In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the benefits of ABW and provide some tips on how to create an environment that works for your company. We’ll also introduce ONES, an all-in-one smart office system that can help you implement and manage your ABW environment.

Understanding Activity-Based Working

Activity-based working is a work philosophy that focuses on the idea that employees should be free to work wherever and however they choose, depending on the task at hand.

Activity-based working environments are becoming increasingly popular among businesses of all sizes. This approach to work is centered around the idea that employees should have a choice in where and how they work.

Rather than being assigned to a specific desk or workspace, workers are given the flexibility to move around and work from a variety of spaces. This can include open-plan areas, private offices, collaborative spaces, and more.

Multinational companies like Microsoft, PwC, and Cisco have embraced activity-based working environments. These companies recognize the benefits of providing employees with a variety of workspaces to choose from, as it can increase creativity and productivity.

1. Microsoft

According to an article published on Microsoft’s website, the company has been using activity-based working since the 1990s. The approach is designed to encourage more collaboration and flexibility in the workplace, with employees able to choose the type of space that best suits their needs.

Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, has implemented an activity-based working environment, with spaces designated for different tasks such as quiet work, group work, and brainstorming. Employees can choose where to work based on their current tasks and preferences, and the office design is intended to foster creativity and innovation.

Microsoft has found the activity-based working approach to be beneficial in several ways, including increased productivity, improved collaboration, and better use of space. The company has also found that employees are more engaged and satisfied with their work, which has helped with retention and recruitment efforts.

2. PwC

PwC is another multinational company that has adopted activity-based working. The company has implemented this approach in its new Sydney office, which was designed to create a more collaborative and flexible work environment.

The office has a variety of workspaces, including open workstations, private offices, and meeting rooms. Each employee has access to a mobile device that allows them to reserve a workspace or a conference room.

The main goal of this approach is to give employees the freedom to choose where and how they work. By doing so, PwC has found that it can create a more engaging and productive work environment. Employees are able to work in spaces that are designed to meet their specific needs, which can lead to better work outcomes.

PwC has also found that this approach can improve employee satisfaction and retention rates, as employees appreciate the flexibility and autonomy that activity-based working provides.

How ONES Can Help?

Overall, both Microsoft and PwC have implemented activity-based working in their offices to create more flexible, collaborative, and engaging work environments. This approach allows employees to choose where they work and who they work with, which can lead to better work outcomes and new ideas.

However, implementing an ABW can be a challenge for many other organizations, as it requires significant changes to the physical layout of the workspace. This is where ONES comes in.

ONES is an all-in-one smart office system that makes it easy to implement an ABW. The system is designed to help businesses optimize their workspace, making it easier for employees to find available spaces and work more efficiently.

With ONES, you can monitor room usage and desk occupancy in real-time, and make data-driven decisions to improve your office layout.

One of the biggest benefits of ONES is its ability to improve collaboration among employees. With the system’s smart scheduling capabilities, employees can easily book conference rooms, huddle spaces, and other collaborative workspaces. This makes it easier for teams to work together and share ideas, which can lead to increased creativity and productivity.

Another benefit of ONES is its ability to provide employees with a more personalized work experience. With the system’s desk booking feature, employees can easily find and book a desk that meets their specific needs.

This can include desks that are closer to windows, located in a quieter area of the office, or equipped with special features like ergonomic chairs or adjustable desks.

ONES is also designed to help businesses save money on their office space. By monitoring room usage and desk occupancy, businesses can identify areas that are being underutilized and adjust their space accordingly.

This can lead to significant cost savings over time, as businesses can avoid the expense of leasing more space than they actually need.

Upgrade your activity-based workplace with ONES today

In conclusion, ONES is the perfect solution for businesses looking to implement an activity-based working environment. The system is designed to help businesses optimize their workspace, increase collaboration among employees, provide a more personalized work experience, and save money on office space.

With ONES, businesses can enjoy the benefits of an ABW without the hassle of managing the implementation themselves.

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

The post How to Create an Activity-Based Working Environment That Works for Your Company? first appeared on ONEs Blog.

However, forcing employees to return to the office is not a wise option as requiring the employees, who are accustomed to working flexibly, to return to the office can only have a negative effect, and even lead to talent loss.

