Tag: Space Planning & Utilization

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Creating an Activity Based Working Strategy

Strategic companies have transitioned to an activity based working environment in order to meet the needs of the evolving workforce and align with business goals. Those companies are feeling success with increasing productivity, lowering property costs, and talent attraction and retention. But, how did they create their strategy?

Here’s what you’ll learn from this guide:

  • What is an activity based workplace
  • How to address misconceptions about the modern workplace
  • The four steps required for successful transition  
  • How to measure success of an activity based workplace 

We’ll also reveal why culture is crucial to success and how to implement change during the transition to a new working environment.  

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5 Ways to Get Management Buy In for Flexible Working Arrangements

This is a guest post written by corporate real estate expert Roland Chua. The opinions expressed in this article are Roland’s own and may not reflect those of his past or present employers.

Flexible working arrangements have traditionally been viewed as a special privilege for employees. Organisations often struggle to embrace this idea and integrate it into the management structure and culture.

More often than not, organisations will have some generalised policy on flexible working arrangements, with ambiguous wordings which basically allow managers to opt out of the option very easily. Statements like “we encourage flexibility in the workplace;” “we offer various work life balance options;” “we have an open and trusting workplace culture which encourages flexibility;” etc, all come to mind.

The typical policies on flexible working arrangements are never specific, and they always fail to list the actual rights that an employee has. And they always include a statement which puts the staff’s line manager in full control of the outcome.

In order for flexible working arrangements to be successful, the plan must have top-level endorsement.

Driving cultural change around flexible working arrangements

The leaders of the organisation must live and breathe flexibility. Their practice of flexible working arrangements must be highly visible, consistent, and regular. This will drive the culture of flexibility into the organisation and infiltrate into the mindsets of each individual.

Taking it one step further, flexible working arrangements must be well documented with very detailed and specific guidelines for all staff and managers to reference. Flexibility should be an expected way of working, not a right or a privilege. It is through flexibility that people will really feel trusted and appreciated. And in turn, they will give their very best performance due to an increase in satisfaction and morale. It is a proven phenomenon that human productivity increases consistently with higher levels of flexibility and job satisfaction.

 

5 strategies for encouraging top-down support for flexible working arrangements

So what are the essential steps to enable a top-down approach to flexible working arrangements?

1. Share success stories of peers and competitors

Present case studies of similar organisations that have successfully embedded flexible working arrangements into their culture, and achieved greater success.

Witnessing a peer organisation achieve results through specific measures and changes always sends a very powerful message to leaders. Forward-thinking organisations are constantly seeking for process and productivity improvements. Being able to look towards a peer or competitor is one of the most powerful ways to justify improvement initiatives.

Leaders will be empowered to consider innovative ways to move the organisation forward and continually remain relevant in an increasingly competitive landscape. By offering more attractive flexible working arrangements, organisations increase their ability to attract and retain top talent. This is key to the success of any organisation.

2. Quantify potential savings

Make sure you can quantify potential hard and soft savings. This is probably the most tricky but very important step. It is all about being able to quantify time savings due to productivity improvements, and what direct and indirect cost savings that equates to.

Work/life balance and employee satisfaction always has a direct and positive impact on productivity. When a person is more productive, he/she will produce a higher quality and quantity of outputs. This will in turn free up his/her time for additional tasks and responsibilities. As a result, the organisation can increase production and/or operations without any need for an increase in resources. It also means an organisation could improve on their existing offerings through a better engaged and higher performing workforce.

 

One method to estimate potential hard and soft savings from productivity improvements is by assessing the potential time savings per individual, and then referencing the standard hourly rates. The estimated cost savings can then be compared with the cost of hiring an additional resource.

Note that productivity improvements should not be mistaken for resource planning.

3. Highlight the benefits of flexibility for individuals

Even leaders have needs outside of work! Every individual, no matter what their level within an organisation, has basic needs within and beyond the workplace. Some of these basic needs include recognition, feeling appreciated, being in control, and being trusted and respected. And outside of work, everyone faces different life challenges.

Having a workplace that actually supports a person’s life challenges and embraces each individual’s unique and diverse life situation is vital to a person’s wellbeing and satisfaction.

The leaders of an organisation must understand and appreciate the fact that flexible working arrangements benefit them as much as every other employee.

4. Pilot flexible working arrangements and ABW

There’s nothing more convincing than actually doing it. A pilot is literally doing the real thing but in a limited and controlled environment, typically in a selected location and/or with one or more specific teams.

A truly successful pilot must be carried out as a full implementation, including all the components of a flexible workplace. For some companies, that can include implementing an Activity-Based Working (ABW) environment that eliminates assigned seating and provides different task-oriented spaces for working.

