office space Archives

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.

Four types of wayfinding signage

Wayfinding plays a crucial role in various environments, including healthcare facilities, airports, shopping malls, public buildings, educational institutions, public transportation systems, and large event venues. By employing effective wayfinding strategies, designers and facility managers can create user-friendly environments that facilitate smooth and intuitive navigation.

There are four types of wayfinding signs: identification, directional, informational, and regulatory. As standalone signs, they serve a specific role; as part of the greater wayfinding system, they inform each other.

Here’s what facility managers need to know about deploying each of the primary wayfinding types.

Types of wayfinding signage

Identification

Identification is the most common type of wayfinding signage. They tell a person when they have arrived at their destination. They also serve as general wayfinding landmarks.

Need to get your bearings? Identification signage is there for you. If you’re looking for Sales and keep seeing signs for Human Resources, you know you’re in the wrong place.

Make identification signs uncluttered and straight to the point. What does the sign signify? Someone should understand it in seconds.

General examples include:

Door plaques (Assistant to the Regional Manager)
Departmental markers (Accounting and Finance; Sales)
Landmark signage (donor plaque; historical marker)

Directional

Directional signage helps people get to where they’re going. It’s an invisible hand guiding them from wherever they are to their destination, one step at a time. They’re best used at junctions and areas without a clear traffic flow.

Anyone unfamiliar with their surroundings benefits from diverse directional signage. It can be as simple as a plaque at each junction sending people left or right. Or it may be as comprehensive as colored lines on the floor leading people directly to their destination.

Continuity is key for directional signage. If a person becomes lost anywhere between two points using directional signage, it’s immediately invalidated. Picking up the trail again means backtracking or getting lucky.

General examples

Junction signage (left to cafeteria; right to an exit)
Colored lines on the floor (blue for marketing; red for sales)
Directory signage (CEO, 8th floor; HR)

Informational

Whereas identification signage marks a particular area, informational signage pertains to the overall facilities. These signs give people the broad information they need while navigating.

Informational signage is best placed in an area with broad exposure. Lobbies, waiting rooms, building entrances, and atriums are popular examples. Signage should answer questions before they’re asked. Where are your bathrooms? How late are you open? Do you have an elevator?

Informational signs should be universally understandable with just a glance — signs and symbols anyone can understand.

General examples

Amenities and accommodations (free Wi-Fi; elevators)
Facilities signage (bathrooms; exits; cafeteria)
Business information (hours of operation; address numbers)

Regulatory

Regulatory signage is a proactive form of wayfinding. It’s focused on safety and liability concerns and sets boundaries — what is and isn’t acceptable in your facilities. It establishes and reinforces rules, safety standards, and privacy expectations.

Regulatory signage is generally big and bold — no-frills — only a clear, concise, prominent message. Someone probably won’t open a closet if there’s a “Caution! High Voltage!” sign on the door. Similarly, displaying a “No Pets Allowed” sign means Fido isn’t welcome.

Use regulatory signage wherever it applies and leave no room for ambiguity. A handicap sign sets a clear precedent like an “Employees Only” sign on a locked door.

General examples include:

Rules and regulations (no smoking; no firearms)
Compliance standards (ADA accessibility; high voltage sign)
Access control (no entry beyond this point; employees only)

Combining wayfinding signage

Wayfinding is experiential. Every type of wayfinding signage can and should be used with every other. Regulatory signs should keep people out of restricted areas as they follow directional signage to their destination. Identification signage should tell someone where they are so they can follow directional signage to where they want to be. Informational signage — coupled with regulatory signage — needs to set behavior expectations in your facilities.

Additionally, all signage should be simple. Regardless of its purpose, someone should be able to look at a sign and know in seconds what it says and what it means in relation to wayfinding.

Whatever the information, make sure you have the right mode of delivery. The simpler your signage and the more cohesive it is across all four types, the more effective it will be for anyone using it.

What are the benefits of wayfinding?

Reduced stress and anxiety

Clear and effective wayfinding systems alleviate stress and anxiety associated with getting lost or disoriented. Users can confidently navigate, knowing they can easily find their way and reach their destinations.

