employee engagement

Why is employee experience important?

Consider buying a new car. It’s an experience that’s notoriously frustrating — one most people dread. They hate pestering salespeople, haggling over price and interest rates, and signing dozens of documents. By the time they drive off the lot, most people are too exhausted to enjoy their purchase. The overall experience was simply draining. It’s the same concept for an employee’s experience in the workplace.

Unlike the experience of buying a car, you want employees to feel good coming to work! Many employees today work hybrid, and it’s your job to ensure they enjoy coming to the office as much as they enjoy remote work. They shouldn’t dread walking up to the building or feeling tension when sitting at a desk. Employees should leave feeling fulfilled at the end of the day. Research shows a good employee experience can improve the productivity, comfort, and cohesiveness of an excellent workplace experience.

What is employee experience?

Employee experience is a self-explanatory term. It’s how your employees feel about their employment. Only recently has employee experience become quantified as the sum of culture, technology, and workplace — though it’s most often correlated with the workplace since that’s where all these variables come together.

In a genuine sense, employee experience is about making employees excited, proud, happy, and confident in their work. Companies capable of doing this create a positive employee experience; companies that fall short may deliver a negative or unexciting experience to workers, leading to employee burnout. It’s an outcome dictated mainly by the willingness and ability to meet and exceed employee needs, expectations, and standards.

Every company wants happy employees but employee experience goes far beyond making people happy. It’s about attaining the benefits of happy, engaged, and productive employees. Here are 10 reasons employee experience is important and why it pays to create a positive one:

Attract and retain talent. Skilled employees want to work in a place that embraces and supports them. From the interview to the onboarding process through all stages of the employee, a good experience provides top talent with a sense of purpose and work-life balance.
Create camaraderie. A company’s workforce needs to function as a team. Bad employee experience can push people apart; good, shared experiences bring them together.
Enable work support. A good experience empowers employees to try their best. This way, employees feel confident about their work and less afraid of failure if their workplace projects an air of support.
Improve engagement. Employees with a positive view of their workplace enjoy a certain level of excitement about their job. They’re attentive, engaged, and ready to do their best.
Foster collaboration. Given a positive experience collaborating with their peers, employees won’t be afraid to ask for help, provide guidance, or work together—especially in an environment that supports them.
Inspire creativity. The ability to think clearly and creatively benefits businesses and employees alike. That creativity fosters innovation, which leads to growth.
Prioritize well-being. If a workplace weighs heavily on an employee, they’ll suffer at work and home. Promoting a positive employee experience encourages higher engagement, which can improve mental health.
Feed the bottom line. An excellent employee experience boosts the bottom line through everything from better efficiency to a higher caliber of work done. Happy employees drive revenue growth.
Bolster company image. People talk. When the topic of work arises and employees say only good things, that word of mouth becomes part of the company’s ethos, and perception is often reality.
Grow professionally. Employees who feel good about where they work grow in their professional endeavors. They do more, learn more, and feel comfortable taking on responsibility.

Remember, these benefits are contingent on a positive experience and can be erased by a negative one. Let’s return to the car analogy from above. If you have a wonderful experience at the dealership, you might be more willing to recommend them to a friend or pay a little extra for features you might not have otherwise.

A bad experience may make you leave the lot without even buying a car! From the moment of arrival to the moment of departure, experience means everything — especially to attract and retain top talent.

Reap the benefits of a positive employee experience

At the end of the workday, positive employee experiences directly correlate to business success. Employees who feel welcomed, accommodated, and empowered bring that positive energy to their work, the interactions they share, and the company culture. These factors contribute to a business’s bottom line and competitive advantage.

Pay close attention to employee experience in the workplace. Do they show up and leave in a good mood? Can they work efficiently and productively? Do they immerse themselves in the workplace? Look for the hallmarks of a good experience and address facets of the workplace where friction, tension, and other negative sentiments are an opportunity to improve the employee experience.

Keep in mind people will never be happy all the time. But an employee’s workplace experience should never be the reason why they’re unhappy. If it is, it’s time to reshape your workplace and employee experience.

Alternative workplaces: Then versus now

In 1998, the Harvard Business Review published a futuristic article, The Alternative Workplace: Changing Where and How People Work. While it was a new and exciting concept back then, in 2023, it isn’t too groundbreaking. If anything, it’s the new normal.

