In this article, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step process to define your workplace strategy.

What is a workplace strategy?

A workplace strategy is “a systematic approach for improving the
effectiveness and efficiency of how workspace is used by changing the way workspace is configured“.

A well-thought-out strategy in the workplace can boost your company’s output and performance while also improving collaboration and teamwork. It can also lower absenteeism and presenteeism while increasing employee engagement.

It is crucial to remember that this is a very personal matter, as there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy because the company’s business goals play a major role in developing one. What works in one workspace may not work in another, even if both are owned by the same company.

Reasons for a workplace strategy

First of all, it can lower your operational cost.

By doing your first-time research about whether the way your workplace is utilized in the most efficient way, you will quickly find out that there is a big portion of your office that is not being used most of the time. Operational costs can be then greatly reduced by reorganizing these office places to be flexible workplaces or transferring them into smaller spaces.

Also, it can improve your employees’ work-life balance and performance.

Workplace strategies such as flexible working can help people to obtain autonomy in picking their working places and times in different situations. Flexible working hours, and a hybrid office set-up with all-in-one smart office system support can assist your employees in achieving a work-life balance, which can improve employee satisfaction and of course, their performance.

How to develop your own workplace strategy?

Step 1: Analyze Your Business Objectives

The first step in defining your workplace strategy is to analyze your business objectives. Identify your company’s key goals, such as improving collaboration, enhancing innovation, or reducing real estate costs.

This analysis will help you determine what types of workspaces and amenities are needed to support your objectives.

Step 2: Assess Your Current Workplace

The second step is to assess your current workplace. Conduct a space utilization analysis to determine how your space is being used and identify any inefficiencies. Also, survey your employees to understand their needs and preferences in the workplace.

Step 3: Define Your Workplace Policies

The third step is to define your workplace policies. Determine your company’s policies on issues such as remote work, flexible hours, and office layout. These policies will inform your workplace design and help create a culture of productivity and engagement.

Step 4: Design Your Workplace

The fourth step is to design your workplace. Use the information gathered in the previous steps to create a workplace design that supports your business goals, employee needs, and workplace policies. Consider factors such as space planning, furniture selection, and technology integration.

Step 5: Implement Your Workplace Strategy

The final step is to implement your workplace strategy. Communicate your workplace policies and design to your employees, and provide training on how to use the new workspace effectively.

Monitor your space utilization and employee engagement to ensure that your workplace strategy is meeting your business goals.

Why ONES is Your Ideal Workplace Strategy Partner

ONES provides smart workplace solutions that can help you define and implement your workplace strategy.

With features such as occupancy sensing, desk booking, and visitor management, ONES can optimize your space utilization, improve employee productivity, and enhance workplace safety.

ONES also provides real-time workplace analytics to help you monitor your space utilization and employee engagement, so you can continuously refine your workplace strategy.

Choose ONES as your workplace strategy partner and take your workplace to the next level.

Contact us: hello@ones.software, or visit ONEs Software official website for more information: https://ones.software/sg/.  

The post How to define your workplace strategy? A Step-by-Step Guide first appeared on ONEs Blog.

The telecommunications and technology giant Telstra’s study in 2022 reported that digital transformation can help businesses in the Asia Pacific (APAC) to optimization of hybrid work.  

The hybrid work experience of your workers can be made or broken by their workplace equipment. For instance, a difficult hot desking tool can make it difficult to enter the office. However, a fantastic one can make choosing a desk and a seat next to coworkers exciting for your staff members.

Digital transformation optimizes the performance of hybrid workers  

The lack of virtual work processes and hybrid office equipment makes it difficult for employees to adapt to the new work environment, which will affect their productivity. Thus leveraging technology to improve the performance of hybrid working, manage office resources easily and reduce operating costs.    

75% of both APAC leaders and employees say that it has become easier to stay engaged and drive cultural exchange with technology. 

How to transform the working style to digital? 

The research shows that there are three key transformation priorities for businesses in the Asia Pacific (APAC): 

1. Increasing investments in emerging technologies; 
2. Improving cybersecurity; and 
3. Increasing the pace of digital transformation; 

According to 45% of APAC leaders polled, the first step—investing in new technology—will be crucial to establishing a successful hybrid work environment as organizations aim to promote team collaboration and communication across remote work locations.  

70% of organizations also say they already have a strategy in place to identify and deploy the right technology and tools to facilitate both office-based and remote work.   

