Insights from the forefront of future of work thought leadership

The hybrid workplace model is the new norm in most workplaces, with employees dividing their time between the office and working remotely. Although this provides freedom and flexibility for staff, it is creating a challenge for employers in making sure everyone is productive, engaged, and feels part of an inclusive culture.

So, let’s talk about digital inclusion – what it is, why it’s important, and how you can ensure your future workplace strategy supports it.

What is digital inclusion in the workplace?

Each employee, whether they are working at a physical office or remotely, wants to feel part of the team, and be able to collaborate and work together with colleagues, as if they are just sitting side by side on their workstations or in a conference room.

Digital inclusion focuses on providing the same culture, conditions and opportunities to every staff member, no matter where they are working from. It means leveling the playing field for everyone, and delivering equal access to technology, resources and information required to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. 

Digital inclusion therefore becomes critical in a hybrid working environment, where you can have a physically dispersed workforce. It enables employees to feel connected, engaged and empowered to do their best work, wherever they are.

Barriers to digital inclusion

Achieving an inclusive culture is difficult enough when people are all working in the same office, but now there’s that added complexity of working with hybrid teams. Here are some of the challenges that would limit digital inclusion in the workplace:

Technology

Technology can be a great enabler for digital workplaces, but it can also be a barrier to digital inclusion. With people working from different locations, they don’t all have the same internet speeds and wifi capabilities. So, for remote staff, connecting to virtual meetings or conference calls may not be guaranteed or seamless. Also, not having collaboration tools like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace can create numerous issues that can impact productivity and collaboration between remote and onsite teams. 

Culture based on old habits and practices

Digital inclusion won’t work without the cooperation of every staff member. Some people can have the tendency to go back to old habits and practices. They can resist the change to a digital workplace, and prefer to work in a face-to-face environment, leaving out those who are working remotely. 

Lack of visibility and connection 

Another barrier to digital inclusion is the lack of visibility and connection with remote employees. Business leaders can easily connect with people they physically see in the office and be able to understand their needs and preferences. But it becomes difficult to maintain the same level of service and connection when dealing with remote workers, where there is no physical visibility.

Lack of communication

Equal access to company information is essential in achieving digital inclusion. However, this is not easily achieved. According to Igloo’s 2020 State of the Digital Workplace, nearly 60% of remote workers feel they missed out on important information because it was communicated in person.

Fostering digital inclusion in your workplace

Building an inclusive workplace can work wonders in improving employee engagement and productivity. Here are some ways your workplace can foster digital inclusion:

Conduct a quick audit. To implement any change in the workplace, it’s important to step back and understand the current situation. Observe staff interactions (both onsite and remote) and do interviews and surveys. How do people feel about working in hybrid teams? How much collaboration is happening? Do remote workers feel disconnected?

Create an inclusive culture. Integrate inclusivity in your core company values and then communicate those values effectively to the different teams. It’s also important that the push for digital inclusion starts from the top – so encourage leaders and managers to treat and manage everyone in the same way, no matter if they’re working in the office or remotely. 

Implement inclusive communications. This means all company information should be communicated effectively to all employees, both onsite and remote. And make sure you communicate in different ways, including email, chat and other internal communication channels. 

Have the right technology. It’s essential to implement technology that can work anywhere. This enables staff to do their best work wherever they are – including equal access to the right collaboration and productivity tools. 

Make sure everyone has a voice. Remote workers tend to feel isolated. They sometimes feel unable to participate and be heard. Especially in meetings, encourage everyone to participate and contribute. Ensure each participant has an opportunity to speak out and be respected for their ideas.

How your physical workspace can support digital inclusion

Although the hybrid environment deals with both remote and onsite teams, your physical workplace still plays an important role in supporting digital inclusion. 

Create meeting rooms designed for equal participation

Equal participation in a face-to-face meeting is challenging enough – but it becomes even more difficult when you have other people joining through a virtual environment. This requires more than installing a webcam, monitor and speakers in a meeting room. The furniture selection & orientation, in conjunction with appropriate lighting & acoustics, are vitally important to ensure digital inclusion is fostered. There needs to be a meeting moderator and a process in place to ensure that all participants are treated equally and have the same opportunities to speak out and be heard.