Related article: 10 Factors to Consider Before Implementing Activity Based Working

Implementing a pilot for flexible working and ABW would involve the following:

Technology: laptops/tablets, remote connectivity, mobile communication devices, intelligent printing devices, building population monitoring
Furniture: a full implementation will involve furniture changes to create formal and informal work settings
Management and staff training: to enable flexibility, the people component must be addressed, because users living and breathing flexible working arrangements determines the success of the program

Pilot programs for flexible working arrangements should run for a reasonable period of time, preferably two to three months. This will enable the new culture and way of working to be embedded into the mindsets of employees and managers, and allow for a true assessment of its feasibility and opportunity for success.

5. Report on pilot results

Throughout the pilot, conduct physical audits. Following the implementation period, conduct surveys and report on results to highlight benefits and learnings.

Physical audits involve auditors walking floors, observing and recording specific information on how well the flexible working arrangements and ABW environment are performing. Information such as formal workstation usage, collaboration area usage, average office attendance, is typically recorded. Physical surveys give a true snapshot of how well a working environment is performing, and gives very valuable metrics on areas of strength and areas of concern.

Post-implementation surveys are online questionnaires sent to every participant requesting feedback their experience with flexible working arrangements. The questionnaires must be very specific, with fixed multiple choice answers. This enables quick analysis of results and the ability to draw conclusions. Online tools such as Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com) enable quick production of user defined surveys which can either be emailed to users, or set up on a kiosk where users can simply select answers while entering or leaving the office.

What’s essential for flexible working to work

With top-level management endorsement and a solid HR policy in place, flexible working arrangements can be fully embedded into an organisation’s heart and culture.

Flexible working should be an expectation. It is a total departure from the traditional schools of thought where flexibility is considered a privilege, and sometimes a taboo.

True flexibility in a workplace will always lead to higher levels of satisfaction, and in turn higher staff retention and increased productivity. The long term benefits include direct and indirect cost savings, and being able to attract the best talent to help maintain and further the success of the organisation.

Create an Activity Based Working Strategy. Download your copy today.

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IWMS Priority Applications – What’s Important? What Can Wait?

The following post was originally featured on Bell’s Blog and was authored by Michael Bell. Michael originally defined IWMS while at Gartner and is currently senior advisor to Visual Lease.

In years past, someone asked the infamous bank robber, Willy Sutton, why he robbed banks.  Sutton responded, “Because that’s where the money is!” Sutton’s pragmatic answer could be the guiding principle behind software prioritization for facilities and real estate applications. In other words, what are some guiding principles for selecting and investing in software functionality in support of your facilities and real estate operations? To use Willy Sutton’s logic, CRE managers should follow the money in the prioritization process.

In corporate real estate, it all begins with the leasing process. Having a well thought out leasing and portfolio strategy is the first step in developing a software application strategy. Everything in corporate real estate begins with the lease portfolio. Corporate leases define obligations, tenant rights, options, costs, and in terms of new accounting rules, assets and liabilities.

We know that company lease obligations represent  the second  largest cost on the P&L statement behind labor, and thus the systematic and attentive management of these costs is crucial to company profitability. Leasing is a complex and labor intensive activity. Typically a medium to large enterprise must  handle hundreds of distinct transactions per  month  generating thousands in leasing cost and related expenditures for utilities, insurance, amortization, taxes, and other related costs. Beyond the lease negotiation and contracting activities, the enterprise must administer a myriad of tasks, including rent payment, lease renewals and extensions, escalations, CAM charges, and cancellations. Thus, the first priority in selecting a software application is to start with a lease management tool that becomes the central focus for developing a company wide leasing strategy.

Following the money trail, the second priority is acquiring a space management tool to support space planning and to assist in space forecasting. This includes  moves, adds, and changes as well as the myriad activities and tasks in managing the details of facilities demand and capacity. As we wrote in an earlier blog, the space management module can be readily integrated with the lease portfolio application so that a leasing record can be linked to space layouts, furniture plans, and human resource data. The space management tool can be enormously effective in planning consolidations, expansions, reductions and collocations of related staff offices.

The third priority in the IWMS prioritization process is the selection of a maintenance management tool to handle the various maintenance tasks, such as predictive and preventive maintenance, repairs, and major refurbishments. There are a host of best in class software products to support the maintenance process. Like the space management tool, it is paramount to integrate these tools with the lease management applications and portfolio database. Like virtually all the applications related to the CRE process, it is important to ensure that the maintenance applications are adapted for mobile use, so that maintenance staff can access and input data from the field.

Underpinning all these applications will be a best in class project management capability, so that whatever corporate real estate function is being considered has a well conceived operating process supported by the project management application. These tools are typically role based and have pre-determined approval and calendaring functionality, designed to streamline and control the various processes governing the leasing, construction, and maintenance processes.

