How can we do more with less?
Uncertainty about the future, coupled with economic distress related to COVID-19, is driving unprecedented demand for strategic solutions that enable organizations to maximize resources and adapt quickly to change. According to the Ladders Quarterly Remote Work Report, 18% of professional jobs in the US are now permanently remote, compared to just 3% before the pandemic. For many companies, scaling back office space is a feasible option for cutting costs and improving productivity. In order to make this change effectively, companies must understand how to find efficiencies while investing where it matters in order to arrive at strategic, human-centered solutions.
Although many of us are now habituated to remote work and virtual collaboration, questions about new ways of working remain top-of-mind for many employers. While there are benefits to free-address seating— an unassigned workspace model that’s gaining traction—we must also understand what makes workers feel safe, comfortable, and empowered in this environment. Allowing for ownership and control over one’s environment—also known as the “home advantage”—creates a wide range of positive psychological and physiological changes, leading employees to feel more confident and capable. “Strategies of empowerment” that help employees thrive in free-address models will be important to implement as we move from “me” to “we” work environments.
As COVID-19 cases recede and the world adapts, many find that the ‘old’ way of doing things no longer works. It is estimated that 74% of companies in the U.S. have, or plan to adopt, a permanent hybrid work model, but the large majority lack a clear hybrid work strategy. Office design can be a major driver of successful change, and when change management is carried out in conjunction with design, it can support sustainable, holistic transformation for organizations. One study suggests that projects with “excellent” change management are 93% more likely to meet or exceed their objectives when compared to projects that don’t employ change management.