How To Leverage Tech And Experiences To Make The Most Of Your Office

3 key areas of consideration

After two years of mostly remote work, many employees are finally returning to the office — and it’s anything but business as usual. Employees used to working from the comfort of home, with more flexibility and no commute, have different ideas about how and what the office now means to them.

Company culture is the number one driver of bringing employees back to buildings. Collaboration opportunities and enhanced office experiences are the next big priorities leaders should focus on to help reshape their workplaces. As a result, companies are rethinking their whole approach to the workplace, so their people actually want to be there. They’re focusing on upgrading their workplace and employee experiences, adopting new technologies, and developing new roles to make their workspaces as flexible, personalized, and appealing as possible.

Below, we discuss three key areas of consideration as you plan your in-office and hybrid work strategies for the near- and long-term future.

Online businesses will go to any length to make the customer experience (CX)  as state-of-the-art as possible, catering to the needs and wants of their customers to make sure they’re satisfied. As consumers, we’ve grown accustomed to having our needs put first. That same mentality hasn’t traditionally driven office culture, but all of that is starting to change given today’s employee-driven market for jobs.

Taking a cue from online businesses, companies recognize that their staff needs to be a top priority: Nine out of 10 employers surveyed last year said enhancing employee experience was a priority for post-pandemic success. By putting employees first, companies can make them more engaged, increasing employee well-being and performance. Ultimately, that reduces turnover.

Of course, there’s plenty of room for improvement in this area. According to a Gallup poll, only one in three employees felt a sense of engagement last year. And, to get everyone on board, you need to know what your employees want. For starters, they want to feel valued by their manager and the organization — they want to know that someone cares about them. Appreciation can be reflected in salary and benefits, but it must go beyond that for modern-day employees. Give your team what they need to do their best.

Along with a sense of purpose, employees want a sense of belonging. The opportunity to collaborate with others and exchange feedback creates a common goal and fosters team spirit. Communication with managers, as well as colleagues, is essential. Additionally, a sense of belonging can also speak to helping employees create stronger connections with their communities. Whether it’s their favorite coffee shop or favorite community group, look for ways to help foster opportunities for your team to engage with the world around their workplace.

Increasingly, employees also want flexibility in the way they do their jobs, a desire fueled by the experiences of the past two years. They are seeking a flexible and healthy work-life balance, as well as efforts that acknowledge them as individuals and aim to improve their personal well-being — whether through fitness programs, mental health programs, social activities, or other amenities.

Companies are placing such a high priority on workplace experience that they’re actually creating positions for Employee Experience and Workplace Experience Managers. This critical new role combines people (HR), spaces (corporate real estate), and IT to create a cohesive, collaborative environment.

Workplace Experience Managers focus on making physical and hybrid office spaces frictionless for their employees. Responsibilities may include:

Evaluating how a workspace feels and how it’s used by staff. Review current usage and then adjust the space to suit employee preferences. For example, they might consider how many bookable desks, flex spaces, lounges, and conference rooms they need, and where they should be located in the office.

Making it easy for people to connect. Determining what technology makes it easy for them to interact with their teams and the organization. This will keep everyone focused on the same goals.

Thinking of ways to bring the workplace to employees, no matter where they work. They might consider mobile apps that allow employees to book desks, conference rooms, and parking spaces. This lets them use technology that gives employees the experiences they want — from on-demand food and drinks and other concierge services to group fitness, wellness programs, and touchless building entry.

Using technology to enhance and cultivate experiences for employees also gives leaders the benefit of leveraging data to inform their decisions. As long as employees are informed and understand how you will review and use the data,  they will likely be on board to help you better cultivate the experiences and amenities they want and avoid those that provide little value to their workday.

Nobody gets everything right the first time, so it’s vital to seek feedback to determine what’s working, what needs to be tweaked, and what’s missing. Flexibility is the key. Try not to mandate workplace policies until you have a strong sense of how and what employees value the most.

Listening to real-time feedback is critical, and it goes much deeper than the occasional survey or spot NPS survey. Give employees a way to let you know, listen to what they tell you, and act on it. Demonstrate that you value the employee experience and want to make your people happy.

Real-time insights into employee feedback and activity can help you determine where to invest for maximum effect. Systems that provide high-level engagement data about how, where, and when employees use the office are invaluable. An analysis of usage data, for instance, can highlight how to optimize both their satisfaction levels and future property investments.

Attracting and retaining top talent is more challenging than ever today, so making employees a top priority is essential. Though minor perks add up and contribute to satisfaction, it’s the daily experience and interactions that really count. Pay close attention to what your employees want, monitor how they’re using the workplace, and adapt to suit their evolving needs. You need to make them feel valued and important to the operation — only this focus will keep people empowered to do their best work.