“Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable.”
– William Pollard
With a potential slow reintegration to our original shared workplaces materializing soon, even just for a few of us, I think we can confidently say we all plan to continue practicing social distancing to remain healthy. But what will this new working landscape actually look like?
How will we adapt the spaces we used to inhabit so easily?
In readjusting to sharing spaces with people other than our own household, most spaces will require some level of modification to both keep appropriate distance from one another while, in a strange parallel, maintaining that vibe of our connected teams.
With these unknowns before us, we want to consider some ways to make the best of what we have. Using asset utilization data and workplace analytics can to ensure social distancing rules are adhered to, to measure usage of popular spaces for maintenance purposes, to review current furniture configurations to increase appreciation and usage from your employees.
Here at MySeat, we are fans of harnessing the data that your space and users yield, in their normal day to day activities, as a large part of that decision making.
- Our SenSeative sensor is an interaction counting sensor- paired to any equipment, it will report a positive activity when the object it is being interacted with. Fine tuned accelerometer and algorythmics allow detection on a wide range of equipment, including but not limited to whiteboards, touch screens, lavatory soap dispensers. Most typically seats, desks and meeting room tables, the objects that we interact with the most.
- Our Ambisense sensor compiles a set of data that lends perspective to the space analysis, allowing additional clues gathering on the end-users concerns/questioning, as well. Humidity, temperature and light levels can help identify why a space is either underutilized or a team favourite.
What will this look like for my organization?
Facility managers and tenants will call upon interior designers and architects to redesign or adapt spaces in what one can only imagine right now to be unexpected ways. This new need for change could accelerate a project that was already in the works or create a new urgent requirement for a renovation, no matter the scale.
Using asset utilization data and workplace analytics, MySeat guides clients undergoing these changes in a multitude of ways. Studies can be as broad and overarching as they can be small and pointedly direct.
Since every organisation is unique in terms of its culture and internal practices, the modifications required on the short term will be very personalized to each of those realities. Even a short-duration occupancy scan can illuminate many potential avenues for improvements.
Whatever the organisation’s objective, optimal results will occur when we are starting with the maximum amount of information and even better chances when a continuous feedback loop for the facility team is maintained.
Immediate concerns about proximities
MySeat Analytics, our web based analytics platform, is available to all our clients and can quicken reaction times. By viewing the live dashboard, how many points are currently occupied and their locations, security teams and facility managers can quickly validate adherence to new social distancing rules and can quickly correct the situation on site. Social distancing will remain a strict reality for the short or medium term.
Occupancy sensor data to drive quick decision making
Accurate data is an easy and trustworthy method to reevaluate space allocations and resource distribution, furniture and equipment. Understanding the actual usage, facility teams can easily improve the offering (and employee appreciation!) of amenities by repurposing rooms and by executing simple furniture rearrangements.
Keeping track of what needs maintenance
The ability to adapt cleaning teams routines as per occupants’ patterns allows facilities to prioritize the busiest areas, ensuring the most used spaces get the most attention in regards to hygiene.
Additionally, data insights serve to confirm if the required resources are where they are needed most, whether that be workstations, audio visual equipment or other movable assets. Understanding and reacting to user patterns + preferences will benefit the organisation both in terms of real estate and construction costs, and the often incalculable employee satisfaction.
Handling uncertainty in business has never been clear cut. What is clear is that asset utilization data and workplace analytics can demystify what the employees require in order to work their best, whatever the situation.
As we’re saying in Quebec, #cavabienaller !