Time efficiency

Efficient wayfinding saves time by providing clear directions and information about the shortest and most direct routes. Users can navigate efficiently, minimizing unnecessary detours or confusion.

Improved user experience

A well-designed wayfinding system enhances the overall user experience by making navigation intuitive and user-friendly. It creates a positive impression of the environment and contributes to user satisfaction.

Safety and security

Wayfinding systems play a crucial role in emergencies by guiding users to exits, evacuation routes, or safety facilities. Clear signage and directions help ensure the safety and well-being of individuals during critical incidents.

Increased accessibility

Accessibility is a key consideration in wayfinding design. Well-designed systems consider the needs of individuals with disabilities or special requirements, providing inclusive navigation options and features.

Enhancing efficiency of complex spaces

In large and complex environments, such as airports, hospitals, or shopping malls, wayfinding helps users navigate through various facilities, departments, or sections. It streamlines movement and reduces confusion in spaces with multiple levels, buildings, or interconnected areas.

Promoting discoverability

Wayfinding systems can highlight points of interest, amenities, or important destinations within an environment. Users can easily locate areas of interest, such as restrooms, information desks, shops, or specific attractions, enhancing their overall experience.

Branding and identity

Wayfinding design can incorporate branding elements, colors, and visual cues that reinforce the identity of an organization or space. Consistent and well-designed wayfinding contributes to the overall brand image and creates a cohesive user experience.

Enhanced navigation for visitors

Wayfinding systems are particularly valuable for visitors unfamiliar with a location. Clear directions, maps, and signage help visitors feel more comfortable and confident, improving their overall experience and reducing the need for constant assistance.

Optimized space utilization

Efficient wayfinding can guide users through less congested or underutilized areas, helping distribute foot traffic and balancing occupancy within a facility. This can lead to improved efficiency in space utilization and overall facility management.

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.

Unlocking the power of occupancy sensors for space planning

How complete is your workspace picture? How close to real time is your workplace and building data today? What about all the other areas on your office floor or building outside of meeting rooms and desks?

Occupancy sensors are a powerful tool that collect people flow data on all parts of your buildings. Sensors can help obtain more accurate information than manual, time-consuming methods, such as walking the floor to count people or relying on employee surveys to inform workspace decisions. Sensor data is becoming more and more essential to space planning to create better occupied workspaces – and help facility managers and workplace strategists create more precise and accurate plans for office moves and space reconfigurations.

Sensor data is versatile too. You can integrate it with building automation systems to reduce energy usage to help hit sustainability targets. You can also fuse it with integrated workspace management systems (IWMS) to track data from motion sensors, seat sensors, beacons, and more, creating an agile workplace with real-time utilization reporting.

When you connect them to an IWMS, sensors give facilities teams accurate and comprehensive insight into how their space is used, such as which desks, rooms, and other areas of the office employees are using, and for how long. Occupancy sensors are among the most crucial technologies to be adopted by 2025 — along with automation systems and environmental controls, according to JLL research.

In the age of flexible work models where hybrid work is the new standard, employee behavior in workspaces is more dynamic and harder to pinpoint utilization. Plus, today’s organizations are metrics driven and seek methods for speeding up data capture and eliminating as much guesswork as possible.

Understanding occupancy sensors for space planning

Occupancy sensors are a powerful tool for measuring space utilization in office spaces. They are devices that detect and measure the presence of people within a certain area, providing invaluable data about desk occupancy, meeting room usage, and overall space utilization. Occupancy sensors can be mounted on walls or ceilings – and use different technologies to detect presence or detect motion when someone enters or exits a space.

Occupancy sensors can also provide insights into the user experience in buildings. See how employees move around the office, what areas are most popular at different times of day and know the behaviors of staff when present in specific areas.

How are employees actually using the space? Sensors help planners separate the wants and desires of employees from the workspace needs of an organization as a whole.

“Today, organizations are experimenting with different workplace policies and configurations to support the modern models of agile, flexible, hybrid work,” “The workplace has become more self-directed which compounds the complexity,” says Eric Maxfield, Director of Product Management, at Eptura. “There’s a real need and hunger for analytics and accuracy in data now – and sensors are a valuable tool for gathering movement and flow data once people are inside buildings – and for helping us understand behavior in spaces of all kinds.”