Building a hybrid optimized workplace starts with the right people (your talents).

Geraldine Kor Managing Director, South Asia, Telstra

Equipment suitable for your hybrid workers  

Based on mentioned points above of the research, there are 5 key ways for implementing hybrid work better.   

A multi-functional virtual meeting tool 

As hybrid workers are located in different places, a virtual meeting tool can bring a team together, work one-on-one with stakeholders, and move projects and businesses forward.

A variety of virtual tools is available to help with collaborative work. For example, Microsoft Viva, offers virtual meetings, real-time window communication, and customized teamwork itineraries. 

A good connection in the network 

When hybrid workers work remotely, they are often limited by the speed of the network or data limitations in the area. As a result, network failures can have a major impact on uploading and downloading files. Or in the worst scenario, it is not being able to continue working at all. 

Many hybrid offices are used in conjunction with IoT, when hybrid workers return to work in the office, poor network service may affect the normal use of office equipment. 

Flexible office equipment 

Hybrid workers are used to working in flexible locations and hours, therefore flexibility is a priority for them.

Of course, they have the same request for their work equipment. Hot desking is a good solution for them. It is an organizational workspace system in which desks are used on an ad hoc, first-come, first-served basis by different people at different times.  

Moreover, when a hybrid worker is seated in an uncomfortable position for typing, can easily lead to muscular injuries. Therefore, using fixed furniture may not only affect productivity but also leave employers open to compensation claims from injured employees. 

Relaxing space for conversation 

A Microsoft report found that the leisure space allows employees to have more interaction, and through the exchange of ideas improve technology.

Meanwhile, it provides a place for employees to rest to maintain service quality. In addition, many reports also pointed out that the co-working space helps to establish a company culture and increase the sense of belonging of employees, therefore helping companies retain their talents. 

Independent Office Space and Reservation System

Perhaps it might be less heard of quiet cars and focus rooms in hybrid workspaces, but they are important for hybrid workers because they provide some quiet areas for workers to focus on work.

However, these areas always have many people who want to use them, thus it needs some reservation systems to book these areas. ONES is one of the famous booking systems and has been implemented by various government departments and multinational companies. 

ONES Software now has a dedicated page to introduce a series of hybrid working measures to help you solve problems. You may wish to go to https://ones.software/hybrid-workspace/ for further reference.   

Contact us: hello@ones.software, or visit ONES Software official website for more information: https://ones.software/. 

The post What equipment do hybrid workers need in 2023? first appeared on ONEs Blog.

Lots of Singapore companies are considering reducing operational costs and pulling back business spending in order to face the tightening financial conditions. Hot desking is one of the arrangements that can help to save your daily expenses.

Flexible work in Singapore

The ministry of manpower in Singapore recently published the “Tripartite Statement on Flexible Work Arrangements(FWA)”, which encourages companies to sustain and promote flexible work arrangements as a permanent feature of the workplace.

One of the reasons for implementing FWA is it can allow employees to work more flexibly. This can not only allow people to achieve work-life balance but also help companies to retain talents and improve productivity.

Another reason why flexible working stays in Singapore is that it can highly reduce operational costs.

Hot desking save your operational cost

Office space is likely one of your businesses’ largest investments. However, office resources are usually wasted due to low utilization and misuse such as no-shows. The data from Inc. shows that as much as 40% of an office’s dedicated desk space is unused on a given day.

A flexible work approach is a much more attractive prospect when it comes to budgeting. The least expensive and most flexible solution for flexible working is hot desking.

Hot desking can reduce their office operating costs by 30% while saving 15% to 25% on the amount of space they require. You just show up and take the first position that opens up, so look for a location that isn’t really busy so that you have no trouble grabbing a seat.

For unlimited access, budget $200 to $500 per month; if you only need it sometimes, choose day tickets. Dedicated desks, where you can keep your excess items and an external display, start at $400 per month.

When fewer people are required to work in physical offices each day, savings from utilities like heat and electricity can be also spread and put toward a strong digital infrastructure.

Mr. Chen Chun-You, a Singaporean tech entrepreneur who founded the e-payment service Sapphiro, said flexible working can help him to rent prime housing at a lower rate in a remote place.

Meanwhile, his company income would not be reduced as the online management platforms support the company to still work in high efficiency.

How much can you save when using hot desking in Singapore?