According to a senior workplace strategist at Axiom Workplaces, “You need to have great speakers and microphones. I think you need to have a moderator or a facilitator that can control the conversation in a way that the technology can keep up with what’s happening in the room and make it easy for someone who’s joining in remotely, to follow what’s going on.” 

Implement seamless room booking technology

Aside from providing equal participation, meetings in a hybrid workplace should be able to allow seamless connectivity and transition between virtual and physical environments. 

There is a strong need for an ‘intuitive connection’. People don’t want to spend too much time trying to book a meeting room then struggle to use the technology within the room – which is the usual situation in most organisations. “Breaking down the restraints between the physical space and technology is important. You need to provide dual screens, so that everyone who’s joining in remotely is on screen, despite the fact that you might be sharing information on another screen.” 

Deploy a desk booking system

A desk booking system allows employees to book or reserve desk space before they get to the office, through a web browser or mobile app. The system helps you manage the physical office with data and reports for workspace utilisation and planning.

Build collaborative spaces

To build a positive and inclusive culture, it’s important to build collaborative spaces where people can come together when they do come to the office. This will allow workers to build stronger connections with colleagues and make them feel less isolated when working from home.  

Axiom recently worked with Cisco Meraki to build a workplace that created a strong sense of culture and community within the organisation. The Axiom team designed workspaces that bring people together, including a coffee bar area and tiered seating purpose-built for the monthly dial-in with San Francisco. 

To learn more about building a strong and inclusive culture in a hybrid working environment, check out our interview with Cisco on creating a digitally inclusive workplace.

If you would like to learn how to undertake a Digital Transformation of your workplace click below:

The pandemic has accelerated a range of pre-existing workspace trends around health and wellbeing, flexibility, activity-based working and the demand drive for better space utilisation. With this change in working habits, the requirements of COVID-19 workplace design have come into focus.

Things like high quality virtual connective hardware which were once on the “wish list” are now office must-haves. Some of these investments are now also within reach, thanks to boosted tenant incentives.

In this article, we’ll explore the new requirements of the office as well as the incentives on offer to fund these essential upgrades.

The new office must-haves

Right now conflicting forces are pulling at the future of office footprints. One is the need for more space to accommodate physical distancing protocols. The other is the need to reduce space with more people working remotely. In a post-vaccine world, physical distancing requirements will cease to exist, but the changes to the way people work are here to stay.

While technology has proven valuable to support and maintain collaboration and interaction in the required work from home period, long term it will complement but not replace the need for a physical workplace.

Long term, workspaces will have a rationalised physical footprint, and be comprised of flexible well-equipped spaces designed to support specific employee needs. The new office will have technology built in (eg. occupancy sensors or smart lighting solutions), a strong focus on health and wellbeing, plus a workplace design that is sympathetic to the productivity needs of employees while they’re in the workspace.

Entice employees to the workspace

Enhanced productivity, no commute and the opportunity to work in leisurewear – working from home has a lot of perks the office now needs to compete with. The new workplace needs to become a destination with a purpose which entices employees to return.

The office will need to offer more to employees than just a workstation to sit at for 8 hours a day. Rather, smart businesses will create places that attract and retain their employees with careful workspace design.

Employee health and safety

The new office puts employee health and safety front and centre. Workspaces will take advantage of technology and equipment such as hands-free or easy to clean materials (non-porous surfaces) and fixtures (automatic doors and taps) to rebuild employees’ trust and confidence.

Seamless connection between physical and virtual

Remote working isn’t going anywhere, which means the new office needs to be reconfigured to accommodate technology upgrades. Meeting rooms need to be equipped for seamless video conferencing, whether that’s with better quality screens and audio or faster data connections, to ensure flawless links between those out of and those in the office.

Collaboration and connection spaces

A key purpose of the new office is connection and collaboration between employees. With focussed and deep work done from home, employees will increasingly visit the office when human interaction is required, and the workspace needs to encourage and support this type of work. In a pre-vaccine world, these spaces will need to consider movable furniture for safe distancing and acoustic treatments which aid conversation across distance.

