As companies move toward a post-pandemic environment, many employees still appreciate the concrete benefits of working in a physical office. They serve as a place not just for work but also for collaboration and positive work culture.
According to a survey by Mercer in 2021, about 70% of employers planned to adopt a hybrid work setup. With the need for changes in the office comes the need for new workplace strategies.
What is Workplace Strategy?
A workplace strategy is a concrete plan or blueprints to maximize employee productivity, technology, and office structures that support business objectives, desired behaviors, and workplace culture. Organizations must explore technological innovation, such as room scheduling software, when creating workplace strategies.
Workplace strategies align with the company’s goals, business initiatives, and culture. These strategies are mainly based on positive workplace culture and increased efficiency. These strategies should make your business processes run more smoothly, campaigns produce more effective results, and team members enjoy more work agility. Hence, they should consciously and meticulously link to your organizational goals, culture, strategy, and context.
Every successful strategy has a few things in common:
- Workspace use –How the physical workspace can be more conducive to productivity
- Employee satisfaction and engagement – Policies enable work, boost morale and engagement, and make workers more productive.
- Enabling and empowering environment via technology – The right tools can connect employees for faster, better, and more accessible communication and collaboration.
Workplace Strategies that can Help Boost Your Business
Every successful business needs a strategy. In contrast, most companies would agree that their workforce matters; creating an environment that reflects this is another thing. When done right, a strong workplace strategy can make a positive impact, especially with the following approaches:
Creating a fair and healthy corporate culture
Company culture is the backbone of a happy organization. It is a crucial part of every business because it affects all aspects of the company, from recruiting and retaining talented workers to increasing team member confidence to achieving business goals. Without a happy and positive company culture, teams will struggle to collaborate and find fulfillment in the tasks they perform for the company. Negative company culture could hurt your overall bottom line.
According to Gartner, Inc., employees who work in a highly equal environment perform better and are less likely to quit. The survey outlines four factors that help employees feel a workplace is fair:
- Being informed – Employees need to receive information equally across all levels
- Feeling supported: Employees need to feel support from the company in crucial times.
- Feeling considered: Employees need to have access to opportunities within the company.
- Being acknowledged: Employees need to feel recognized for their performance.
A strong workplace strategy centered on improving its workforce can frame support in many ways. These include using peer networks to increase opportunities or utilizing technology to acknowledge performance.
People want to join and stay in companies with good reputation feedback from previous and current employees. Positive company culture will attract top talents willing to make your organization their “new home” rather than a stepping stone for a better career opportunity.
Optimizing workspace use
A 2020 survey by PwC showed that employers and employees find hybrid work arrangements more favorable. However, real estate can suddenly become more costly as a result.
With fewer people physically present, underutilized workspaces present a new challenge as companies need to re-think the office’s role.
A solid workplace strategy accounts for the workspace and its usage. As offices become more flexible, special software is needed to make room and desk reservations efficient.
Supporting employee demographics
Employee demographics vary depending on the company. While many workforces comprise younger, single individuals, others are married and have families. On top of this, they may work either close to or far from home.
Companies of all sizes can account for their employees with a robust workplace strategy. They can consider the office’s location and accessibility and create appropriate work arrangements that benefit all workers.
How to Create a Strong Workplace Strategy?
No one solution resolves all workplace problems. It is vital to create an office solution tailor-fit to your organization. By clarifying your business goals and integrating them with evidence-based research and design, you have the best advantage of building a successful workplace approach.
As the role of physical workspaces changes, different aspects of work also change. People, process, place, and technology all play a critical role in shaping a dynamic and successful workplace collaboration.
While there is no standard solution, you can create a strong workplace strategy that aligns with your business goals.
Employers and managers can achieve this using the following:
Identify critical metrics for your strategy
Specific metrics allow employers and managers to determine if their initiatives are adequate or need fine-tuning. Specific objectives like the following are a great start:
- Increase retention, reduce turnover
- Improve communication and collaboration
- Encourage innovation
- Increasing productivity
Managers need access to data and statistics to establish these objectives. They can achieve this with the help of the right tools or existing software with data analysis features.
Account for employee work preferences
Workplace strategies should address employees’ concerns and productivity. As such, understanding work preferences is key to their effectiveness.
Today, the focus is on remote or hybrid work. A 2020 survey by FlexJobs said that 51% of workers reported feeling more productive while working remotely. The top reasons cited included fewer interruptions and a quieter environment.
Regardless of trends, it’s crucial to ask workers for feedback and adapt strategies and policies to match. This feedback mechanism makes workplace strategies more effective and allows companies to provide better help and resources.
Empower your team with the right tools
Employee experience isn’t limited to the physical environment they work in but also the resources they can use to optimize their tasks. The tools they use can also contribute to their experience and their success.
In today’s agile work environment, desk booking software is a crucial tool. Employees with alternate office shifts can reserve meeting rooms or desks using apps on different platforms.
When choosing the right tools, consider one or more of the following features:
- Language support – Employees need to be able to customize the language for their convenience
- Third-party app integration: The technology needs to integrate well with other tools used in the office, like status displays for reservations.
- Analytics reporting: The tool allows users to pull and present metrics in a digestible form.
- Ease of use – An intuitive user interface makes the tool easier to adopt for employees of all levels
The Takeaway
With the need for office changes in a post-pandemic work environment comes the need for new workplace strategies. These strategies should account for new approaches to office spaces, shift arrangements, and effective policies.
While there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution, employers can create a working strategy that works with the company’s objectives. Regardless of the resolution, each successful one focuses on creating a better employee experience.
Understanding the factors in effecting changes lets employers and managers retain and attract talent. On top of this, it fosters an environment that’s more than just a workplace.
It is recommended that your organization constantly re-evaluate your workplace strategies to ensure your work environment’s competitiveness, productivity, and cost-efficiency. Effective workplace strategies support task performances and how employees operate in the workplace. It is about focusing, re-designing, and developing a harmonious office environment experience to promote personnel’s best performance at work.
Why is FinancesOnline free?
Leave a comment!