Introduction
Post Covid Smart Workspaces are being digitally transformed in the world. These views are based on our interactions with a wide profile of clients, PMC’s and consultants.
Post-Covid Smart Workspaces – Employee Personas
Across the Asia Pacific, businesses have had to adapt to the pandemic, driven by the compulsion to work from home. At the peak of the pandemic, an average of 69% of employees in the Asia Pacific. 85% in the Americas worked remotely from home (JLL survey).
Smart workspace has transformed, as businesses have to incorporate safe distancing norms and flexible workplace hours. Rotational team arrangements, to minimize interaction between people and adjusting to a new culture of hybrid work.
Recent surveys across organizations have shown the following four-employee personas in a Post Covid Smart Workspaces world:
- Always Work From Office – Teams that need static IP due to regulations, teams that need paperwork to be done and handles confidential data. Client compliance needs, teams that need to respond in real-time to market conditions.
- Fluid / On Rotation – Teams that will rotate their Staff In the office, rest working remotely. Meetings on specific days for teaming/socializing. Some teams may have members decide their weekly presence in the office.
- Always Remote – Teams that can work entirely remotely and only visit the office for teaming.
- Remote by Exception – Members who are provided an exception from their team Persona for remote working (Pregnant women, recent mothers)
The personas are defined primarily based on a teamwork profile, allowing managers to make any exceptions within the prescribed organizational policy framework.
Companies have realized that they need to find an alternate model for traditional matrix structure (where fixed seating and working from the office was a norm) and move towards flexibility, nimbleness, and agility.
The new model clients are evaluating includes flexible seating arrangements, addressing all of the above personas, rotational scheduling for social distancing, flexible working hours, and an increase in collaborative spaces within the office.
The biggest change will be the shift from fixed to flexible workspaces (combination of fixed and hot desks), without compromising employee experience that will be enabled by disruptive technologies.
Organizations would like the ability to make configuration/layout changes on the go as per the business and employee needs. Change management is crucial and organizations are discussing the well-formulated processes and clear communication and team-wise training as critical steps.
Smart Workplace Technology Trends :
For the post covid hybrid workplaces, the following technologies are currently evaluated/adopted by enterprises.
- Touch-Free services –Avoid shared touch interfaces in the office and use Mobile as the platform for all services including employee health declaration. We can enable Digital Surveys and ongoing feedback.
- Space Control – Safe seating ensuring spacing between seats, Flexi seating for the floating persona, Flexi – rooms for managers, space sensors for occupancy tracking & room density control. Team-based seating options, enforcing release of seats based on geofencing, enforcing sanitization before re-assigning seats, meeting rooms, etc.
- Office Hygiene – Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitoring, Restroom hygiene compliance, Monitoring space density in cafeteria/meeting rooms / restrooms to avoid overcrowding, compliance to post COVID ISHRAE / ASHRAE / WELL standards, thermal scanning with a record for people entry and social distance tracking.
- Follow-My Extension – Telephony integration with space control (subject to telephony capability) to ensure that based upon booking and occupancy, calls to be auto-diverted to the person’s current desk.
- Lockers – Integration of lockers to space booking, allowing people to use Flexi space and book lockers.
- Parking – Make parking booking option available to the employee books space
- Energy Optimization – Integration of space usage to energy control (HVAC / Lighting) ensures optimum use of resources.
- UV Light – UV Lights integrated with occupancy sensors, and door sensors to ensure UV Sanitization during the nights. Ensuring the highest levels of safety.
Flamenco Tech Solution Innovation
Flamenco Tech has introduced several technology advancements to fulfill the need for a hybrid and adaptive workplace. These advancements include:
- End-to-end Secure Digital Blanket Enterprise platform – Mobile App to Backend application, Vulnerability Tested and approved
- New improvements in Digital Blanket SPAZIO (Space Management Solution) for geofencing, safe seating. Space management solution for locker integration, telephony integration, lighting integration, thermal camera integration, etc.
- New improvements in Employee One mobile app for tracking employee wellness, health declaration, and more.
- Pixel-based desk and meeting room occupancy sensors, providing a cost-effective way of detecting occupancy without any PII violation.
- Lidar-based people count sensors for detecting and alerting room densities – meeting rooms, restrooms, and cafeteria.
- Indoor Air Quality Sensors – including temperature, humidity, CO2, tVOC, PM (2.5/5/10) that can connect wirelessly and easily retrofitted in offices.
- New templates in Digital Blanket for ISHRAE / ASHRAE / WELL enforcing compliances in airflow, air quality, etc.
- Enforcing Social distancing with Tags or Pixel camera without PII violation..
- Restroom hygiene solutions including odor, wet floor, and occupancy density.