Use tenant incentives to create your new future-proof office

According to the Property Council of Australia, Australian office vacancy increased over the first six months of 2020 for the first time in four and a half years to 9.5%. This has created a pro-tenant market, and as landlords work to keep building values steady in a turbulent time, they are offering incentives to tenants like:

• Rent-free periods
• Rent abatement
• Fitout contributions
• Changes to rent review and make good terms

While tenant incentives aren’t new, they are currently on the increase. CBRE notes that in Sydney, “incentives are on the rise to encourage leasing activity in the market, nudging up around the 30% mark.” In previous years, this sat at 18-20%. It is a good time to take advantage of the increased incentives to fund your future-proof workspace upgrades.

Wondering what other future of work trends are affecting workspace design? Check out the Future Of Work: A Progressive Leader’s Guide.

In recent years, flexible work arrangements have been increasingly sought by the Australian workforce. However, it hasn’t been until the current COVID-19 crisis that many organisations have stumbled upon the overriding benefits of working from home. As a result, and also because people will not soon forget the potentially dangerous impact of personal contact, futurists are predicting that when quarantine ends, remote working will continue for many.

How to set up a home office 

Setting up an ergonomic home working environment is harder than it sounds. While stock imagery frequently features bespectacled models in grey wool, curling up on a trendy sofa with their laptop, the reality for many is far from that. Most of us make do with a makeshift desk, a static chair at the dining table, or perching on a stool at the kitchen bench.

However, if your company is serious about productivity, improving your team’s ergonomic set-up at home should be your top priority. Research completed by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries in the US recently found that ergonomics is well worth the investment.

The study showed that ergonomics significantly reduces company costs, with a 65 percent reduction in incidence rates and a 75 percent reduction in lost workdays. Additionally, ergonomics can improve employee productivity by up to 25 percent, as well as the quality of work, with a 67 percent average reduction in errors.

Of course, ergonomic workspaces increase employee engagement as staff recognise and appreciate the investment in their safety and comfort—and the numbers in the study support this too.

What exactly is an ergonomic workspace? 

An ergonomic workspace is one that is comfortable enough to improve both wellness and productivity. It can involve the proper arrangement or modification of existing furniture and equipment, or the purchase and installation of supportive items that are designed to align and support the body during work periods.

It usually includes items such as your office chair, key objects like the phone, print equipment and materials, keyboard and mouse, screen, footrest and desk, as well as light and your monitor. It can also extend to items that support helpful behaviours, such as office storage that prevent mess and distractions in your workspace.

Why consider investing in ergonomics at home? 

If remote working is to continue in some form over the coming months and perhaps years, and an ergonomic set-up can provide anywhere up to a 25 percent uplift in productivity, it seems like an obvious choice to invest in some best-practice home office set-ups. Just as commercial office design equips people for work and engagement, so too can remote workspaces.

Building a productive, ergonomic workspace at home

On an individual level, it could be relatively easy to read a guide and set yourself up for success. However, when managed from an organisational perspective, a little forethought, research and expert help can make all the difference.

1. Evaluation 

The first place to start is in evaluating the employee’s set-up. Is there a known issue with their workspace that can be fixed with rearranging furniture, buying ergonomic equipment or fixing lighting? If evaluating more than 20 employees in this way, you’ll need a well-designed survey so you can assess patterns and create a strategy that combats the majority of high-impact issues. Individual issues can be addressed thereafter.

2. Results and recommendations 

Results of your evaluation can mean purchasing equipment, or simply making some small changes to where and how people are currently set up.  A good ergonomic chair is a strong starting point that helps keep the body aligned and allow for some movement. There are many ergonomic options out there on the market, so choose an expert to work with for the best value, best practice options.

Remember – desk and chair position, body position, movement breaks and other behavioural aspects can have a huge impact in instances where you cannot afford to purchase equipment for every, single employee, so don’t discount training.

3. Employee training 

With every investment in a productive workspace comes a corresponding commitment to best practice behaviours from the company, as well as the individual.  Training on the seemingly smallest aspects of behaviour and office set-up can significantly reduce strains and injuries. For example, natural light decreases fatigue and improves feelings of wellbeing and happiness. Keeping a screen perpendicular to a window can reduce glare and therefore eye strain, while providing the required illumination for computer and desk work.

