Chase Garbarino is the cofounder and CEO of HqO.
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We’re already more than halfway through 2022, and we are navigating the ups and downs of commercial real estate’s largest evolution, especially as it pertains to the workplace.
Currently, 83% of corporate employees prefer a flexible, hybrid work model over working full-time from a single location. To those involved in the corporate world since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, this is pretty self-explanatory. What began as a short-term strategy to quell health and safety concerns quickly developed into a full-fledged, employee-driven market—with disruptive movements like the “Great Resignation” solidifying employee voices as stakeholders capable of having a major effect on real estate decisions.
Though we may not know exactly where changes to the workplace are heading, we do know a few things: 1) These changes will continue to happen as companies adapt to support hybrid work; 2) employees are expecting more from their workplaces (and are using this as leverage in the war for talent); and 3) technology will likely play a crucial part in making workplace strategies successful.
However, it’s one thing to know workplace experience technology is important. It’s a whole other ball game to identify the right toolkit for your company, as well as any other opportunities that will result in smarter investments and happier employees. As the CEO of a workplace experience platform, I’ve seen many companies struggle with this.
So first, let’s look at the bigger picture: Exactly what is workplace experience, anyway? And why should you care?
New Definitions For The Workplace
In the simplest of terms, workplace experience (or, as my company refers to it, WX) connects employees with each other, their companies and the physical workplace through experiences that enable them to be more productive, effective and engaged throughout their work day.
When enhanced through technology, workplace experience has the power to significantly impact hybrid workforces and their employers across three main categories: experiences, people and spaces. By focusing on these areas, companies everywhere can attract and retain talent, make smarter business decisions and differentiate their workplaces. Below are just a few elements of the workplace that can be enabled in this way.
Experiences
• Events
• Perks
• Learning and personal development
• Food ordering and retail
• Easier commuting
• Convenience services
People
• Communication
• Health and wellness
• Issue identification
• Surveys and feedback
Spaces
• Access control and security
• Visitor management
• Service requests
• Wayfinding
• Utilization
• Room and desk booking
• Parking
At first glance, this list might look like it requires a whole lot of tech. And for many, too much technology is a bad thing. In my company’s recent report, we found that 78% of employers cited having too many disconnected tools as a very significant or significant challenge in achieving an effective hybrid working model.
Employers don’t need a complicated tool set to keep employees happy. Instead, it can be helpful to offer access to important resources and information through what we call a “single pane of glass”—like, for instance, a mobile app that can be downloaded right on employees’ phones.
To achieve these results, some businesses look to partner with companies like my own and others in the industry. However, for companies that already have tools in place and need a quick way to simplify the workplace experience, begin by evaluating your own technology stack to find areas of improvement. Perhaps a different app per workplace function isn’t necessary, or the investments you’ve made aren’t exactly what your employees are looking for and are underutilized.
The ‘Ideal’ WX Toolset
In general, I’ve found workplace experience tools are the most effective and comprehensive when they consist of various components that work together in concert. Also, look for ways to integrate this technology with the systems you already have.
I suggest starting by using an app as a one-stop shop for experiences that can be tailored to employees’ specific needs. Consider highlighting amenities, using surveys for feedback to inform future decisions and just communicating more regularly with employees. Give people the opportunity to manage their workplace experience and discover other resources they can benefit from.
Employees should be able to use and control workplace modules (or integrations with other technologies) through a single app, covering a range of categories that focus on help, services, community, feedback, spaces and security in the workplace. This helps cater to every workplace need in a single, powerful tool.
It can also be helpful to make your app and modules part of a larger workplace experience platform. This can empower you to create targeted programs, provide you with meaningful data and analytics (such as employee sentiment and satisfaction metrics), offer a variety of pre-built integrations and new best-fit options and provide security for your company through compliance with security and privacy regulations and best practices.
However, keep in mind that while it can indeed be challenging to get employees to adopt new tools, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. In a broad view, in order to deliver a better workplace experience, you ultimately need to:
• Have a thorough vetting process. Even more than learning about how to use the new technology, it’s learning about what you actually need that is the hardest part.
• Understand your budget.
• Turn to employees and gather their feedback on what their pain points are and what they truly need from a technology perspective.
Without these things, you’re shooting in the dark and making uninformed investments that might not actually help your team.
The workplace of the future is all about empowering people to do their best work. Though technology is already present in the market in abundance, it can be difficult to vet these tools to fit your company’s specific needs. The one thing to keep in mind is this: If the offerings you’re providing don’t help employees be more productive and innovative, or make them feel supported and engaged with your workplace, don’t be surprised when talent doesn’t show up at your doorstep.
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