Based on the article from Officefinder, according to data released by the authority, in the first 3 months of 2021, the median rent for traditional office space in Singapore was between $2.51 and $7.95 per square foot per month with a total of 665 leases concluded.

That means an average office space with 2,000 square feet that can contain around 10 employees in Singapore will cost around $5,020 to $15,900 a month. When compared to the previous quarter in 2020, the number of office leases increased by 10.46% in Q1 2021.

Therefore, if a company that has around 10 employees is willing to implement hot desking, it can save on average $9,036 to $28,620 in office operating costs per year.

In conclusion, a hot desking arrangement with a hybrid working system can be used to reduce office space. Once space is reduced, the cost of rent will go down. Costs associated with lighting, heating, and maintenance will also be decreased.

Learn more about how hybrid working helps you, and implement your own All-in-one smart office system.

The post How much can a Singapore company save by using hot desking? first appeared on ONEs Blog.

All of these actions changed the way the global market operates and made some new trends appear in the marketplace. The followings are three of the major market trends that demonstrate the importance of hybrid work.   

Employees desire a new flexible work role

As mentioned above, people expect to work flexibly, and this has become the primary goal for their new jobs.

With a global talent shortage, different industries have had to adopt some policies to attract new employees to join them, they also need to implement new working styles in order to adapt to the new operating environment or retain their talents.    

Based on a Microsoft-commissioned global survey, 73% of participants reported that they wanted to keep flexible work options post-pandemic, and nearly half of workers said they will resign if they can’t work flexibly. 

Hybrid working is a form of flexible working. Nicholas Bloom, a professor of economics at Stanford University, pointed out that hybrid work is the future work method, and implementing hybrid work can help companies to attract new talents to join.   

Mature development of virtual tools  

Prior to the epidemic, virtual technology was in continuous development. When the outbreak came, people realized that they could rely on virtual tools for collaborative work, and it is unnecessity to return to the office.

More importantly, the implementation of the virtual office has helped companies to recruit people and develop global businesses worldwide. It even enhances the work effectiveness for traditional jobs that require face-to-face conversation, such as lawyers. 

Outsourcing some departmental work to enhance the quality of work 

Covid-19 has made people discover the benefits of remote work. However, some departments still need to go back to the office. Outsourcing the work of these departments can help companies transform into hybrid offices, thus reducing unnecessary workspace and operating costs. 

In addition, outsourcing part of the business to the right service providers who can use their expertise to identify areas for change and implement the best solution for the companies.  

Last but not least, outsourcing some departmental work can help a company develop to be a hybrid workplace, and a hybrid work office will allow employees to spend more time together and build a good company culture. 

A system that supports hybrid working

From the above, three of the major market trends are encouraging companies to implement hybrid work. And to meet this transition, your office needs to be better-equipped ONES is the best partner for your hybrid office. 

ONES is one of the famous all-in-one smart office systems that can help you to easily implement hybrid working at ease.  You can easily perform virtual meetings, desk hoteling, and digital office management with our Room Booking, Desk Booking, and Visitor Management features.    

ONES Software now has a dedicated page to introduce a series of hybrid working measures to help you solve problems. You may wish to go to https://ones.software/hybrid-workspace/ for further reference.   

Contact us: hello@ones.software, or visit ONES Software official website for more information: https://ones.software/. 

The post 3 Major Market trends that support Hybrid work now first appeared on ONEs Blog.

After the epidemic, companies around the world are popularly implementing hybrid work and this will remain to become a new norm.

What is Hybrid work? 

Hybrid work is an approach that takes into account the individual’s needs, whether they’re at home or at the office. Our platform enables people to work from any location, and move between sites as needed. 

Many organizations see hybrid work as the evolution of remote working, allowing employers to better integrate remote working into overall business processes while providing comparable work experience for remote workers. 

As Australia plans for the post-COVID19 era, a renewed focus has been placed on the future of work. Moreover, Australia had an above-average level of working from home in 2020 (47%).  (Tesltra) 

Hybrid work trends in Australia 

Before Covid 19 started, 57% of workers preferred the traditional way of working – working in an office. During the epidemic, since workers were not able to return to the office, 35.4% of workers said that they became accustomed to working from home.