Go deeper. Read our in-depth conversation on the evolution of sensors and sensor data.

Maximize your office space

Occupancy sensor data goes beyond simply capturing raw numbers – it provides insight into user behavior that enables businesses to make smarter decisions about their workspace design and management strategies. For example, if occupancy sensor data reveals that phone booths are rarely used but desks are constantly occupied, it might suggest that new desks should be added instead of building more phone booths.

With detailed information on how their office spaces are being used at any given time, companies can ensure they have the right resources in place for maximum efficiency without wasting valuable resources on redundant features or unoccupied spaces.

Types of occupancy sensors

With infrared, ultrasonic, and motion-based detection capabilities, these sensors can provide businesses with invaluable insights into how their office space is being used and help them optimize their real estate portfolios to better suit the needs of their teams. By leveraging anonymous occupancy data, companies can make more informed decisions about office layout configurations and workspace optimization strategies for improved workplace efficiency and user experience.

A list of sensor types

Hybrid and advanced sensors

Combine features of different sensor types in one unit, such as PIR with ultrasonic. Others include: double-eye sets to minimize blind spots, occupancy sensors combined with dimmers, line-voltage sensors, smart sensors with motion sensitivity and time adjustment.

Lighting-integrated sensors

Control lights based on movement, great for reducing energy costs, not good for tracking number of people in a space.

Door-counting sensors

Track movement through a specific doorway, used for rooms with one entry/exit point, can track entry and exit to give real-time count, errors are common.

Vision sensors

Replace cameras for low-resolution imagery, cost-effective, mitigate privacy issues, accurate person count for any space, can measure messiness of a space, wireless and wired options.

BLE beacons

Transmit a unique identifier to nearby devices with a compatible app, used to track customers, pinpoint device location, or send push notifications.

PIR occupancy sensors

Mounted on a ceiling, detect heat and movement, good for optimizing office spaces, not great for emergency situations or specific conference room usage.

PIR desk sensors

Placed underneath desks to monitor if a person is at the desk, track how often a desk is being utilized, linked to Wi-Fi, can misread heat and movement if placed wrong .

Ultrasonic sensors

Used for security purposes, emit pulses of ultrasonic waves and measure reflection of a moving object, higher frequency than humans can hear.

Collecting sensor data and GDPR cookie consent plug-in

Having access to this data is only useful if you collect it in compliance with global data privacy regulations (GDPR). Companies should ensure that any information they collect through sensors or other means should have the consent of the user before being collected or stored. Consent can be obtained via a GDPR cookie consent plugin on the company’s website or mobile application. By using a plug-in, companies can ensure that they remain compliant with regulations while also collecting valuable data about their users’ experiences and preferences.

Go deeper. Learn how the definition of capacity is changing with sensor expert Brad Golden from VergeSense on the Workplace Innovator podcast.

Sensors can also help reduce: energy costs, meeting costs, and cleaning costs

Energy savings with sensors

Occupancy sensors on a 10-kilowatt lighting circuit in a major New York City building reduced lighting energy consumption by 38% based on time variable rates and demand charges, according to E Source.

Here’s another example: A university. Emory’s Green Labs program has installed occupancy sensors. Adequate ventilation is essential for a safe, comfortable environment and to protect from hazardous contaminants. Emory is able to save over $50,000 a year in heating and cooling by running air changes at six occupied and two unoccupied campus buildings.

Meeting cost savings with sensors

A global management consulting firm had low employee satisfaction due to their meeting rooms constantly being booked but left vacant. They found 40% of their meetings were being wasted. The solution was to use TEEM and Outlook to release unused bookings and track unused space. This saved them $50,000 per month and $600,000 annually.

Reduce cleaning costs and improve efficiency with sensors

In a hybrid work model with on-demand desk and room booking apps, cleaning your facilities can be more complicated. Optimize cleaning efficiency costs by up to 15% with a dynamic cleaning model. Instead of having janitorial services every day, sensor data can indicate when cleaning is most needed.