Employee training can deliver many specialist directives that are easy to implement but have a huge impact on wellbeing and output.

What to do next 

While the government is starting to talk about restrictions being lifted, many bodies predict that social distancing measures could continue as long as into 2022. As remote working is also more cost-beneficial to many organisations, this could mean that widespread remote working will continue long after social distancing measures are relaxed.

It may be worth modelling what this looks like for your business in the coming months and years. If remote working even for part of your workforce continues to make sense, you’re going to need to invest in the right equipment and advice for your people.

If setting up ergonomic home offices for your employees is something you’re not sure about, get an expert involved early in your planning and get your business ahead of the competitive curve.

Axiom Workplaces applies principles of ergonomic office design to remote working. We help organisations achieve maximum wellness, engagement and productivity for remote teams around the future of work.

Considering that a person spends over 13 years of their life at work, it’s unsurprising that workplace design plays a key role in people’s happiness, satisfaction, health and wellbeing.

The routines, habits, and daily ebb and flow that your workspace enables are significant and perhaps more life-altering than you might think. This is why your office space needs to be about more than just ‘the work’, and also about creating a space where you are able to express your fullest self.

With all this at stake, it seems like engaging staff in the design of the workplace would be both obvious and simple to do. We know that when people have options and choices about how, where and when they work, they feel empowered and engaged. Which lends even further weight to the theory that engaging your whole business in your workplace design is singularly powerful.

Yet in many projects, a lack of buy-in from employees will result in project failure and a workspace which hampers satisfaction, efficiency and productivity instead of supporting it. On the other hand, a Steelcase survey linked employee-driven workplace design with increased productivity and high levels of employee engagement and satisfaction.

The survey found that it was not just involvement in the design of the physical workspace that kept employees content, it was also providing input on their working style—work schedules, privacy, processes and business decision-making.

So, how can you ensure your entire business, every employee, is engaged with your workplace design?

1. Start by educating them on the benefits of engagement with workplace design (hint: we’ve just talked about them above!)
2. Share the design process and actively seek feedback throughout—let your employees know exactly what they will get a say on.

Here are just some of the areas your employees can be asked for their opinion and feedback on:

Designing for a Strong Company Culture

Company culture is a set of beliefs, norms and values that represent the way a company does business. Disengaged employees, high staff turnover, poor customer relationships and smaller profits are all symptoms of poor company culture, whereas a strong and healthy company culture will improve a business’s overall performance.

Engage your employees in defining your company culture by working with them on:

• Vision and values
• How your business is managed—the systems, structure, procedures and goals
• Policies—code of conduct, dress code, etc
• Workplace processes—training and development, onboarding, benefits, etc
• People—the qualities of people you hire
• Physical work environment
• Communication and collaboration—how, when and how frequently

Boost Productivity Through Design

Check-in with your team to find out how, where and when they are most productive and, most importantly, how your workplace design can facilitate this.

Some examples:

• Quiet distraction-free zones—while some employees love the hum of the open-plan office, others need quiet space to concentrate or at least the option available to them for certain kinds of work.
• Indoor greenery and nature—workplaces incorporating plants are likely to be happier, more productive workplaces.
• Co-working—a third-party managed and fully serviced co-working space is an option that is gaining popularity.
• Breakout areas—kitchens or other casual breakout areas are great options for employees looking for a collaborative and creative space to work in.

Employee wellbeing Through Better Design

Start a conversation with employees at your company about how their wellbeing can be supported by the business. While perks like bean bags and an on-site massage therapist sound great, it might be that what your workers really need is the flexibility to pick the kids up from school twice a week, or their manager supporting them to take their lunch break away from their desk.

Consider:

• Activity-based working—there are many wellbeing benefits of a workplace created with activity-based working principles.
• Active design—as the name suggests, active design encourages more activity, eg. including strategically placed staircases, sit-stand desks, etc.

Engaging your employees and discovering their motivations and unique working styles as a part of your overall workplace strategy and workplace design will not only ensure buy-in, but also a more satisfied and productive workforce into the future.

