No matter where your company is along its journey to find the best balance of remote, hybrid, flexible, and in-office work models, a big part of the solution is implementing the right technology. From visitor management and wayfinding to space planning, you need the worktech that empowers your workforce while giving leadership the insights they need to properly plan.
So, how do you find workplace software that not only checks all the boxes but exceeds expectations? By putting yourself in other people’s shoes, you can take big steps toward success.
What do HR and experience leaders need from workplace software?
Whether they call themselves chief people officers, workplace experience leaders, or HR directors, they’re the people responsible for attracting and keeping top talent.
And it’s not easy. Heads of HR are under a lot of pressure to ensure worktech works for everyone, and that’s a real challenge with a workforce that’s much more spread out. The answer is workplace software that helps them manage the entire employee experience, including onboarding, talent development, and employee engagement.
But many of the benefits and amenities that supported the workplace experience, like conference room displays, were tied directly to physical places. Leaders now must reimagine what that experience looks like remotely or on only some of the days of the workweek.
Both HR professionals and workplace experience leaders need software solutions that:
- Allow employees to be more self-sufficient when it comes to accessing benefits, amenities, workspaces, and technology
- Tracks what employees are using
- Make internal communications easier
Remember that many people are coming back to the office because they miss the opportunities to connect and collaborate, they can only get in person. When they’re deep into researching or writing a report, a quiet space is all they need. But for a brainstorming session on next quarter’s projects, there are a lot of benefits to being in the same room. It’s the same for keeping up with personal connections. Something as simple as sharing lunch with coworkers can play an important role in teambuilding.
Make sure to look for workplace software, such as office wayfinding, that integrates with employee directories. It should also include a mobile app your workforce can use to reserve rooms or desks from the moment they download it. You want a set of features that make it easy for coworkers to connect, including booking side-by-side desks or larger spaces.
What do facility managers need from workplace software?
Like everyone else, your facility managers have also become experts at pivoting.
Whether they oversee a single building or a complete real estate portfolio, they’ve had to adjust align your office space with new work models.
On top of meeting immediate needs, they’re also trying to forecast future space requirements. As organizations and employees settle into new work routines, facility managers and corporate real estate leaders need to fine-tune everything from floor plans to lease agreements. They need the right amount of floor space, and then need to arrange everything inside that space to maximize productivity.
Being right is just as important as being fast. At the end of the day, we can’t make the right changes without understanding where we’re coming from or where we’re going.
That means facility managers need a workplace management solution that:
- Gives them real-time insights into how employees use your space
- Offers robust reporting on metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Provides recommendations for maximizing space utilization
Look for solutions that integrate with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, which offer real-time data on how your workforce is using available space. Simplifying room and desk booking is essential. And if your company is managing more than a single office or you’re growing fast, you also need workplace software that helps you visualize and manage many spaces simultaneously, create and test floor plans, and manage seat assignments. Move management is also important, especially when working with multiple spaces. The process is often stressful enough for employees, so anything you can do to streamline and simplify the steps, the better.
What does your information technology (IT) team need from workplace software?
Technology should make life easier, not more complicated. It shouldn’t add more work for your team.
Any new solutions you implement needs to fit into your overall business strategy, your infrastructure, and your existing technology stack. The workplace software you choose should:
- Be 100% cloud-based, so it’s accessible from anywhere
- Include regular updates and maintenance
- Have enterprise-level data security
Look for solutions that are easy to implement and integrate with your existing calendar apps, digital signage, and other technology you already have.
What do your employees need from workplace software?
For employees, the last few years have included an ongoing process of finding what works best for them. For some, that means going fully remote. Many others want to create a balance through a hybrid work model. There are others who do their best work away from the distractions of the home.
The increase in flexibility requires an increase in predictability. When an employee arrives for an onsite day, they need to trust that there will be a desk for them to use. You can’t run an office with “rush seating.” When the team comes in for the weekly meeting, every member should already know which boardroom they’re going to be in, and they need to be confident that it will be empty and ready for them.
To maximize user adoption, look for solutions that:
- Have an intuitive user interface
- Are mobile for reservations and wayfinding
- Use a single platform for multiple purposes to reduce “app overload”
- Improve collaboration by making it easy to reserve rooms or book desks on demand
The software you choose should be as simple and streamlined as the apps your employees already have on their smartphones. If you think about the most popular apps, they all make life easier and they’re all easy to use. None of them come with complex user manuals. They’re intuitive, with access to the various functions right where people already expect them to be.
By Jonathan Davis
Jonathan writes about asset management, maintenance software, and SaaS solutions in his role as a digital content creator at Eptura. He covers trends across industries, including fleet, manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality, with a focus on delivering thought leadership with actionable insights. Earlier in his career, he wrote textbooks, edited NPC dialogue for video games, and taught English as a foreign language. He holds a master's degree in journalism.