Selecting and configuring software in support of the real estate and facilities management process can be a time consuming and expensive endeavor. For many larger enterprises with vast portfolios, it may be wise to go with a single integrated IWMS system, adding modules over time. This offers a single source, with “one throat to choke” if things go off the rails. But now with cloud computing and powerful middleware, it’s possible to select best-in-breed solutions on a prioritized basis, and integrate over time. No longer are user organizations confronted with the “big bang” possibility of going with a full suite of applications at the outset, costing millions and taking years to implement. So going on a prioritized basis is smart like Willy, because, “that’s where the money is!”

Download a guide to managing workplace utilization today.

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Look Beyond IWMS Magic Quadrant for Better Space Planning

For corporate real estate professionals, Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for IWMS has been the go-to resource for facilities management software since the 90’s. So when you need to take control of CRE space planning to reduce costs and plan for the workplace of the future, you might automatically turn to the IWMS Magic Quadrant for guidance.

While this is a great place to start, forward-thinking organizations are looking for additional tools to augment the features and functionality of traditional integrated workplace management systems. When a strong IWMS is partnered with space utilization software, CRE leaders are better equipped to meet the demands of the modern workplace. 

The modern workplace requires more modern tools

The increasingly mobile workforce and the rise of the digital business are impacting the way companies manage and use office space. As a result, the market for facilities management applications is changing rapidly, especially for space management and strategic planning.

In fact, Gartner has acknowledged these new requirements in their 2016 Market Guide for Integrated Workplace Management Systems. In their report, Gartner recommends that CRE and FM executives must:

  • Manage facilities while providing for the needs of the digital business for “agility, mobility, collaboration and innovation”
  • Collaborate with IT and HR to “drive a more effective, agile digital workplace” that can improve the employee experience, engagement and productivity
  • Implement “collection and analytics of actual workplace utilization data… to effectively manage the digital workplace.”

Many traditional IWMS providers (especially those recognized as Magic Quadrant leaders) do a great job integrating your workplace data into one system. Although they weren’t necessarily designed to manage the digital workplace, they can work with other systems, like Serraview’s space planning and workplace optimization tools, that do.

Related article: The Myth of IWMS: Why One Solution Does Not Fit All

How Integrated Workplace Management Systems work with utilization software and workplace optimization systems to address space planning

Now that CRE leaders are focused on creating workplaces that foster those important qualities (“agility, mobility, collaboration and innovation”), they need to start taking a more active approach to the data brought together in their IWMS.

Support the collaborative culture and agile working

The traditional systems in the IWMS Magic Quadrant are built on the assumption of workplaces with assigned seating. So what happens when you want to implement a shared workspace model to engage your workforce and enable a collaborative culture?

To successfully make those kind of changes—and in turn, see more collaboration, employee engagement and productivity—you need a tool that captures accurate, real-time utilization data. For example, Serraview’s workplace optimization software receives activity data from badge swipes, sensors, beacons and other technologies. When you overlay that data with the floor plans and allocations in your IWMS, you can discover opportunities to shift your workplace model.

As these types of space utilization tracking technologies continue to advance and see wider adoption, CRE leaders who don’t supplement their IWMS with tools that can handle that data may face additional, unexpected challenges as they try to optimize their workplaces for a modern workforce.

And with as many as 60 to 70 percent of companies implementing agile working in at least part of their workplace portfolio, this becomes a serious deficiency. Luckily, youcan continue to reap the benefits of a product in the IWMS Magic Quadrant—lease management, asset tracking, energy management and more—and just layer agile workplace optimization software for proactive space and scenario planning. 

Enable the mobile workforce

In an agile environment, employees need additional tools to help them navigate the space. Collaborative working often means moving around quite a bit throughout the day and finding spaces for meetings or work sessions spontaneously. Wayfinding apps help them locate and reserve open workstations, book conference rooms or find colleagues. These tools can be used on desktop computers, but more often employees use mobile apps or kiosks that can be located throughout the workplace.

This is something that traditional IWMS systems aren’t designed to do—but they can provide the foundation for a workforce enablement tool that will.

Streamline decision-making

A decade ago, the idea of right-sizing a global portfolio or supporting non-assigned seating was rare. That’s why features like strategic scenario planning tools aren’t included in products in the IWMS Magic Quadrant.

Related article: Why Corporate Real Estate Leaders Must Pay Attention to Space Planning

But when coupled with workplace optimization software, CRE leaders can effectively serve today’s workforce—without sacrificing the valuable features and functionality their IWMS offers.

For example, products in the IWMS Magic Quadrant excel at lease management—reminding CRE leaders when it’s time to start reviewing their leases and considering whether they should make a move or adjust their footprint in their current space. Workplace optimization software speeds up the process of reviewing your current space usage and comparing different potential scenarios. 

Look to “IWMS 2.0” for integrated best-in-class applications

If you want a workplace that truly supports agility, collaboration, mobility and innovation, workplace optimization software excels at partnering with products in the IWMS Magic Quadrant to accomplish that.

