Flexible solutions to manage hybrid office

As Q4 loomed upon us, we witnessed phenomenal growth in our POC Systems booking app, with the demand for managed workspace rampantly on the rise! At first thought, it seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary – we assumed that companies are planning for their 2023 budget forecasting requirements. On the other hand, it could be an end-of-year cost analysis that managers wanted to conclude as the calendar year came to an end. However, we assessed a changing dynamic in market workplace trends and peoples’ preferences on how and where they want to work. 

During the covid outbreak, a surge of orphaned tables and ghost spaces became the norm, with employees managing work from their homes. Managers did not intervene to find cost-optimal solutions either, such as through The Booking App, afraid to cause employees to object to new work circumstances. With much truth to its label, “the great resignation era” had managers troubled to revoke any negative turmoil from workers and, thus, avoided taking any action on the office workspace front. However, employees got used to working from home and many quite enjoyed it as they got the opportunity to work where they were most comfortable, eat home-cooked meals everyday, save time and money in office commute and were able to spend more time with their families. Firms still had to pay for the physical space that they weren’t using – and this created inefficiency in work practices and an additional burden that they could have done better without. Amidst the two years of remote work practices, the corporate world witnessed a shift in ideologies as people no longer associated ‘work’ with going in to office everyday and coming home tired with hardly any time left to do anything else. ‘Work’ was any place where you were able to manage your job tasks and responsibilities from!

So, what do people want now? 

As workers are being called back into the office, workspaces are becoming increasingly cramped with everyone coming in physically to perform their job roles. There is a surge of passengers on trains and buses, people walking on roads and restaurants becoming full to their capacities! But is this really the ideal situation? From covid, we’ve learned that working from home is as efficient and even more convenient in fact, as is working from a dedicated office location to do the exact same job. It saves on time, money and helps people manage their lives along with work, creating better opportunities for work-life integration.

On the side of the economy, there are speculations and questions on the necessity of companies downsizing or ‘right-sizing’, as the world seems to be moving into a state of recession – meaning that companies will need to create cost-optimal solutions to survive and retain the jobs of their employees. It becomes a matter of what to prioritize and how to manage things better, with fewer or equal resources. With more people looking for work and fewer job opportunities, companies need to strategize ways on how they can make the best use of their resources and not just survive – but prosper, even if times are bad.

Apart from the current state of the economy, there is also great focus on caring for employee wellbeing and mental health. We’ve witnessed companies understanding how labor needs to be managed differently from other business inputs. A company that invests and exercises worker-friendly practices, favorable to employee wellbeing are doing much better than companies that don’t, as they are able to retain their employees. Thus, less effort and cost go into hiring for replacements due to high attrition. Imperative to any company’s success is a motivated and happy work force! When employees are satisfied with the work culture, how they are treated and the kind of importance that is given to their wellbeing, they are driven to perform. If companies dictate people to work from their office location, they may compromise on the employee motivation levels. After spending two years of conveniently managing work from home, traveling long commutes and spending the entire day away from family, may trigger a unsatisfied and unhappy workforce – leading to low performance and less productivity as people avail more absences and leaves or opt to leave the company because the long commute isn’t making it worth it. 

An ideal post-covid workplace culture is one that has evolved employment trends tremendously as talented people are hired, regardless of their geographical location. Physical distance is no longer an issue to get hold of capable resources for job opportunities. Employees are given an opportunity to work in a hybrid setting i.e., they come in to the office as and when required but work from home when office presence isn’t required. 

Keeping all of these factors in mind, we know that it is important to create balance and focus more on result and performance rather than location and physical presence. Thus, companies hop on to the bandwagon for The Booking App as it feeds into a higher productivity scale for office spaces. It allows people to plan beforehand where they want to sit, when they plan to come into the office. Previously hesitant managers are now more comfortable in discussing effective use of desk spaces with their employees as the employees, too, are now opting for hybrid working options. It wouldn’t make sense to have dedicated physical space that is not fully utilized. This is done in full consensus and happy owing! 

The implementation of a hybrid work model streamlines the desk usage process whilst ensuring not to impede the regular work of employees through some of the following ways: 

– Order Timings – Ordering by days of working instead of on an hourly basis

– Seating preferences – based on people’s favorite parts of the office or getting the chance to sit near friends at work 

– Understanding the frequency of visits for people from different roles, functions, work levels, seniority, etc. 

– Drafting space for groups or cross-functional collaboration 

– Enhancing the stream of positive communication

Through POC System and Booking App, you can control your office space – a cost-optimizing solution that creates a win-win situation for both employees and the company!