The workplace has changed a lot over the past 30 years. Gone are the ash trays, fuggy, carpeted offices and tea ladies. In their place we find open plan desks, co-working areas and room booking systems. Is this progress? Well, perhaps. Many of us assume we have healthier, more efficient, more productive workplaces. But in many cases the benefits are taken on faith, and there is little evidence one way or the other.
In the old world of cellular offices, heating, lighting and ventilation were often managed by the occupants and generally not a major concern for the building managers; but Increasingly, with the advent of the internet of things, we can now monitor and assess both building efficiencies and the well-being of the building occupants remotely – and produce tangible evidence. Early adopters, particularly in the financial sector, can now measure which desks are being used and how many people are in a meeting room or co-working spaces. Armed with this data they can manage building systems to reflect usage, reduce the footprint of out-of-hours workers, or even shed surplus space. The easiest way to reduce energy consumption, after all, is to occupy less space.
Energy efficiency is another area of saving that can be made with good workplace occupancy dashboard. If you can match workplace settings to workstyle then there is a greater likelihood that a team will be able to work efficiently. The need for collaborative space, areas for concentration or smaller meeting spaces changes between teams and over time. More fluid organisational hierarchies and greater use of contract workers has made it harder to respond to changing workplace needs. A workplace performance dashboard allows management to respond to the changing needs of the workforce and ensure that teams have the access to the space they need, when they need it. An abundance of real-time data makes forecasting demand far easier.
The most valuable asset a business has is the staff. Health and wellbeing in the workplace are moving up the agenda for all business; to counter productivity issues, to make workplaces more attractive to younger and older workers, and to reduce liability for work induced stress. Some organisations are now experimenting with four-day weeks, others more flexible work practices. All this combines to increase the need to know where staff are and how they are working. Should I be concerned that someone is in the office too long? Do we need so much space now that we work flexibly? It is hard to answer these questions without good data. A one-off survey will provide some of the answers, but nothing is as effective as real-time monitoring of the workplace combined with a powerful analytical dashboard that shows how the workplace is performing to meet your individual business needs.
It starts with insight
DeskQUERY from ExcelRedstone, is a desk utilisation and workspace optimisation software that delivers powerful management insight:
- Space utilisation - by accurately monitoring real time desk utilisation DeskQUERY easily identifies under or over utilised work areas, floors or buildings.
- Estates strategy – based on data gathered, DeskQUERY allows you to plan future estate requirements.
- Moves management - helps organisations identify and implement recommendations for change.
- Employee productivity - real-time hot desk and meeting room booking help employees optimise their own use of the workspace for improved operational efficiency.
So, if you want to be ahead of the game, have a productive, sustainable, and healthy workplace that attracts the best workforce and uses your business resources effectively, then get measuring. Armed with quality data you can make informed decisions and stay business fit in challenging economic times.
For more information about DeskQUERY visit www.excelredstone.com/smart-building-services/deskquery/