Look for best-in-class space planning and workplace management tools that are designed from the ground up to support the modern workplace. You can get the space planning capabilities you need to drive CRE optimization, more reliable data, and better analytics to help you make better decisions. With both systems in place and working together, you get the best of both worlds. The IWMS assists with every aspect of facilities management, while the workplace optimization software improves your space planning.

This new workplace technology framework is possible because today’s standards make it much easier to integrate multiple cloud-based, best-in-class systems with a common database and process engine. That means you get better tools for a much lower cost—and once you start capturing real-time utilization data, you can take action and see results in a matter of months.

Think of products in the IWMS Magic Quadrant and workplace optimization software like salt and sugar while cooking: when you use both appropriately, you bring out the fullest and best flavors in the dish.

Here’s an informative resource that can help you focus your evaluation on the capabilities that will bring you the best return on your investment: 5 Critical Comparison Points for Workplace Management Software.

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10 Factors to Consider Before Implementing Activity-Based Working

This is a guest post written by Workplace Change Management Consultant Robert Garrett.

Why everyone’s talking about activity-based working

In recent years there’s been a lot of talk about activity-based working (ABW). Many organisations have discovered that the world has moved on from the boss in the corner office keeping an eye on the workers all seated in neat rows of desks busily working away. So what’s behind this shift?

Firstly, the type of work we do is rapidly changing. Computers now take care of a wide range of routine tasks, freeing up workers for more value-add, idea generation, and problem-solving type activities.

Secondly, the expectations of people entering the workforce for the first time has also changed. Throughout their time at school and university, the type of space they use has always been determined by the task or activity being undertaken. At school they went to the laboratory for science, the music room for music, the field or the gym for sports, and so on.

At university the element of choice was introduced with students having the freedom to choose whether to do small group work in the library, the café, or in the garden under a tree. Having only ever known this relationship between activity and space, the idea of joining a traditional workplace where every task must conform to an owned desk or a formal meeting room is completely foreign. Moving forward, organisations that don’t embrace 21st century ways of working, such as activity-based working, will increasingly find it difficult to attract (and retain) talented people.

However, the shift to activity-based working is not for the faint hearted. It is probably the biggest change to the way that people work since the Industrial Revolution because it decouples the relationship between individuals and an assigned or individually ‘owned’ desk.

Related topic: What Does the Agile Work Environment Look Like?

10 things you need to consider before making the move to ABW

Before embarking on a journey to activity-based working, there are a number of key factors that should be carefully considered:

1. Implement for the right reasons
Just because lots of organisations are implementing activity-based working doesn’t mean it’s right for yours. ABW can encourage better collaboration across your business, and it provides flexibility to quickly respond to opportunities and changing needs as they arise. For example, if a new business opportunity presents itself, it’s easy to pull together a team from different parts of the organisation to work on the project when everyone is set up for working in a mobile way.

From a diversity perspective, activity-based working acknowledges we’re all different. One person requires isolation to put together a presentation whereas another needs a busy setting with visual and auditory stimulation to do the same task. Activity-based working treats people as adults and lets them choose where and how they do their best work. On the flip side, if you’re just looking to reduce your lease costs, any savings will quickly be forgotten if you damage your employee value proposition (EVP) in the process. Don’t ignore the most critical people component of the transition.

2. Ensure the C-Suite is fully on board
As the biggest change to the way people work in over a century, it’s going to require strong support and advocacy from your senior exec team. Having them lead by example, becoming visible early adopters of activity-based working, will shut down a multitude of self-important arguments that will invariably surface.

3. Equally respect the three pillars
Ensure there is equal focus on the people, technology and spatial elements of the change. There’s no point providing people with a suite of great collaboration and concentration spaces if (a) they don’t have mobility enabling technology to go and use them, and (b) their leader still equates ‘work’ with sitting at a desk.

4. There is no ‘one size fits all’ model
There are a wide variety of activity-based working models around. Explore the various options and then settle on (or indeed create) the model that best suits your organisation.

5. Invest in change management
You can have the latest and greatest technology and a beautifully designed workspace, but if your people haven’t bought in to why the organisation is changing and if they can’t see the benefits i.e. ‘what’s in it for me?’ then the shift to activity-based working will be a failure.

An effective change management program is more than a communications plan. An effective change management program will take the organisation on a journey – it will involve and engage with people through a variety of mediums and at every level of the organisation so that everyone knows what’s changing, why the organisation has chosen this strategy, what the future looks like, how we’re going to get there, and the opportunities for individuals to be involved.

6. Try before you ‘buy’
Setting up a working pilot space is a very effective change tool as it enables you to trial new technology, spaces and behaviours before committing the organisation to such a huge change. Not only will you learn a great deal from the pilot that will help tailor your chosen activity-based working model, but a pilot also provides a tangible mechanism for engaging with your employees about their future ways of working. On a change of this magnitude, this hands-on approach is far more effective than a program based only on emails and PowerPoint presentations.