The best approach is to adopt an incentive-based policy that provides an incentive to attract employees returning to the office. You also need to know that your workplace is ready to welcome them back.  

Incentives to Encourage Return to Your Office  

Workspace renovation – Redesign your office into a dynamic and comfortable workspace.  

Commuter benefits – Provide your employees with travel allowances, and even free shuttle buses.  

Free meals – Some companies offer complimentary snacks and lunches to employees.

Health and wellness facilities – Provide a gym in the workplace or a spiritual retreat room with a focus on wellness.  

Hybrid work schedules – Allows your employees to work remotely sometimes and provide personalized work hours for each staff. 

Workplace concerns you need to know

In addition to implementing the above motivational measures, you also need to be aware of the problems your employees encounter when working remotely so that you don’t repeat the mistakes in your workplace.  

We’ve collected some data and made some analysis to support your decision to return to work. 

Workspace management 

When employees return to their workplace and find too many empty workspaces, they feel empty and sparse. 

Therefore, you need to optimize your office space, most importantly by centralizing work areas and rebuilding spaces for teamwork. This will help attract employees back to the office. Some data shows that centralized work areas make employees happier, and their attendance steadily improves. 

Microsoft’s report found that 85% of employees enter the office because they are motivated by a renewed team bond, so when rebuilding your workspace, you need to pay attention to a clear division of work areas. 

Facilitate communication everywhere

Another thing employees crave is the ability to talk face-to-face. The epidemic causes employees to work alone for long periods of time, making them mental fatigue which can affect the quality of their work. Face-to-face conversations can provide immediate feedback and make work run more smoothly. 

Microsoft reports that employees will visit the office more often if they know their immediate team member will be there (73%) or their work friend is there (74%).

Communicating with supervisors in a relaxed space makes for a more casual work atmosphere and brings both parties closer together more easily, which helps build a good work culture.

Some companies create their offices as friendly and casual environments and also provide equipment that is conducive to work. 

Appropriate Work Flexibility 

Employees like to work from home because working remotely has high flexibility. So, when they work in the workplace, it is important for you to provide a flexible work style in your workplace.

One simple thing is to provide them with flexible office facilities, such as a hot desk, so that they can change their work location in anytime and feel as relaxed as if they were working at home. This policy can relieve employees’ anxiety and will not highly refuse to return to the workplace. 

Reports indicate that more than 80% of managers expect to adopt more flexible work principles in the post-epidemic era to support employees to work from home and encourage them to return to the office. 

Systematic work devices 

Nowadays, hybrid workplaces are implementing different collaboration tools or management systems to improve employee productivity. For example, Microsoft Teams is a great collaboration tool that allows employees to have real-time conversations and store their work progress in the company’s cloud-based system.

Then, workers can keep track of their remote work progress when they go back to the office. A report shows 70% of companies are using collaboration tools and are seeing significant improvements in team performance. 

Moreover, workers expect their workplace to provide them with a well-connected network. In an internal study of Microsoft employees, 59% of interviewers said they had to use their phones as hotspots to avoid disconnections.

Thus, you must provide employees with a good network system to attract them back to the office. 

What setup can support your hybrid office?  

A hybrid office should use a functional office management system, which helps Singapore employees use office resources efficiently, such as rooms, desks, and office equipment, and support them to have remote work and virtual meetings with their colleagues in the office.       

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

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

The post 4 Tips that support your return-to-office policy in 2023 first appeared on ONEs Blog.

Many Indonesian companies have developed appropriate work guidelines for each employee to implement hybrid work. This is because entrepreneurs believe that a hybrid approach to work can have many positive effects on employee performance and well-being.  

This article will show what business leaders must recognize how, when, and where we work are no longer constrained by traditional notions of time and space in this new hybrid working era. 

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. 

In addition, the Indonesian government may further implement a “work anywhere” (WFA) policy for its employees to support hybrid work. 

What is Work From Anywhere (WFA)?  

The Indonesian government is planning to implement a more flexible work system for civil servants, allowing them to work anywhere in the future, the new approach is named as Work From Anywhere (WFA). 

WFA is not required employees to work in a specific location, such as a home or office, and they don’t have mandatory office hours. This means that employees have flexible work locations and flexible working hours. 