Wondering how your workplace strategy fits in with digital transformation? Download our Digital Transformation – the role of workplace strategy whitepaper to explore how workplace design influences digital transformation across the key areas of talent, diversity, innovation and technology.

Axiom Workplaces combine your commercial fitout goals with our experience and expertise in evidence-based office design to create a thriving workplace for you and your workforce.

An office lease expiry is one of those things that can easily get put on the backburner until suddenly it’s right in front of you. But without forethought and planning, it can end up being costly and very inconvenient!

Getting a start early is crucial whether you’re planning on staying in your current premises or relocating offices (if you are relocating, here is a helpful relocation checklist). Depending on the number of your employees, the size of your office space (current and into the future) and the complexity of your current commercial lease agreement, you should start planning at least 15-18 months before the lease expires.

Some things to remember:

• If you do not have a lease option in place, your landlord doesn’t have to renew your lease. This means whether you want to or not, you may have to relocate.
• If you are entering into a new lease, leave yourself plenty of time to establish the details. If you’re rushed, this gives the landlord more negotiating power.
• If you do have an option to renew, there is usually a notice period involved of 6-12 months.
• If your fixed-term lease expires, the landlord may allow you to remain in a ‘holdover’, on month-to-month terms. This is usually seen a risky proposition as you may need to be out within just one month if the landlord so decides.

So, what do you need to consider when deciding to stay and renew the current lease or move out and relocate to a new office? Let’s review the key factors:

Your current space

If you’re satisfied with your current office and location and have no intentions of outgrowing the space in the imminent future, it might be more beneficial to stay and renew your lease (if you have that option available to you).

Ask these questions:

• Is your current space fulfilling your needs?
• What about your needs in the near future?

Also, think about the costs of office relocation and factor this into your decision. Consider: planning, fit-out, ‘make good’ costs, moving expenses and any loss in productivity. Weigh these up against the benefits of moving to a new location eg. lower overheads or a better location.

If you do decide to stay put there is still a need to negotiate to ensure your company gets the best deal. Consider negotiating for things like base building improvements, new interiors, rights of first offer for adjacent space for growing into or contraction rights if you see downsizing in your future.

Company goals and objectives

An office lease expiry might just be the perfect time to consider how your workplace strategy fits in with your overall company goals and objectives and how your office space can support them.

Ask these questions:

• What are the growth forecasts for the business within 3, 5 and 10 years?
• What are the business goals over these same time periods?
• Do you need to cut costs or downsize?
• Is your objective to expand and attract new talent?
• Are there plans to change the way staff work (eg. more remote/teleworking)?

The type and amount of space you require post lease expiry depends heavily on the nature of the work being carried out so considering the company’s objectives is key.

Future plans

Examine your future business plans closely to help you decide whether to renew a lease or relocate your office. Think about how these plans might impact your current workplace and what they will mean for future space requirements. Reflect on whether staying put will allow your business to evolve in the right way, or if moving office will offer your business a better chance at future success.

If it looks like the future holds a dramatic change in the way your company works, or a large scale merger of departments from different offices into one, it’s best practice to engage with a change management consultant early on. Your consultant will help guide you through the process for a seamless transition with as little employee anxiety as possible.

Budget

As with most things, when it comes to an office lease expiry you need to consider the costs. Beyond thinking about lease or rent costs, it’s important to factor in all the many and varied relocation costs if you decide to move. Naturally, there are also costs associated with staying where you are, as your lease agreement may change for example.

How can a workplace design partner help?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with all of these considerations, you’re not alone. This is where a workplace design partner can help. Companies like Axiom specialise in helping you design a workplace strategy, find your next property, manage the interior design, and transition your workforce.

Bringing in the experts ensures your business is taken care of, from start to finish. To learn more, download our free ebook How to choose a workplace design partner now.

When the time rolls around for a brand spanking new office fitout, it can be easy to get distracted by what’s on the surface. What colour scheme will be the most appealing? What finishes will be the most chic? What furnishings best suit the available space?

In actual fact, while your office fitout can look fantastic, it can also deliver tangible benefits and measurable ROI – if it’s a strategically driven workplace design

Let’s take a closer look at what’s involved in a workplace design strategy, and why developing one is integral to your next office fitout.