It describes remote work and a growing detachment from the traditional workplace. That said, it’s a prophetic-sounding piece from more than 20 years ago that predicted the alternative workplace we’re seeing today.

Indeed, we have moved from an era in which people actively seek connections with one another to an era in which people decide when and where to disconnect — electronically and socially. Current organizations pursuing alternative workplace initiatives — particularly those with home office arrangements — must be mindful of that paradox.

The rise of the alternative workplace has been a long time coming, as evidenced by the above passage. The global pandemic was just the latest catalyst driving alternative solutions into the spotlight. Today, alternative workplace strategies have taken center stage and are fulfilling the vision first adopted in 1998.

Alternative workplace definition

What is an alternative workplace? It’s a fair question and readily answered by many of the work trends we’re familiar with today. Telecommuting and remote work. Coworking. These paint a picture of the alternative workplace.

In 1998, “alternative workplace” focused more specifically on alternatives to working in an office. Today, the definition focuses more on where employees work and how that environment supports them — from a well-furnished coworking space to the free Wi-Fi at a local coffee shop.

Key elements of the alternative workplace

Alternative workplaces are highly diverse because they can encompass just about any environment that supports work. So long as it supports your ability to work and it’s outside of the “home base” workplace, it falls under the guise of an alternative workplace.

A coworking space might have an office feel and all the amenities of a traditional workplace. Still, it’s an alternative workplace because professionals from other companies and career paths surround you. Your home office is an alternative workplace. Even an airport lounge is an alternative workplace — even if you only work there for 45 minutes before a flight.

Are you sitting in an alternative workspace right now? Take stock of the environment and see if it offers these essential elements:

Are you using your own technology?
Do you have control over your seating?
Do you have control over your work habits?
Is the environment conducive to your work?
Are there people other than coworkers around you?

Most coffee shops, coworking spaces, home offices, breakout spaces, airport terminals, public libraries, and similar facilities fit the bill. But the alternative workplace isn’t only shaped by physical surroundings — more important is how it empowers employees.

Emphasize the worker instead of the workplace

Alternative workspaces are defined by the freedoms they afford workers. These workplaces sever the tie between work and any one single place, which also means they give employees the power to self-govern. When allowed to choose their own venue and work in their own way, many workers seize the opportunity to do their best work in their best manner.

It’s not surprising that many companies invested in alternative workplace strategies over the past two decades — even pre-pandemic. Unlinking work from the workplace and instead hitching work to the worker brings untold flexibility to the concept of what a workplace is. Hence, the current rise in alternative workplaces.

If an employee can produce 100% regardless of whether they work at a desk, in an office, or an easy chair at home, does it matter where they work? Most likely not. What if they could accomplish 120% from their easy chair? It’s a very real driver behind the hype in alternative workplaces.

Alternative workplace concepts come down to an investment in work and the worker, instead of the workplace. So long as they can do the job, who’s to stop employees from doing it in a place that’s comfortable, familiar, and supportive of their personal work habits? It’s a trade many employers willingly make for bolstered productivity, improved culture, and employee satisfaction.

Alternatives are part of today’s modern workplace

“This is not a fad” is a simple but striking sentence in the groundbreaking 1998 Harvard Business Review article. Indeed, it’s not, especially to have survived over 20 years and become the foundation for the adaptive workplace solutions we see today.

The rise of the internet, cloud applications, and better computing technology have all made alternative workplaces viable solutions as companies navigate the modern workplace.

Remote work, flex scheduling, hoteling, experiential workspaces, and coworking are all alternative forms of work, but they’re only part of the greater alternative workplace employees rely on today.

The connection between design thinking and workspaces

In today’s hybrid workplace where occupancy and utilization fluctuate regularly, creating workspaces that matter to employees has never been more important. The days of a 1:1 desk-to-person ratio are now more the exception than the rule. Sharing space in an office is now as common as using a smartphone to request a ride home or rent a shared bicycle.

Continue reading “The connection between design thinking and workspaces”

The ultimate guide to space optimization in the hybrid workplace

Walls no longer confine work, and the hybrid workplace is here to stay. A Gartner survey predicts that 39% of the global workforce will work hybrid by the end of 2023 — up from 37% in 2022.