Work From Anywhere in Indonesia

Ministries and government agencies are developing new frameworks to accommodate this new policy. Although the program is still in its preliminary stages and the Indonesian public authorities have not yet announced whether they will allow employees to work outside of the country, there still most employees prefer hybrid work. 

However, there are some jobs that are not suitable for hybrid work, for example, medical staff or firefighters as they cannot be able to work anywhere.

The application of WFA was intended to increase the effectiveness of ASN performance and provide efficiency to government bureaucracy…The important thing is that performance and targets are achieved,

Satya Pratama, the Head of the Legal, Public Relations, and Cooperation Bureau of the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry.

Hybrid work is preferred across ASEAN markets

The Cisco study highlighted that hybrid work is now preferred by many employees across ASEAN markets:

• Indonesia – 84%
• Singapore – 71%
• Malaysia – 74%
• Vietnam – 76%
• Thailand – 69%
• The Philippines – 60%

The support for hybrid work extends beyond employees as well — with 90% of employees saying their employers have been supportive of hybrid working. In particular, 46% said their employers have been supportive, while 44% said their employers have been very supportive.

(Cisco)

Why do Indonesians prefer hybrid work? 

Microsoft’s report, “Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work ” shows that as many as 48 percent of employees in Indonesia say they prefer to prioritize health and well-being over work.  

As hybrid work allows the employees to work everywhere and work in a flexible work period, this gives them more flexibility to make them balance life and work.  

Why should take care of Indonesian employees’ needs?  

Wahjudi Purnama, Modern Work & Security Business Group Lead of Microsoft Indonesia, pointed out that the challenge for every organization is to be able to meet the expectations of its employees, otherwise, 66% of workers in Indonesia would quit their jobs and more likely to consider switching to remote or hybrid work systems. 

Hybrid work improves employees’ performance 

According to the Cisco report, hybrid work has been able to improve the quality of work of employees in Indonesia by up to 56.4%, and employee productivity also increased by 53.4%. 

Furthermore, the hybrid work method increases the knowledge and work skills of employees by 58.7%. Meanwhile, employee relations and attitudes at work increased 46.8% with the hybrid work method. 

Hybrid work improves employees’ welfare

In the Microsoft study, 62.5% of respondents admitted that adopting a hybrid work approach had improved their well-being. 

More importantly, as many as 87% of respondents are able to save money by working with a hybrid work style because they do not have to go back to the office as often. Even 92% of respondents admit that the hybrid work approach has allowed them to spend more time with their families, improving their relationships with them. 

Then, 85 percent of respondents said the hybrid approach made them happier and motivated them to take on their work roles. There are 64% of respondents felt that the hybrid work approach had a positive impact on their physical health. 

Why employers would like to implement hybrid work? 

Satya Pratama, head of public relations at the Indonesian National Civil Service Agency, says the flexible working program is designed to improve performance and job satisfaction.  

In fact, at least a dozen companies in Indonesia, mainly start-ups, have already adopted at least part of this WFA approach. They all report that hybrid work has many benefits for them. 

Increases the production growth rate of companies   

A survey from the famous consulting firm Accenture found that 83% of workers in Indonesia prefer a hybrid model for work. It also found that over 67% of companies have high business growth after switching to a work-from-anywhere model.  

Meanwhile, the majority of companies remain focused on where people are going to work physically, and they are ‘no-growth’ in their businesses.  

Reduce business operating costs 

Some data suggests that only about 48.9% of startups will survive in 2021. According to data published by the Indonesian Venture Capital Association (Amvesindo) on the IDX channel, up to 10-15% of startups may also face closure due to a lack of competition. 

The Co-Office is a shared office that supports WFA and offers a variety of flexible working facilities (such as desk rotation), lounge areas, and silent cubicles, in addition to any traditional office.

The use of rotating desks reduces the cost of purchasing fixed desks and reduces the need for startups and SMEs to have huge space requirements and pay high rents. 

Increase employees’ emotional and mental well-being 

Based on Cisco’s report, 60.8% say hybrid working makes their stress levels have decreased because a hybrid workplace provides a work environment less pressurized (26.5%) and greater flexibility (25.7%) to them. 

If employees work happier, this can help them to more engage with their work, and then the quality of work would be increased. Moreover, they would not like to resign from their jobs. So, hybrid work also helps companies to retain talent. 

