For over a year, offices across the country sat empty or partially empty, waiting for employees to return. Remote work became even more popular than it already was, and, for many companies, it's here to stay. For others, a hybrid of remote and in-office work is the future. And for those companies who want to get back to work, they're wondering how they can reform their office space to make it a safer environment in a post-pandemic world.
While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for every single organization, the pandemic opened the eyes of business owners, managers and leaders around the world. They're noticing that allowing some flexibility often leads to a better work-life balance for their employees. They're realizing that globalization and access to technology like never before are making it easier for them to be flexible.
So, how do you balance it all? How do you reform your office space to ensure it continues to promote and reflect your company culture, all while keeping up with modern practices? It's time to put sensor technology to work for your organization.
When making changes to your office, the best place to start is by monitoring how your employees use the space. You can do this by physically watching the office or even using technology like badges to get an idea, but those practices are often seen as invasive by your staff and they don't paint a full picture.
However, when you place sensors in areas like conference rooms and private offices or on furniture like tables and desks, you'll get a better understanding of what parts of your office are in use at certain times of the day or week and which parts have become obsolete.
Even better? Sensor tech doesn't disrupt the day or feel like an invasion of privacy to your employees. The small sensors are not in the way and are barely noticeable. They don't track who was there, just that someone was there, so personal identity is safeguarded.
Once the technology is installed, you can use it right away to make short-term decisions about health and safety as well as long-term decisions about how to reconfigure your space for productivity.
Unlike other ways to monitor occupancy, sensor tech allows you to get started right away. Have it installed before your employees return to work, so you can be prepared to make changes on day one instead of weeks or months down the line. This can also prevent you from making major changes that seem like they'll make sense in advance but end up requiring yet another reconfiguration once you see how your employees interact with your office space after they return.
After implementing sensor tech for your initial return to work, you can also use the data as a guide for your long-term goals and plans. For example, if you have plans to grow, should your office grow with you? Based on your data, do you want to renew your lease that expires next year?
Using sensor technology may even help you observe how your company culture has evolved since the early days and what you can do to accommodate that. For example, you may discover that while your employees once enjoyed working in collaboration spaces, they tend to stick to their own desks and cubicles now because they can use video conferencing technology.
Everyone has a better idea of how illness spreads and what can be done to keep remain healthy. These lessons will stick with us for years to come, even when COVID-19 becomes a thing of the past. That means those who work in offices will welcome any extra steps that keep the environment as clean and healthy as possible.
Sensor technology can help you do that. Daily data reports will assist you with guiding your janitorial staff to the desks, offices and rooms that were used more frequently and require extra sanitizing.
It can also help you encourage your employees to look out for their own health and wellness. If you find that employees are sitting nonstop for hours, you can encourage them to get up and take a break or walk around.
We're all going through an unprecedented situation right now, but that doesn't mean we need to go blindly into the future. Sensor tech from 4SITE by CORT can help the uncertain feel more certain. If you're planning to reopen your office, even on a part-time basis, the best way you can prepare for your employee is by adding sensors to your space so that you can act and react to everyone's needs from the very first day.