The workplace is changing. With the rise of remote work, hybrid schedules, and shift work, COVID-19 has changed the way office spaces are used, and a new, dynamic workplace is emerging for the future.
But what exactly is the dynamic workplace?
A dynamic workplace is a space that can easily be reconfigured to meet the company’s needs, accomplished by using furniture, collaborative spaces, and technology. It is meant to follow an employee’s needs, as reflected in the state of the world.
Flexibility and productivity are top-of-mind in the dynamic workplace, as this model is meant to accommodate specific precautions and requirements to enhance the overall employee experience. The dynamic workplace also provides the technology to work remotely and interact with the workplace in different ways.
Let’s take a look at three elements of why your company should embrace the dynamic workplace, as well as the different techniques that can be implemented to leverage the full dynamic workplace experience:
Flexibility
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more employees have been working remotely. This is where the flexibility of the dynamic office environment can be appreciated. Providing a flexible in-office work environment with the added option of working remotely demonstrates a model that is expected to remain long after a vaccine has been developed.
While open office layouts have been in use for decades, they were built to intend that employees would be ever-present in the office to use them. Providing a variety of different workspaces within an open office has become commonplace in activity-based workspaces. However, while open offices and activity-based workspaces provide flexibility, they still assume that employees must be working from the office and not remotely. The dynamic workplace embraces remote work with the theory that employees should work from wherever they are most comfortable and productive.
With more employees working from various locations, it’s important to know where everyone is, and how much occupancy any given workplace can withstand at one time. Companies can track where employees are working from using desk booking and room booking software. OfficeSpace makes it easy for teams to book desks in the office before leaving home, letting employees see which desks are available in the office and allowing them to reserve one on the fly.
Not only does this give employees the peace of mind of knowing they have a desk to work at once they arrive at the office, but it also provides the information to the company, so that all employees can be accounted for. Additionally, tools like room and desk booking make managing occupancy and cleaning much easier for facilities management teams.
Productivity
With increased flexibility, comes increased productivity. This is one of the biggest benefits of giving employees control over how they work.
The dynamic workplace provides employees with a way to work on their own terms, whether remote, in the office or a hybrid of both, including shift work. If someone is more productive in their own home than in the office, they have the opportunity to to do their work from where they wish.
Connective technology goes hand-in-hand with productivity. If employees are working remotely, they must be fully connected to their team and resources. Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google provide collaborative ways to connect from anywhere. In contrast, a tool like OfficeSpace’s Visual Directory® gives both managers and employees access to a building’s floor plan in real-time.
With tools that allow a bird’s eye view of the office space, there’s never a question about what desks are available; if employees are placed too close together, or where the nearest hand sanitiser station is located. This allows employees to focus on their work instead of worrying about where they’ll sit or how they’ll share resources.
Because a dynamic workplace involves technology designed to stay connected, productivity soars when an employee is both working from where they’re most productive and being connected to everyone and everything they need to do their job.
Safety
It is essential, especially through the pandemic, that employees are healthy and safe, both at home and at the workplace. One of the main elements of the dynamic workplace is the health and safety of all employees.
By providing a dynamic workplace, employers can mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus, keeping the office as safe as possible. Employees can work from home if they feel that they may have been exposed to the virus or have potentially contracted the disease but are asymptomatic. This helps keep all employees safe.
Integrating technology into the dynamic workplace, like OfficeSpace’s Distancing Planner and Safeguard tools, can provide an even safer environment. Distancing Planner helps to ensure that employees maintain physical distancing in the office. At the same time, Safeguard provides a COVID-19 symptom screening tool that asks employees to answer their current health and/or potential symptoms before entering the office.
The evolving dynamic workplace
As both technology and the continuing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to change, so does the dynamic workplace. Companies must provide a flexible workplace that enables employees to feel safe, connect with their work and colleagues, and maintain or increase their productivity.
As the dynamic workplace evolves alongside technology, companies need to be forward-thinking and consider all elements when planning for their space’s future.
Originally published Feb 02, 2021, updated Jan 16, 2023