Many employees want to spend at least part of their time working in the office to collaborate in person with their colleagues, reserve a quiet place to concentrate, and take advantage of on-site amenities. Managing a hybrid workplace brings new challenges, including space optimization.

How do you maximize office space while also allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely part-time? There are no easy answers, but here are a few recommendations.

What is space optimization?

Simply put, space optimization is making the most of all the available office real estate you have and using it to support a positive employee experience while reducing waste and minimizing costs. The goal of space optimization isn’t just to increase the number of employees per square foot but to ensure each space is being used the way it’s intended.

5 strategies to improve space optimization in the hybrid workplace

Establish a baseline occupancy target to determine office space per employee

While different employee roles and functions require different types of space to be productive, it’s good to have some general guidelines.

Start by considering your average occupancy percentage before the pandemic or before you transitioned to a hybrid workplace. How much space did you have per employee at that time? If you don’t know, look at recommended industry averages.

Commercial real estate website Squarefoot also offers a handy space calculator.

Consider how employees’ needs might differ depending on your industry and their department and roles. Your legal team will likely need more private office space for closed-door meetings and review of confidential documents. In contrast, your marketing team will want more open areas for brainstorming and collaboration.

If you plan to continue having assigned desks, you probably won’t need one for every employee. Determine which employees can share desks based on how often they intend to be in the office — or consider implementing office hoteling.

Establish a remote work policy

While each department may have its own guidelines for when employees work remotely and how they use your hybrid workplace, company-wide expectations help create clarity, transparency, and understanding. Decide what values are most important, not just for team morale and productivity but also when it comes to planning and optimizing your space.

Set clear parameters around when teams will meet in person, when they are expected to meet with clients in person, and when fully remote employees will be expected to attend company events.

Survey employees to determine how often they plan to use the office

Ask employees to consider all aspects of remote and in-office work and give them the flexibility to decide on their hybrid work schedule.

Questions to ask employees include:

How many days each week do you plan to be in the office?
During what hours do you plan to spend most of your time in the office?
How do you feel about attending meetings when you are not physically present?
How will you take the initiative to remain involved in office activities?
Have you discussed how often, if at all, you can travel back to your department’s primary worksite?
How will you feel if your travel is limited once or twice yearly?
What type of meeting space and amenities do you need when meeting with clients in person?

As you consider employees’ needs, don’t forget about their belongings. You might need to add shelves, closet space, or intelligent lockers to help employees keep valuable items secure.

Intelligent locker systems are ideal for a workplace with desk hoteling because they can be reserved, assigned, and reassigned by any employee throughout the day.

Understanding the employee’s needs and expectations helps you optimize your space accordingly. It also enables you to analyze, test, and implement tools to streamline space reservations/claims.

Use a desk booking system

As you give employees more flexibility to choose when they come into the office, you need a way to manage seating while ensuring space optimization.

A desk booking system gives you a more structured way to manage your space and resources. Desk booking allows your employees to reserve space in advance, helping your facilities team update your workplace based on the number of employees who plan to be there. It also helps you monitor space utilization trends over time to better design your future space needs.

One of many considerations for desk booking is creating a welcoming and productive workspace for most people. It’s common for facilities managers to plan their booking strategies by thinking about the average day. How many people are typically in the office? What resources do they need? This narrow planning may create problems later. Instead of preparing for a reasonable scenario, think of the worst case.

Consider your peak demand; how many desks will you need if everyone shows up? Desk booking software gives you analytics and data regarding usage and timing. You can use this and prepare around that number.

Make smart, multi-purpose furniture and surface choices

Your workspace is more than computers, desks, and tables. After overcoming a global pandemic, we all learned to adapt and pay attention to our surroundings to create the best environment to thrive. Look around your office space for innovative ways to use your current assets.

Use whiteboard paint on the walls in brainstorming or meeting rooms. Buildings.com, an industry news source for facilities and space managers, offers these and other tips for optimizing your space.

Furniture also plays a role in creating a space that can host a board meeting in the morning and be subdivided into smaller team meeting rooms later in the day using mobile walls or dividers that double as whiteboards. Use smaller desks or tables that can be rearranged Tetris-style to create differently sized spaces, change the energy or mood, and make the most of your area.