Today, a survey reported that 37.8% of workers prefer to work flexibly to achieve a balance between life and work. (Swinburne University of Technology Report) 

Hybrid working in an Australian state or territory 

A report by Telstra finds that businesses adopting a hybrid model are 28% more likely to deliver new and innovative products or services to the market. 

Also, some factors cause the Australian state or territory’s adoption of hybrid working, such as the company policies or recommendations of the Government. 

The Government lockdowns in Victoria likely drove the state’s high adoption rate. During COVID-19, the biggest increases in hybrid working have occurred in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Victoria, and New South Wales (NSW). (Telstra) 

The potential economic impact of hybrid work in Australia 

Hybrid working reduces long-entrenched barriers to employees, such as the problem of the distance between the workplace and home, long work hours, and high travel expenses.  

By estimation, hybrid work can attract 53,500 extra people to enter the labor force in the future, and then the workforce has the potential to deliver significant economic benefits to Australia, increasing national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $18.3 billion and creating additional 42,500 full-time jobs by 2030-31. (Telstra) 

Flexible work can retain talents 

Talent is an important resource for companies. During the epidemic, the epidemic of remote work has caused a high global brain drain.

43% of Australian knowledge workers said they would consider leaving an employer that does not offer flexible working for one that does, rising to 46% in Sydney and Melbourne. (Swinburne University of Technology Report)

Australia’s Gen Z is the main workforce 

In Australia, Gen Z workers prefer flexible working (46%) twice as much as Baby Boomers (23%). There are around three-fifths of the knowledge workforce made up of Millennials and Gen Z workers, therefore generational change will lock in a flexible working future to their needs. 

(Swinburne University of Technology Report)

The needs of Australia’s Gen Z 

According to Gen Z workers, the leading reasons they want to return to the office are to avoid distractions at home (e.g., roommates), for their mental health and well-being and to maintain relationships with colleagues, and to feel included. They would prefer to work in the office for 3 days each week.

In the other working time (around 2 days), they would like to work remotely. (Swinburne University of Technology Report) 

The impact of implementing hybrid working on Australia Businesses 

Hybrid Working Impact on Quality 

Since implementing hybrid working, the quality of work has improved and impacted the following industries: (Telstra) 

• 66% of businesses are in technology and media; 
• 63% in banking, finance, and insurance; and 
•  29% in retail. 

Hybrid Working Impact on Creativity 

52% of businesses in mining, energy, and resources and 50% in technology have increased creativity since implementing hybrid working. The reasons are the following like these: 

1. Hybrid working increases the opportunities to collaborate, co-design, and engage in cross-functional teaming. (Telstra) 

2. Hybrid working can lead to greater team diversity, work styles, ways of collaborating and generating ideas –all of which can drive creativity. (Telstra) 

Trade-off for Businesses not offering remote work and hybrid work

If the employers do not offer flexible working to the employees, most of the workers expect a pay rise as their leading trade-off.

Another top two and three reasons for respondents are they want more leave or time off and better job security.  

In the survey, 13% of respondents said flexible working is non-negotiable, and that could make many employees a flight risk in search of roles that are flexible.

Only 15% of workers said they didn’t need to convince them to stay.

(Swinburne University of Technology Report) 

Reasons why Australians choose against work in the office  

The costs of the commute are the top reason why Australians don’t want to work in the office. 

However, the main issue is they don’t want to lose the flexible working hours which are the common factor of second and third reasons. Loss of flexibility at work could not protect their work-life balance.

(Swinburne University of Technology Report) 

Reasons why Australians choose to work at office/client location

The top reason many workers want to work in the office is they think that the office is better to set up for work.

For example, some department workers need to have face-to-face meetings with the clients, therefore they need meeting rooms to serve the clients. The top second and third reasons are collaboration in person and relationships with colleagues.

These three top reasons show that the goal of working in the office is for employees to want to connect with others. (Swinburne University of Technology Report) 

What would you need to work in the hybrid office?  

ONES is one of the famous all-in-one smart office systems that can help you to easily implement hybrid working at ease. You can easily perform virtual meetings, desk-hoteling, and digital office management with our Room Booking, Desk Booking, and Visitor Management features.    

You can also explore our leaflet to understand more of our features: https://ones.software/assets/booking/main/2022_ONES_leaflet_v1.pdf   

Contact us: hello@ones.software, or visit ONES Software official website for more information: https://ones.software/.   

The post 10+ Hybrid Work Trends to Watch in Australia first appeared on ONEs Blog.