7. Don’t lose your conviction
It’s inevitable that some of your people won’t be excited by the change. Learn from these people, but don’t allow small vocal minority groups to determine the agenda. After a large, highly successful activity-based working transition, one middle level manager made the observation of a handful of naysayers, “You could give everyone a bag of gold and some people would still complain that it’s too heavy.”

8. Commit culturally
For activity-based working to be successful it needs to quickly become part of ‘the way things are done around here’. A good change management plan will look for ways to embed and promote new behaviours through a broad range of channels and initiatives.

9. Get rid of paper
Few people are completely paperless, however it’s almost impossible to work in a mobile way if you’re weighed down with lots of paper. Systematically address the processes and systems within your organisation that create paper. It’s unavoidable – activity-based working requires a significant investment in electronic records management.

10. Recruit for cultural fit
Activity-based working requires a different style of leadership, one that is based on trust and is primarily focused on the delivery of outcomes. If the organisation doesn’t recruit new leaders with these skills, it could see the investment in activity-based working quickly unravel.

Related article: 10 Keys to Success With the Agile Work Environment

Download a guide to measuring workplace utilization.

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Activity Based Working: How It Can Work for the Public Sector

With all the buzz about activity based working environments these days, property teams worldwide are starting to sit up and take notice. That’s especially true in Australia and New Zealand, where some of the largest organisations, such as NAB, ANZ, Commmonwealth Bank, and Westpac are leading the way in creating modern spaces with non-assigned seating.

These workplaces of the future are not only driving down the cost of real estate for these large firms, but helping to attract top talent and to create a culture of collaboration and innovation.

Related article: What Does the Agile Work Environment Look Like?

Large corporations are not the only forward-thinking organisations making the move to activity based working. Several Australian government departments have already implemented flexible work environments. You can read more about them in these articles:

Office for Digital Government: Activity Based Working and Adaptive Workspaces
Department of Human Services: Government agency jumps on activity-based bandwagon
Defence pilots activity based working

While we can’t name names, we also know of more Australian government departments currently exploring the option, with pilot programs in the works.

Here’s why exploring a move to activity based working is smart for the public sector.

Why activity based working is a win for government departments

It’s true that government agencies do face certain challenges in making the move to activity based working, above and beyond the ones faced by private enterprise, such as overcoming employee anxiety and resistance to change. For government departments, older buildings and lack of budget to refurbish can also hinder plans to change to an activity based working environment. In addition, government departments face restrictions from Enterprise Bargaining Agreements and mandated business practices.

Related article: Top 3 Challenges of Moving to an Agile Working Environment

However, the benefits to be gained from activity based working are so compelling that some government pioneers are pushing the envelope in spite of these challenges. Here’s why:

Huge cost savings.
Real estate represents one of the highest costs faced by organisations, second only to the cost of labour. Most property teams are facing pressure to reduce the cost of workspace, but Australian government departments face an even greater challenge. They are mandated by law to reduce costs every year, in the form of the yearly efficiency dividend.

Since activity based working allows organisations to accommodate more people in fewer square meters, it’s an attractive option for helping to meet occupational density and vacancy targets, as well as reducing overall real estate spend without any reduction in headcount.

According to a report by global property services firm JLL, Australian government agencies can reduce their property footprint by as much as 40 percent by adopting activity based working environments.

Workplace productivity.
While many organisations initially face objections to activity based working, once they demonstrate the benefits for workers and ease their anxieties, these modern environments help workers to be more engaged and productive.

After all, in exchange for the desk they lose, employees stand to gain spaces that are better suited for the work they are doing, more collaborative spaces where they can connect with co-workers, and fun features like employee lounges, kitchens are areas for relaxation. It’s a proven fact: happy workers produce better results.

Innovation.
With constant pressure to reduce cost and meet the challenges of changing government initiatives, the public sector must be constantly looking for ways to improve. When you need ideas and innovation, fostering a collaborative culture within your organization is a good place to start. When teams have spaces that encourage them to work together, as activity based working spaces do, there’s a significant increase in creative thinking.

More agility.
There’s a reason activity based working is sometimes referred to as “agile working.” These environments are more conducive to changing business conditions and implementing new initiatives quickly. These are challenges that government agencies face regularly. Whenever a new regime takes over with new priorities and new laws are enacted, public sector departments need to be able to turn on a dime. Agile spaces can more easily accommodate fluctuations in numbers of workers and reorganizations due to new plans.

Attracting and retaining talent.
It’s no secret that there’s a shortage of skilled and talented workers in many industries and regions. Government agencies are competing for talent with private companies out there providing comfortable and even fun work environments. Millennials in particular are drawn to the cool new features found in activity based working environments.

Technology can ease the transition to activity based working

If you’re considering a move to activity based working, even if that move might be years down the road, now is the time to implement technology that can help you on the journey to right-sizing your office space.