Use space management software to optimize your hybrid workplace

Space management software helps you visualize all your spaces, track utilization, and reconfigure your floor plans.

You can see a graphic representation of your floorplans overlaid with real-time data on desk and space reservations, giving you the ability to make strategic, data-driven decisions.

The right space management software will provide you with a sense of control and understanding of your facilities from a global perspective, helping you create short and long-term strategies while avoiding paying rent on unoccupied space. Understanding how your space is used and creating a space that serves your employees will lead to better employee productivity, boosting the bottom line while minimizing costs.

Just because your employees are scattered, your office space organization doesn’t have to be. Tour Eptura’s space management software and find the tools to improve space optimization in your hybrid workplace.

Striking the perfect balance in workplace flexibility

How do workplace leaders and facility managers help strike a balance between the hybrid work model and the employee experience? How do remote employees who work from home feel connected to other team members who are working in an office on a set number of days per week?

Answers to these questions reflect an identifiable tension between flexibility and certainty. While not a binary conflict, employees now desire to work more fluidly than ever before, yet organizations have a real need for predictable business outcomes.

This tension can cause a variety of mixed reactions and behaviors from employees, managers, and leaders. It’s certainly playing out in the data we’ve captured from our customers in our most recent quarterly Workplace Index report and from the hundreds of conversations with facility managers and operations leaders we’ve spoken with regularly on our podcasts.

In the last year, there has been expansion of desk bookings across the globe but at very different paces and velocity depending on the region, according to our latest Workplace Index report:

Asia Pacific (176%)
Europe, Middle East and Africa (839%)
Americas (281%)

Most office environments are adapting to balance workplace flexibility, but it is not an easy feat. Many organizations realize they need to support their employees’ ability to work from nearly any work location – to help balance their personal lives while working to increase productivity, retain employees, and keep everyone engaged.

Get the entire 2023 Workplace Index: Q1 report now.

How can you balance flexibility in the workplace today? Hybrid work vs. traditional work

Much of the C-Suite is aware today’s workforce wants more autonomy than they’ve had in the past. Many employees expect to choose when they go into the office. From wanting to spend less time and money commuting or needing to help with family caregiving, today’s employees expect more work and life balance.

“When employees perceive that they are free to perform their work in their own way within an autonomy-supportive context, they may be more likely to find that work engaging, [to] possess more favorable evaluations of the job, and [to] proactively engage with their environment and others with whom they work,” finds researchers from the scientific publication Emotion and Motivation, per the CFO article “Autonomy in the Workplace: Boost Employee Productivity and Happiness.”

The challenge? With flexibility comes variance — and it has a cost. When daily schedules vary from team member to team member, space planning in shared workspaces can be especially tricky. It can create maintenance and operations friction for teams who need to plan around fluctuating workspace needs and building resource demand.

Today, most organizations have directional policies on the company’s desired in-office attendance. Hybrid vs. traditional work models show:

Split week: 35%
At will: 24%
Office first: 12%
Designated teams for hybrid: 12%
Remote-first: 8%
Week by week: 4%

Take note: Totally remote work is not as prevalent as you might imagine. Organizations and employees are finding value in being together. The days of commuting in five days a week for traditional work has dramatically shifted.

A new maintenance and operation model arises: Midweek office occupancy

When we separate return visits from unique visitors, we have seen a 35% increase in visitor check-ins year over year. Peaking in November 2022, visits have now exceeded pre-pandemic visitor traffic levels with a gain of 60% from January 2022. Our most recent quarterly data continues to show a trend of unique visitors increasing over time overall.

But on what days? To understand this more precisely, look at meeting room bookings. Over the past three quarters, most companies are experiencing a rise in what we call the midweek mountain since Monday and Friday are the least reserved days of the week. The data is loud and clear: Room bookings are highest on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — with similar patterns in desk bookings.

What does this mean for the future workplace? For facility managers, maintenance needs to be planned around lower demand times. You need to choreograph maintenance work orders by watching attendance data closely and pay close attention to meeting room and desk bookings. It will all become a delicate balancing act as workplace leaders seek to create the optimal use of resources.