What is a strategy for a workplace design?

Your business is driven by three things:

• Your culture
• Your employees
• Your goals

These three things characterise your business, making it as unique as a fingerprint. It makes perfect sense, therefore, that your workplace design should be driven by these factors too.

A workplace design strategy places these all-important aspects at the core of a design concept, so that all other decisions are motivated by these factors. It relies heavily on extensive evidence about these elements, so you get a design that fits your organisation like a glove, rather than one that employees are forced to “get used to” over time. It also takes into account where the company is headed, ensuring the design remains highly functional years after the installation.

Here are the ways in which these three drivers can influence the strategy of your workplace design.

Workplace culture

Workplace culture encapsulates many aspects of an organisation: its values and beliefs; its personality; its traditions; its behaviours and its attitudes. A strong and positive workplace culture is a key business driver because it helps attract and retain top talent, increase employee engagement and satisfaction, and improve performance. According to a survey by Deloitte, 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct workplace culture is important to business success.

In formulating a workplace design strategy, a workplace design partner will collect extensive evidence about an organisation’s workplace culture in order to determine how the best aspects can be enhanced through the design, and how the not-so-good aspects can be minimised.

If, for example, creativity is a key characteristic of your business, you could nurture this by installing brainstorming rooms or flexible collaborative spaces where employees can feel free to unleash their imaginations.

Employees’ needs, habits and preferences

Any CEO will tell you that employees are a business’s most important asset. Therefore, any workplace design that is going to deliver maximum ROI needs to be highly people-centric (indeed, this is reflected in many of the office design trends we see sweeping Australia).

The beauty of a workplace design strategy is that is doesn’t make assumptions about what might work for employees; rather, it goes straight to the source in order to collect evidence to determine what will work for them. A survey might reveal, for example, that employees want more flexibility in the ways they work, and this could be factored into the design by providing a variety of workspaces.

Business goals

In the end, your organisation’s success boils down to one question: what is your business’s very purpose, and how do you plan to fulfil this purpose? Believe it or not, your workplace design can help you answer this question too.

Whether your goal is to foster better collaboration, increase innovation or improve employee health and wellness, these goals can be factored into the strategy of your workplace design, ensuring you maximise your ROI in every way possible.

What goes into the development of a workplace design strategy?

The development of a fully realised workplace design strategy entails several steps to ensure the final strategy successfully bridges both the ideological and practical aspects of the project. Here’s a glimpse into Axiom’s workplace design development process.

Strategy session

During the strategy session, we work closely with senior leaders to gather information about the business, establish a vision for the project, and set key business objectives that will then guide the strategy development. Setting a strong foundation at this point allows us to develop a unique solution that’s customised to your business, rather than just simply following current trends.

Workplace audit

Here’s where we take our information gathering to the next level, conducting a careful workplace audit that factors in employee accommodation, storage needs, current workflows and key areas for improvement. We then use this information and our expertise to help inform potential solutions.

Future workplace analysis

This stage is all about the employees. We get to know them through surveys, reports and one-on-one interviews in order to develop a deep understanding of their needs, habits and preferences. We then analyse this data, along with the data collected in earlier steps, to inform how to optimise the solution.

Location feasibility study

A deep understanding of your business is of course important – but practical considerations must also be factored in. During this stage, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the current building’s infrastructure, amenities and services, as well as the infrastructure, amenities and services of the proposed sites. We also audit your current technology infrastructure and devices in order to assess suitable compatibility and connectivity in the new workspace.

Programming and projected budget

Once we’ve gathered and analysed all the necessary data, we can then develop an accurate master plan, with a detailed timeline and projected budget. This allows you to assess the financial impact of the project early on in the process.

Investing time and careful consideration into your workplace design strategy can ensure your next office fitout not only looks stunning but also enhances your business’s workplace culture, helps employees perform at their peak and helps your business reach its goals.

A workplace design partner can show you how to develop a workplace strategy that delivers maximum ROI. To help you find the perfect one for your business, check out our free ebook How to Choose the Right Workplace Design Partner. Download it now!