Any plan to move to a non-assigned seating model must begin with understanding and taking control of your current utilisation of space. Workplace management software helps you build reliable data about your work space and how it is being used, stating with business unit allocation and down to the seat level. When you have this accurate information, you can use it to gain the trust of your business units, drive conversations about strategic changes, and even build a business case for a move to activity based working.

Technology also provides the data you’ll need to design and implement the activity based working environment that’s right for you. For example, to decide on people-to-seats ratios for each business unit, you must have a deep understanding of space utilisation, not just who sits where. That’s where utilisation tracking technologies come into play, such as RFID tags, badge swipes or speed gates, lighting and desk sensors and network capture tools. Besides giving you the data to make good decisions, the data from these technologies can also power wayfinding tools for employees to find work spaces and each other in the new environment.

To learn more about the different technologies for collecting utilisation data, take a look at this helpful resource: Measuring Workplace Utilization.

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Case Study: Automation Helps Optimise Workplace Space Utilisation

Are you under the gun to improve workplace space utilisation and reduce your footprint? Just about every large organisation is facing this challenge today. If you are looking for solutions to this problem, you might be surprised to hear that you can learn a thing or two from the Australian government.

In 2009, the Australian government began reviewing its property footprint with the goal of saving money by reducing space. The result was a new process called PRODAC, which requires departments to report their space utilisation every year, and to work toward meeting progressively shrinking targets for vacancy and occupational density. They must also meet a yearly efficiency dividend by reducing operational costs.

If you think you’re under a lot of pressure to reduce your space utilisation, imagine being mandated by law to do so! That’s the burden on the Australian public sector. Let us tell you a story about one department, which we can’t name for security reasons, and how they have made significant strides in reducing the space they hold. At one point they reduced vacancy from 18% down to 10% in a short period, even with severe restrictions due to security and employee conditions.

How did they do it? By automating space utilisation management, and learning some important lessons about managing change along the way.

What can you do when you’re mandated to reduce space utilisation?

When the PRODAC regulations were announced, Australian public sector departments and agencies were suddenly faced with a huge burden: carrying out a time-consuming reporting process each year, and figuring out how to go about reducing their space utilisation.

One government department, who became a Serraview client, realized early on that this was their opportunity to explore automating their space management processes. Their property team consisted of a group of smart individuals who had seen what technology could accomplish, and they had a vision of how they could do better with space utilisation.

Challenges to automating space utilisation management

Now, as you’re probably aware, implementing new technology can pose challenges, even when everyone’s on board about the need for the change. However, the public sector face even more difficult hurdles to implementing new technology than most:

  • Strict security requirements. Any new software must treat data with the same level of security as the government does. Although the data being stored is classified at the lower end of the risk spectrum (as it doesn’t include any financial data, health data information about the public, or top secret classified data), it still requires stringent controls to be put in place to protect personal data about employees and their locations. Any new system would need to pass extensive, time-consuming security accreditation in line with the Australian Government Information Security Manual (ISM) published by the Department of Defence.
  • Enterprise Bargaining Agreements. Due to strict employment conditions negotiated for government employees, the property team had restrictions on their ability to transition people to best-practice workplaces, such as agile working. Any changes would have to be negotiated and implemented slowly.

The property team realized that getting security clearance to put detailed data into the system, as well as the IT support to implement advanced utilisation technologies like Serraview Live, was going to take some time. However, they knew they couldn’t wait that long to get started taking control of their space utilisation. So they devised an implementation plan in stages to help them reap the benefits as quickly as possible.

Implementing space utilisation technology in 3 stages

STAGE ONE: Taking control of business space allocation

When the property team first implemented Serraview’s space utilisation management technology, the only data they were allowed to put into the system was information about business units and their space assignments. So that’s where the team started. Serraview took care of importing all their floor plans, then they were able to overlay allocation data and easily view color-coded plans showing where teams were located.

While the team couldn’t yet track seat assignments and employee data at this stage, having those graphical floor plans helped the team to drive conversations with business units about space requests and even relocations. The ability to create scenario plans and show a group their new space went a long way toward easing people’s concerns about moving.

Related article: Property Teams: How to Drive Space Utilization Planning Conversations

STAGE TWO: Adding employee data

Additional security hurdles were cleared when Serraview achieved ISM certification, allowing the team to begin tracking employee data in the system. Now they were ready to get a better handle on occupancy and achieve their space utilisation targets. When business units submitted requests for additional space, having those graphical floor plans that showed exactly who sits where really changed the conversation. Groups could no longer “hide” space that they didn’t really need.

At this stage, the property team could actually see the pockets of available space and fill them when new requests came in, rather than having to increase footprint. They could also easily restack and consolidate available space, and reduce their footprint by subleasing that space out to another government department. That new strategy saved significant cost instead of waiting out a 10 year lease with under-utilised space.