Real estate teams face similar challenges with variable occupancy rates. There is no doubt that visitors to the office are on the rise, and there is increasing evidence to suggest these visitors are capitalizing on critical in-person connections by arranging multiple meetings. But with today’s flexible work patterns, it’s still difficult to get future visibility on likely office attendance.

Workplace flexibility does not mean complete office exemption. The office is for human connection.

Think about this fact: Our customers have experienced 495% growth in collaborative room bookings since the beginning of 2022. Employees crave human social connection, unity, and a sense of being part of a whole. Employees are conscious of the need for collaboration to get things done and to support company culture and support other team members in person.

Having a positive company culture is an important driver of employee retention and in attracting new potential employees. Employees often state that in-person proximity to management helps with career advancement and finding mentorship too. Employees desire to be together, just not every day.

How to balance workplace flexibility and business certainty

To find balance, you need open communication and clear hybrid work policies with all team members using reliable technologies. This includes having solid video conferencing, strong presence awareness capabilities that make it easy to view and share in-office work schedules, and feature-rich collaboration software.

But you also need accurate, reliable attendance and occupancy data that works in as close to real time as possible. How do you achieve all of this needed balance?

Reinforce planning transparency and encourage weekly participation.

Make it about everyone on the team – not rules for the sake of rules. Managers can lead by example by sharing their calendar. In our case, we have plug-ins for collaboration software such as Microsoft Teams that make it super easy to share schedules and desk and room bookings, so everything is transparent.

Make onsite the new offsite experience

Maybe it sounds counterintuitive, but in-office attendance is not guaranteed anymore. The social aspect of the office is crucial now – as is the area of the office and the rooms you use. The in-office experience matters, so treat it as an event. Organize special lunches or happy hours or combine meetings with other departments and encourage collaboration with other teams.

Encourage in-person training and development – and mentorship

This is especially important for younger workers that want career growth opportunities. If employees feel their growth is limited, they are more likely to seek different employment. The office should be seen as the meeting place for career expansion.

See all the data. Download the full 2023 Workplace Index: Q1 report today.

Bare Minimum Monday can be a glass half full, not half empty

No matter how you apply it, the term ‘bare minimum’ sounds negative. But what if it didn’t have to be? What if it could be positive and empowering?

Bare Minimum Monday is a growing work trend that first appeared on TikTok. Employees and employers alike typically see it as a negative in the workplace. How could doing the bare minimum work on Monday possibly be beneficial?

But as we know, perspective is everything. Keep reading to learn more about Bare Minimum Monday, why it began, who coined the term, and how it can benefit worker productivity and business overall.

What is Bare Minimum Monday?

Bare Minimum Monday refers to employees starting their work by doing only the required tasks needed on Mondays. Marisa Jo, a digital creator, developed the viral concept with good intentions — to reduce stress and create more work balance throughout the week.

She explained, “I would wake up on Monday already feeling behind, overwhelmed, and anxious — this feeling would only compound as the week continued. I was trying to get myself to overachieve my way out of the burnout I was experiencing, but of course, that didn’t work.”

Tired of the pressure and stress that came every Monday morning, Jo decided to permit herself to take it easy that weekday. Ultimately, she found that her productivity for the entire workweek improved. How, exactly? She discovered that she could increase the quality of her work by pacing herself.

Bare Minimum Monday is a counterintuitive method for employees to improve mental health, reduce burnout, and improve productivity. The gentle start to the workweek eases the usual pressures and expectations that arise after the weekend, resulting in more consistent and grade-A output by the end of the week.

That said, after she coined the term on TikTok, Bare Minimum Monday spread like wildfire and its initial logic got lost. People put their own spin on it, using it as an excuse to slack off on Mondays entirely — posting themselves oversleeping, sunbathing at their pool, and anything else not work related — redefining the phrase as a negative.

Bare Minimum Monday doesn’t mean lazy workers

Employees who embrace Bare Minimum Monday aren’t lazy. In fact, they end up being more efficient. Hustle culture taught us that taking breaks throughout the workday equates to laziness, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Employees who take more breaks work in a way that allows them to be more productive on their own terms without sacrificing their well-being.

The truth is, no one can work at 100% all the time — it’s entirely natural, not to mention healthy, to have some slower days. Bare Minimum Monday encourages employees to begin the week by embracing the natural flow of productivity rather than trying to force themselves to overwork, ultimately burning them out as soon as the week starts.

