Mid-market companies are essential drivers of economic growth, attributing nearly one-third of the US and UK’s private sectors. Yet, they often get lost in the shuffle as the focus is mainly on small startup companies and multinational enterprise companies — especially when it comes to technology.
According to Harvest Business Review, mid-market organizations are 25% more likely to lack a digital adoption plan than small or enterprise businesses — and admit to having below-average technology capabilities.
Why?
Often, the mid-market views technology as a nice-to-have rather than a must-have. But times have changed, and in today’s economic environment, upgraded technology is a need. Businesses that don’t optimize their workplace and resources struggle to keep up.
Learn how innovative workplace solutions can help mid-market companies use data-driven decisions to propel their business forward.
Digital solutions help the mid-market oversee workplace operations
It’s no surprise that the workplace has changed in the last few years — and, with that, the economy. Mid-market companies can no longer afford not to have eyes and ears everywhere. The pandemic served as an accelerator for a number of initiatives in mid-market business, particularly digital transformation.
In 2023, over 69% of mid-market firms have employees working outside the office part of the workweek. Hybrid work is prominent, and its effect on business is unavoidable.
Mid-market companies generally have one office and 500-2000 employees. While workplace management wasn’t always a priority, it is now. Workplace technology can help with today’s demands — such as hybrid work — through floorplan mapping, office moves, and space reservations.
Digital solutions oversee workplace operations in the following three ways:
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Import and synchronize floorplans
Challenge: “I need a solution to optimize space usage and provide the ideal workplace for employees while also taking advantage of cost savings.”
The global pandemic created a seismic shift in commercial real estate, not only for large corporations. While many companies are retiring their remote work models post-pandemic, they are implementing and maintaining the hybrid work model. Hybrid work still requires companies to have office space, but it also requires leaders to get smarter about their space usage.
Many mid-size organizations have only one office, so they often overlook the benefits of a digital floorplan. As a result, they miss out on cost savings. In 2023 and forward, here are the questions the mid-market needs to ask:
- Are we still utilizing our entire office footprint?
- How can we use the office space we have more efficiently?
- Should we renovate our current office or relocate?
A digital floorplan displays a visual layout of the building, showing the status and room details of each workstation or meeting room — which helps the company understand and make the most of its space usage.
Space planning technology assists companies reconfigure spatial arrangements with a simple drag-and-drop. Combining space planning with space performance and utilization data empowers businesses to align their floorplans with workplace needs.
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Coordinate simple office moves
Challenge: “I want to be able to better plan for future moves and provide an employee experience where employees can work efficiently in an unfamiliar space.”
Initially, when the pandemic lockdowns caused employees to work remotely, it looked like there was no going back. However, as time passed, workers began experiencing adverse effects from the isolation. Instead, the hybrid model became more popular than fully remote work.
So, how does hybrid work impact mid-market companies? It may require relocating to downsize the office footprint while providing a new and improved employee workplace experience. While office moves often feel disruptive and complex, they don’t have to be; they can be smooth and error-free with the right technology.
Workplace digital solutions help companies visualize and plan for efficient space allocation. For example, with space planning, they can visualize and plan where to place desks, meeting rooms, and equipment to best suit employee and business needs. Additionally, software-based move management facilitates an approval workflow to help coordinate aspects of the move, such as scheduling movers, assigning tasks to the appropriate staff, and ensuring necessary resources are allocated.
By optimizing space utilization, mid-market businesses simultaneously accommodate growth, new teams, and changing work demands without needing additional real estate. All are equally vital to keep a competitive edge in today’s market.
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Enable space reservations
Challenge: “I need an easy way for employees to reserve desks and meeting spaces that are appropriate for their needs without overlap.”
If companies want to avoid confusion, the hybrid office requires space and desk booking technology. With the mid-market adapting to new workplace demands, employees will more than likely return to a different office than they left — whether the office was renovated or relocated.
Hybrid models no longer provide employees with an assigned desk since they split their time between remote and in-person work. Desk booking software allows workers to reserve workstations and meeting spaces in the office building. They can access various options, from a simple search to a filtered floor plan and list views — enabling everyone to quickly tap to determine if a room or desk is occupied, reserved, or available.
Providing a great employee experience is vital to company culture, and a solid company culture can give mid-market businesses the edge they need to find and retain top talent. Space reservations help employees stay connected and engaged while avoiding unnecessary workplace conflict.
Each employee’s needs are different, and the type of workspace they want may change weekly. Space reservation software helps the hybrid model run as smoothly as possible for both businesses and workers
Digital workplace solutions to improve your business
Get your workplace up and running with space reservations, floorplan mapping, and workspace management with Eptura Workplace Core.
Built with the needs of small and medium-sized businesses in mind, Eptura’s Core offering is scalable and tailored to grow in tandem with your business.
Key features include:
- Oversee the daily operations of your single-location workplace
- Import and synchronize floorplans
- Enable space reservations with mobile employee app
- Coordinate simple office moves
- Manage office service requests
- Add on integrated visitor management to simplify check-ins
Learn more or request a demo today.
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 hold a master's degree in journalism.