STAGE THREE: Implementing utilisation tracking technology

Today, this government department is in the process of implementing utilisation tracking technologies, such as badge swipe/speed gate data, and moving toward collecting utilization data through their IP network using Serraview Live. With that system in place, utilisation information will be automatically maintained with no need for staff intervention.

Tracking utilisation tells you how and when space is actually being used, not just who it’s assigned to. As a starting point, the property team is finding the data useful as proof to gain approval for their strategic plans, and they continue to find more ways that data can help drive down space utilisation.

One idea in the planning stages is a move to an agile working environment, as opposed to the current assigned-seating model. One successful pilot has already been completed and a second is slated to begin later this year. These modern workspaces not only reduce footprint significantly, but also help attract top talent and even promote a culture of collaboration and innovation within an organisation.

Related article: What Does the Agile Work Environment Look Like?

What results can you expect from automating space utilisation planning?

Here’s what this Australian government department has achieved and some of the lessons they learned along the way:

Space utilisation targets achieved: twice!
It takes resiliency along with the right automated tools to reduce space utilisation and achieve the aggressive targets required from the Australian public sector. This particular team had to do it twice! They managed to reduce their vacancy rate from 18 percent down to 10 percent, and they were also able to meet their density target (at that time) of 16 square meters per person. Then in 2014, the government imposed significant staffing reductions, which shot their vacancy back up to 23 percent! At the same time their density target was reduced as well.

Talk about taking the wind out of your sails! It was back to the drawing board for the property team, but now they knew they had the tools and the skills to accomplish their goals. Within a year, they managed to get their vacancy back down, reduce their total real estate footprint by 25%, and are on target to meet the new density requirements.

Proactively managing change
This Australian government property team have learned more than they bargained for in the process of automating their space utilisation management. Not just about how to best use the new tools to reduce their footprint, but about managing change and how others react to that change.

The team found that the visual nature of their new system was a great help in changing people’s mindsets and reducing conflict. For example, previously their business units were focused on their own interests and not very concerned about impacts of change on other groups. As a result, it was difficult for them to accept a scenario that was best overall. That all changed when they were able to see visual move scenarios and the impact their “wants” would have on other groups. Seeing is believing!

The accommodation staff also benefited from being able to see both the current state of their space utilisation and the potential results of their strategic plans. It helped settle differences between team members about how to tackle space planning issues.

Furthermore, the data also allowed the property team to make excess space available to other government departments and agencies. Thus they could decrease their own space holding and apply the cost savings to their efficiency dividend, the annual reduction in operational expenses imposed on the Australian public sector.

Related article: Using Business Intelligence Analytics to Drive Better CRE Decisions

What space utilisation challenges are you facing?

Today’s large organisations, whether public or private sector, are facing the need to reduce their space footprint. Organisations are waking up to the fact that as much as 50 percent or more of their space sits vacant each day due to increasingly mobile workforces, and those wasted costs can be reduced.

To do so, you need to improve space utilisation using the right automated tools. The trick is choosing the one that will bring the best and fastest results.

Here’s a helpful resource that can help jump-start your search for the right workplace management software: 5 Critical Comparison Points for Workplace Management Software.

Categories
Blog

4 Steps to Easier PRODAC Compliance

What’s your least favorite month of the year? If you’re part of a property team for an Australian government agency or department, it’s probably September. That’s PRODAC reporting time.

How much time and expense could you save if you had an automated system that contained accurate data about all your workpoints, including actual occupancy information? And you could use that system to collect data and output your PRODAC report every year?

Did you know you can have that system today?

PRODAC reporting the old way

Everyone on your team probably dreads the last week of September, when you have to produce the time consuming and labor-intensive manual report about all your agency’s leased and owned workspace. You’d better get your trainers ready because you’ll be spending days walking the floors. And while you’re busy doing that, nothing else gets done. So once you’re finished with the exhaustive PRODAC process, you’ll have to work even longer hours to catch up on the pile of work you had to put off. Guess you won’t be seeing much of your family for a couple of weeks.

Related article: Fast-Track Corporate Space Planning: Technology Can Shorten Your Day

Here’s how the PRODAC process typically goes. First of all, you need to know exactly how many workpoints you have in your space. And then you need to figure out which ones are really being used.

Sounds simple in theory. After all, HR should have all that information, right? Not exactly. While they know who is employed, they may not know about contractors. And they certainly don’t know where all those people are. How many work off-site? How many spend most of their time traveling and don’t need office space? Are there part time workers sharing space? It’s unlikely that anyone can give you the answers to those questions.

As things stand now, the only way for you to count your workpoints, and determine which ones are occupied, is to walk around with a clipboard and physically count them. Presumably, that’s why the PRODAC process requires you to do a walk through. While time consuming, it’s easy enough to count workpoints, defined as “a desk, enclosed office or a counter where it would be reasonable to expect a person to carry out office work on an ongoing basis.”

