The past 12 months have been incredibly dynamic for workplaces across the world. Very quickly companies had to learn how to work from home. Now the workplace is undergoing another change. Companies must learn how to positively manage the workplace of the future.
Since the pandemic hit companies were forced to change the way they approach the working day. The traditional working day of 9-5, having the entire workforce in the same building will no longer be. Positive signs of a vaccine being rolled out in 2021 means some normality will be restored. Now is the time Operations and Facilities Managers need to plan how they will manage the workplace of the future. Getting employees back to work safely is a top priority for facilities managers. However, this priority , poses a challenge. In bringing staff back to work, there are several key factors to be considered. Like workplace health and safety, deciding who can return to the office and adapting to new technologies. New technologies like hot desking and capacity management software’s.
Workplace Health and Safety
Workplace health and safety of employees is top priority for facilities managers. Since the pandemic hit the way we work has changed forever. COVID-19 has played a huge role in how we protect staff moving forward. Workplace health and safety is more important now than ever before. Moreover, ensuring a safe environment in the workplace of the future is key for managers. They must get this right before they can allow employees back to the office. To achieve this new workplace of the future, health and safety measures should be put in place. Measures like social distancing guidelines and hand sanitizing stations. Some companies who have returned to the office are investing in non-touch facilities. Facilities like automatic doors, coffee makers and toilet flushers. Take a look at this article by Silicon republic on an Irish design and construction company. Sonica designed a “Covid proof workplace” whilst taking workplace health and safety into account.
Who Can Return to the Office?
Making the decision around which departments can return to work first is a tough one. Employers have to consider several factors. They will look at which departments need to work onsite. Also looking at which departments return the most profit. Some departments can do their job just as effectively at home as they can in the office. Yes, all employees are essential to a company. But at the end of the day, the employees that need to work onsite will get first preference. Therefore, employers must take into consideration those employees whose productivity levels are low when they work at home. This could be due to the environment, they are working in. Some employees may have young children at home, or very little space to work in. Others may live in city centers with a lot of background noise and distractions. Employees can avoid this situation of bringing some departments back before others. introducing new technologies into the workplace.
Technology
To create a flexible working environment, new technologies should be be introduced. Therefore, these technologies can be incorporated throughout the workplace. Once the pandemic hit, companies had to adopt some new ways of communicating. Primarily through Zoom and Microsoft Teams. These two platforms will continue to be vital for the workplace of the future. Another way to positively manage the workplace of the future is to adopt hot desking and capacity management software’s. This will help companies manage which departments have access to the office. A hot desking management software can help companies to better run their daily operations. Staff can book desks for when they want to come into the office.
Companies that introduce a hot desking app are empowering their employees. Employees choose when they want to come to the office. However, if there are certain departments that need desks on a regular basis, this isn’t a problem. Employers can simply allocate more desks to this department within the app. Hot desking apps like Ronspot are improving the daily operations within the workplace of the future.
For organizations looking to positively manage the workplace of the future an app like Ronspot Flexwork is a must have. Why does Ronspot works so well compared to other workplace solutions? It works well due to our clever credit system. Why not read our blog on “The Ronspot Credit-Based Booking System and why you need it” and see how it can help you? For more information you can book a demo below.
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