Over the past few months, the concept of an office has altered past the point of return – open-plan offices and hot-desking suddenly look more risky than revolutionary, busy is bad and airflow isn’t just positive, it’s necessary. Uncertainty over when, and at what level, employees will return to work makes creating the optimal workplace more difficult. Ensuring businesses have the flexibility to operate their office at full capacity, when empty, or somewhere in between is now essential.

As well as the new logistical demands, employers have a raft of other key considerations. Fundamentally, they must take care of employee’s wellbeing by putting every available safeguard in place. This includes developing workplace strategies that meet the individual demands, enabling social distancing, and effectively and consistently communicating any updates with employees.

While safety is the current priority, companies cannot lose sight of the wellbeing, productivity and development of their employees. While HR professionals have traditionally relied on verbal feedback, smart building technology, from sensors to software, will now play a vital role in creating a safe and productive workforce. With the help of modern technology, that can monitor and control occupancy, comfort, energy usage and improve communication, HR directors and management teams can effectively make office spaces safe and sustainable, while improving the health, happiness and productivity of employees.

Championing communication

Many people are concerned and anxious about being in or travelling to workplaces. A recent study of 2,000 adults commissioned by Bupa Health Clinics found as many as 65% of people in the UK are anxious about returning to their office. Another report from the TUC, showed that 39% of UK workers were concerned about their ability to socially distance from colleagues. Clearly, workplaces need to become smarter and more flexible to cater to the post-pandemic return to work.

However, one crucial piece of the puzzle is often ignored. A business can implement all the health and safety strategies available, but without effective communication they risk being ignored or misunderstood, with employees losing trust over time. Throughout the past 6 months, clear communication between employees and management has been critical to maintaining trust and a strong company culture. This learning must be applied to the return to work in 2021.

Employees need clear communication of how a business plans on supporting their physical and mental health. Advice and directions will be vary dramatically depending on a huge range of factors – from home location, commuting route and age, to role and responsibility and even desk position.

To improve employee communication and confidence in their return to the office, many businesses have considered using, if not already, fully customisable, centralised mobile applications. Such apps, linked to building technology, can automatically update employees on factors affecting their attendance, including parking restrictions, desk changes, densely populated zones, meeting room bookings, comfort controls, transport issues and more, all on a single platform. Furthermore, administrators and HR departments are able to receive instant feedback on new strategies, usage and services, to greatly improve decision-making and employee satisfaction.

A hybrid working model

The eventual return to work is likely to put greater stress on the office environment, with flexible shifts and hours becoming more common. Aiming to reduce the number of employees travelling at peak times and occupying the office at one time, it’s likely that most employers will be adopting this hybrid approach.

Even before the pandemic, a number of high-profile businesses, including Facebook and Google, had already employed large scale flexible work schemes. The environmental benefits, with lower levels of pollution and energy use, and reduced employee burnout from fewer commutes, many are touting an end of the traditional office altogether.

However, there is research that suggests that remote working is not for everyone – according to a survey from the Society for Human Resources, 71% of us are struggling to adjust to remote work, 65% say maintaining employee morale has been a challenge, and more than a third are facing difficulties with company culture.

Clearly there are positives and negatives on either side of the argument, with individual circumstances determining the best course of action. Fundamentally, an effective level of personal, instant and ongoing management requires a smart, connected building management system.

Modern digital office management systems provide HR departments with the ability to understand the real-time and long term uses of spaces with the office to improve comfort, enhance productivity, and reduce facility service costs.

Creating safe zones, improving flow, flagging vacating desks and updating on numbers, is all automatically and instantly fed to office admin teams to ensure safety, comfort and efficiency. Without micro-managing or dictating rigid policies, these teams can effectively manage their workforce from afar, gaining unparalleled insight on activity.

Supporting employee development

Talent is the single biggest cost for most businesses, with attracting and retaining the best candidates proving challenging at the best of times. Environment, well-being, flexibility and sustainability credentials all play a vital part in keeping employees engaged, positive and productive.

However, concerns around skill and career development have moved to the top of the agenda and will only continue to rise post-pandemic. As almost all HR departments and multiple studies will attest, ensuring employees are engaged and motivated is extremely challenging from a distance, even more so with the current air of uncertainty.

Adapting to employees’ skills, expectations, and demands will be critical to building operating-model resilience. Organisations must work to find out how they can adapt to rapidly changing conditions and match those workers to new roles and activities. It is vital leaders have the ability to reskill, upskill and promote their employees to deliver growth.

Again, technology holds the key to achieving this. Creating applications in which employees can provide feedback on their role help to deepen their connection with the company and gain a greater understanding of their career paths. As we shift to a new way of working, career development will need to follow suit and become more instant, tangible and digital.

A data-driven future

Society and business have passed the point of no return. We are entering a new age, where data, automation and connected technology will play a fundamental role not just in manufacturing and IT, but in workforce management, engagement, safety and development.

Data combined with the latest technology hold the key. We must create a smarter workplace with joined-up systems allowing us to monitor and automate key processes, including staff seating and office access based on capacity and occupancy levels.

Modern office management technology can ensure that social distancing is maintained by ensuring employees are located appropriately in agreed zones (enabling lighting/heating, etc. to be switched off or reduced in areas that aren’t occupied). It can determine the best office flows to minimise unnecessary contact and ensure these are being followed. Empty desks can be flagged and cleaned as soon as they are vacated, while fresh air is pumped during the hours required or when levels drop below a certain point in specific areas.

Equally, smart office technology enables effective communication with, as well as the management and understanding of, a workforce. We have to come to appreciate the role these abilities play in creating a healthy, comfortable work environment and a more enjoyable and productive workplace – now is the time to build our workplaces back better with smart, connected technology at its foundation.