.
Reservation software for room and desk booking
Desk hoteling is a simple solution to transient office space. Reservable desks, office areas, and meeting spaces provide a way for more people to use the same amount of space more efficiently. With the right solutions, can even reserve entire blocks of desks at one time, a great tool for hybrid workplace managers.
When looking for software to help with reserving space and managing availability, look for one that offers touchless reservations using a mobile app, as well as integrated wayfinding software to help employees and visitors navigate space with minimal health risks or exposure.
Mobile employee experience apps
Employees need information when they need it – which often is immediately. Empower your employees to have access to pertinent information at their fingertips by implementing software with mobile application capabilities.
Mobile apps that make it easy for them to find their colleagues, reserve rooms or desks, request service, or receive mail, visitors or internal communications helps everyone stay connected no matter where they’re working.
Asynchronous communication tools
The reality – and beauty – of remote work is that it allows employees to collaborate and produce across different time zones and at different points in the day. No longer are we required to meet on Zoom for 6-8 hours a day, waking up at 6 a.m. because we live in Los Angeles but our team lives in Boston.
The implementation of asynchronous tools cuts down on communication issues while still flowing with the different schedules of those involved in the communication.
GitLab, a software development company that has asynchronous workflows down to an art form, defines asynchronous communication as “the art of communicating and moving projects forward without the need for additional stakeholders to be available at the same time.”
Asynchronous communication means recipients see information when they’re best able to absorb and act on it, instead of being interrupted by it when they’re in the middle of another task. An asynchronous philosophy also neutralizes any expectation of an immediate response to non-urgent matters.