How can managers encourage their teams to work on their own terms while ensuring they remain engaged? The answer is trust and communication. Managers and employees must have open conversations about their working patterns and productivity. Leadership can set work output expectations that match their teams’ needs.

When employees have the autonomy to work in a manner that bests suits them, everyone wins. Hybrid work is an adequate model to do this as it balances employees with both remote and in-office work options — ultimately supporting the same goal as Bare Minimum Monday, to reduce burnout and improve productivity. 56% of companies reported this as accurate, stating their organizations surpassed their annual targets thanks to hybrid working.

It’s no secret that Mondays can sometimes overwhelm professionals. But with Bare Minimum Monday, employees can ease into the week rather than diving in headfirst. No matter where employees work — from home, in the office, or both — and regardless of how many breaks they take or if they work 6.5 hours instead of 8, Bare Minimum Mondays helps reduce stress while ensuring employees are still meeting deadlines.

So, if Bare Minimum Monday means lazy workers, it’s time to redefine lazy.

Employees are set up for a productive week

Think of Bare Minimum Mondays as a way to protect employees from Quiet Quitting. While Quiet Quitting refers to doing the absolute minimum requirements of the job every day, Bare Minimum Monday focuses on doing less at the start of the workweek so employees can remain productive throughout the remainder of the week.

Think of a marathon. Runners know to pace themselves from the beginning, making sure to start off slow to save energy for the end. Why? Because if they use all of their energy at the beginning of the marathon, they won’t make it to the finish line. The workweek is similar. If employees overwork themselves on Monday, their productivity dwindles before the week ends — just like a runner who starts the race sprinting.

When workers prioritize three to four less time-consuming tasks to execute on a Monday, they naturally witness increased productivity levels. Employees who don’t try to tackle too many tasks simultaneously allow their creative juices to flow better.

Contrary to its reputation, Bare Minimum Monday doesn’t encourage employees to slack off but allows them to pace their productivity throughout the week rather than use it all at the start. This career trend brings the lesson of “The Tortoise and the Hare” to the workplace.

How employers benefit from Bare Minimum Monday

When employers hear of Bare Minimum Monday, most assume it’ll threaten their bottom line. However, leaders who do more research on the trend find that it can significantly benefit their company.

Employees who properly implement Bare Minimum Monday still meet expectations. But rather than multitasking on too many projects while attending two or three critical meetings, they space their workload throughout the week. For example, a worker can use Mondays to catch up on emails, focus only on priority tasks, and prepare for the week’s upcoming meetings. Bare Minimum Monday can be a glass half full, not half empty.

Here’s how:

Better employee retention and engagement
Enhances creativity and output
Promotes work-life balance among workers
Supports employees’ mental health
Creates a positive company culture

Rather than allowing your workforce to define their versions of Bare Minimum Monday, lead the conversation. Have managers talk to their teams about ways to make their Mondays less stressful. An example of a guide for Bare Minimum Monday is:

On Monday, employees are encouraged to…

Start the day with some form of self-care
Not schedule meetings unless it is the only availability
Work remotely for a portion of the day or the entire day
Only focus on priority tasks and cut out “busy work” for the day
Use that time to properly plan for the week to avoid procrastination
Not stress over deadlines as projects should not be due on Mondays

Bare Minimum Monday isn’t going away anytime soon. So, if you can’t beat them, then it’s best to join them. Instead of dwelling on how employees could take advantage of the trend, find the positives, partner with your workforce, and leverage Bare Minimum Monday to improve your bottom line.

Leading the charge will not only benefit your business, but it will express to your employees that you care about their well-being. And in today’s modern workplace, employees demand to be valued and appreciated more than ever.

Bare Minimum Monday isn’t going anywhere

The concept behind Bare Minimum Monday is to improve employee health and well-being without decreasing output. If anything, workers who embrace Bare Minimum Monday consistently produce better quality work while avoiding burnout.

Bare Minimum Monday has taken the workplace by storm, with thousands admitting it’s the secret behind increased productivity and happiness at work. If the trend isn’t harming your business but bettering it, why not embrace it?

Tag: employee engagement