Approximately 70 percent of all employees aged 45 and younger say they wish they could be more mobile within their workplace. When you think about the changes that have impacted the way people work over the last few years, it makes sense. Much of the workforce is remote now, which has been a largely positive shift in the way things are done, but not everyone has that option. Those who work a hybrid schedule or who still work 40 or more hours in the office want more freedom and the opportunity to make their own decisions about how they use the workplace.
Increasing workplace mobility means freeing up and changing the types of workspaces you have so employees have a bit more control to move around and create an experience that’s most conducive and comfortable for how they work. For one person, that might be a quiet cubicle near a window with a great view. For another, that might be a casual collaborative area where they can interact with their peers. The goal is to give them a choice.
By increasing mobility, you can create a happier, more positive, and more productive workforce. It all starts with finding out what your employees want.
So, how can you find out what your employees want? Historically, this could be done with observation studies, but the process is disruptive and can lead to insufficient data. Because employees know the day the study will be completed, they’re more likely to change their behavior in the workplace on that day.
This is what makes the methodology behind 4SITE by CORT so innovative. By adding occupancy sensors to your desks, tables, conference rooms, and other workspaces, you can get an idea of how your current office configuration is being used without disrupting the flow of your workplace. Throughout the day, these discrete sensors quietly gather data that will show which areas see the most traffic and which ones are barely touched, and it provides this information without invading employee privacy and without room for human error.
Once you begin collecting data, you can access it anytime through your dashboard so that you can start making informed decisions about the future of your office space and how you can make it more mobile.
Once you start analyzing your data, you'll notice patterns developing. You’ll begin seeing which spaces are being gravitated towards the most and at certain times of the day. For example, a collaboration space may be occupied part of the day while quieter spaces are in use for the rest.
This type of data may inspire you to add more comfortable lounging areas for casual meetings or taking away some private office space to place desks and tables in a different area. The possibilities are endless and allows you to experiment with customizing your workspace to increase mobility, and if you don't quite get it right the first time, it's an easy fix.
Creating an inviting environment that will also put your employees in control of where and how they work within the space today as well as six months from now is no easy feat. But we do believe this type of thinking and consideration will shape the present workplace and continue its evolution in the future. By being open to a workplace that can experiment, measure, modify, and repeat, you’re on your way to becoming an organization that’s Permanently Flexible™.
We’ve paired 4SITE with the CORT Furniture-as-a-Service ™ (FaaS) model to create a new way of looking at the workplace. One that uses space optimization data to better understand how the workplace is performing and office furniture rental to avoid the costs associated with owning and maintaining furnishings. Experimenting in this way allows you to give your team the options that they crave without a big impact on your bottom line.
Call us today to get started or set up a demo.