That’s why entrepreneurs believe that a hybrid approach to work can have many positive effects on employee performance and well-being.   

Who has implemented hybrid work in Indonesia? 

Just in Jakarta, there are already 3,964 companies have implemented the WFH policy. Here are some examples of these companies: 

Amar Bank: It is one of the companies that can be said to be the first of companies in implementing WFA. They have a complete hybrid work system to improve the quality of work and employee welfare. 

Blibli: It is a well-known Indonesian e-commerce company that focuses on building good business ecosystems for consumers and organizations. They noticed an increase in productivity after most of their employees worked from home.   

Efishery: It is a company engaged in aquaculture, and they found that hybrid work actually increased the company’s productivity. Therefore, they decided to go to WFA forever.   

Microsoft Indonesia: They have developed different flexible working arrangements for their employees, such as offering virtual meditation sessions and set break time after meetings, to ensure that employees can continue to provide high productivity. 

More companies support hybrid work:10 companies that implemented hybrid working in Indonesia – ONEs Blog 

Challenges to implementing hybrid work 

Currently rebuilding social capital also looks different in the hybrid world. Wahjudi noted that as many as 49% of Indonesian leaders say that relationship building is the biggest challenge in the hybrid work era. 

Furthermore, Microsoft’s survey also found that corporate leaders need to make the office feel worth commuting. Because, as many as 41 percent of hybrid employees in Indonesia said their biggest challenge was knowing when and why they had to come to the office. 

On the other hand, only 40 percent of leaders have made a team agreement to define these new norms. 

Some companies still not prepared for hybrid work due to misunderstanding

Based on Cisco’s survey, only 25% of employees feel their employer is ‘very prepared’ for a hybrid working future. 

Actually, nearly 72% believe their manager trusts them to be productive when working remotely and over 60% believe their colleagues can be trusted to work remotely. 

General hybrid working data 

Opinions for networking Infrastructure  

67% say suffering connectivity issues on a regular basis is career-limiting for remote workers. 

72.1% say their company currently has the right networking infrastructure. 

93.2% say networking Infrastructure is essential for seamless working-from-home experiences. 

(Cisco) 

Opinions for cybersecurity  

85.9% feel cybersecurity is critical for making hybrid working safe. 

72.5% think business leaders are familiar with the cyber risks of hybrid work. 

69.3% believe their organization currently has the right capabilities and protocols in place. 

65.9% think employees in their company understand the cyber risk. 

(Cisco) 

Less commuting expenses and allowances 

86.5% of employees say they saved money in the past 12 months; the average is US$112 a week / US$5,824 a year.

In the same meaning, hybrid work helps their average income increase by 13.3%. Therefore, employers can save lots of travel allowances for their staff. 

(Cisco) 

Employees prefer to work virtually 

In Indonesia, 62% of employees are willing to use digital immersive spaces for meetings, up from 52% globally. 

Leaders consider redesigning their workplace 

54% of leaders are currently redesigning meeting spaces for hybrid work, or plan to in the year ahead.  

 (Microsoft) 

Hybrid work helps to build a new meeting etiquette 

Despite 43% of remote employees and 44% of hybrid employees saying they do not feel included in meetings, just 27% of organizations have established new hybrid work meeting etiquette. 

(Microsoft) 

Gen Z and Millennials seeking for flexible work 

53% of Gen Z and Millennials in Indonesia are likely to consider changing jobs if cannot work flexibly this year. 

(Microsoft) 

Directors are planning to change the work style of their companies 

60 percent of leaders in Indonesia say their companies plan to return to full office work next year, higher than the global figure of 50 percent.

However, 66 percent of workers in Indonesia are more likely to consider switching to remote or hybrid work.

More information for hybrid working 

Stanford economist explains why need hybrid work: Stanford economist tells what can be learned from the winners of hybrid plans – ONEs Blog 

How to optimize your hybrid workplace for 2023: Optimize your hybrid workplace for 2023 – ONEs Blog 

What equipment do hybrid workers need in 2023?: What equipment do hybrid workers need in 2023? – ONEs Blog 

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.     

Feel free to contact us for more detail to implement your hybrid office!  

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

The post Hybrid work trends in Indonesia a business leader needs to know in 2023 and onward  first appeared on ONEs Blog.