As the world of work continues to evolve more rapidly than ever, the pressure’s on to transform underperforming workplaces into inviting spaces. This goes beyond curating aesthetically pleasing and infinitely instagramable offices to creating productive and functional spaces where collaboration and innovation can happen. In fact, for many organizations, bringing people together to do their best work is a strategic imperative. And this needs to happen with consideration for the shifting ways in which we approach work and how and when we want to interact with our physical workplace. 

What works for one might not work for all

The challenge lies in designing and creating a workspace that aligns with the preferences and work styles of the people that use them. Part of overcoming this challenge is being able to identify those preferences and work styles in the first place, while also making it easier for people to get together and do what they need to.  

Workplace analytics offer meaningful insight into how, where and when different teams and individuals like to work, whether that be scheduling in-person collaboration in a meeting room, carving out time to carry out focused work in a quiet corner, or an impromptu get together in a breakout area. By using analytics to understand these preferences, organizations and landlords can tailor their workplace layouts, and even their policies and programs, to create spaces that support diverse work styles and help foster a culture of productivity and collaboration. 

Balancing beauty and utility

But it’s not just about giving people the right kind of spaces to do what they need to. It’s as important to consider the experience of using the space too. And while that consideration might cover amenities, refreshments, and events, physical comfort and wellness can all too often be overlooked. There is little point to a high spec, beautifully curated space if people are reluctant to spend time in it because the air con is a bit too enthusiastic, or the heating in a certain room makes everyone drowsy. 

A successful work environment doesn’t hamper productivity with distracting discomfort. Instead, real-time data on temperature, lighting, and air quality, and other environmental factors, combined with location services, allows employers and operators to aggregate and analyze the insight they need to create comfortable, more sustainable workspaces tailored to the preferences of the people that use them.  

Creating people-centered spaces

Of course, people are at the center of any successful workspace, and, more critically, also at the heart of every successful organization. Enabling success means enabling people to do their best and great work does not happen in a silo. If it did, the modern workplace would just be a series of solitary pods. Our best work happens when the right people get together in the right place and at the right time, but our modern, fragmented work lives often mean that doing this is far more difficult than it should be.  
 
The right choice of workplace experience technology can make all the difference here. Allowing people to signify to others which days they plan to attend a specific office or site, showing upcoming events, meetings and visitors across locations and how busy different areas are likely to be means that people can make informed choices as to where is going to best suit them to work on any given day. And once they’re in the office, serving them information around room availability, quiet and busy areas and who else is on site helps removes barriers to collaboration and makes every office visit more valuable. 

Implementing improvements

The true power of data lies not in its collection but in its successful application. In achieving this through technology, organizations can continually refine their workplace strategies, fostering a culture of continuous improvement to develop engaging workplaces that help them stay ahead of the curve in terms of occupancy, productivity, and employee satisfaction. 

So where to start? Talk to us. Accessia is the workplace access, experience, and analytics platform delivering actionable data to help you transform any space into a better workplace.