On the other hand, figuring out which work points are actually occupied can be a challenge. The PRODAC regulations tell you to look for “signs of life” including name plates, papers or folders on desks, or even personal items that mean you can’t reallocate the space. But what if someone who’s off traveling, and likes to leave her desk neat? It may look like the space is not occupied. Or, what if a team is trying to hold onto vacant space, and someone goes around leaving coffee cups and files on unused desks? How will you be the wiser?

Once your team has done their best to count all those workpoints and figure out which ones are occupied, you have another tedious task to complete: the actual PRODAC report. Since you have captured all your data manually, now you need to compile and aggregate all that data into a single spreadsheet. That process can take just as long as walking the floors!

Especially for large departments, the expense of all that work is the most unfortunate part. You can probably think of many ways you could put that part of your budget to better use. How about applying it to strategic planning activities to identify ways right-size your portfolio and achieve your yearly efficiency dividend?

Related article: Property Team: How to Drive Space Planning Utilization Conversations

The good news is, there is a faster and easier way to complete your PRODAC reporting.

Here’s how it works.

STEP 1: Automate occupancy data gathering

The right workplace management software serves as a repository of accurate, trusted data about your work spaces, including floor plans showing allocations to different teams and exactly who sits where. You can be sure the data is accurate when your teams have the ability to update and validate their data monthly. You can also automatically capture accurate utilisation information from badge swipe data, network data, or other types of occupancy sensors.

Want to learn more about technologies for collecting utilisation data? Grab a copy of this free resource that explains the pros and cons of each: Measuring Workplace Utilization. 

Although the PRODAC regulations still require you to walk the floor to verify your occupancy data, that exercise is faster and easier when you only need to validate the information you already have in your automated system. Perhaps the day is not too far off when the regulations will allow you to use the data in your system and skip the manual audit altogether.

STEP 2: Access your floor plans to facilitate PRODAC auditing

How much easier is to do your walk-through when you can reference accurate floor plans showing all your workpoints (and who sits where) on a tablet, confirming occupancy data as you go?

STEP 3: Enter your audit data

Get ready to retire your trusty clipboard. With an automated system, you can use a tablet to enter data as you walk the floor.

STEP 4: Run the report

As of now, here’s the part where you save the most time and effort. With an automated system capturing your PRODAC audit information, you no longer need to compile all that data manually. Simply export your data into a report that’s already in the required PRODAC format. Couldn’t be easier!

Are you ready to move to a simpler process for PRODAC compliance? The good news is, you can have Serraview’s workplace management software up and running in a few months, so there’s still time to get everything in place before the next PRODAC reporting period. Get started by scheduling a demo now!

Download a guide to measuring workplace utilization.

Categories
Blog

5 Ways to Smooth Relocation After Machinery of Government Changes

For public sector employees, machinery of government changes can be a source of a great deal of anxiety about changes in job responsibilities, reporting structure, and (possibly worst of all) having to relocate to a new workspace.

For property teams within government departments, machinery of government changes can be even more stressful. That’s because you not only have to worry about your own job, but you’re suddenly facing a great deal more work: managing relocations of the shifting workforce and finding new space for any new departments and agencies. It’s a monumental task, and one that needs to be accomplished at lightning speed.

In large corporations, churn is also a way of life and property teams are tasked with moving them around while minimising work disruption. But in the public sector, you regularly face an even more difficult challenge: moving large numbers of people at the drop of a hat. With machinery of government changes, you often won’t know what’s coming until the change is publicly announced.

In addition to moves resulting from machinery of government, public sector departments are expected to help each other out with their space needs, such as subleasing available space to each other. It’s not unheard of for departments to swap space when one is growing and the other getting smaller. That means even more relocations.

In the process of working with Australian government departments for a decade, Serraview has learned a thing or two about making these transitions faster and easier. Here’s some advice we think will help, as well as specific steps for smoothing and speeding the process of relocating groups after a machinery of government change.

Technology is the key to smoothing churn after machinery of government changes

This advice is probably not a surprise to you: technology always seems to be the way to make things faster and easier. For government agencies in particular, getting new technology implemented can be a challenge. We’re here to tell you—not just because we develop this technology, but because we’ve seen the results time and time again—that it’s well worth the effort. Here’s how to make it happen.

 

STEP 1: Implement technology to get your house in order

You’ve probably heard the old adage: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Whomever coined that phrase probably never imagined it would be used to describe technology. But it’s true: implementing the right technology helps you be prepared for machinery of government changes. And that preparation can make a world of difference in speeding and managing the process when you have to implement those massive relocations.

Since you’re not likely get much warning about machinery of government changes, the key to reacting quickly is having an accurate picture of your current occupancy. If you don’t have this information today, it will take you much longer to figure out how to accommodate potentially thousands of new people. Now is the time to get your house in order with a workplace management tool that provides you with a trustworthy source of record for occupancy data. You’ll be in the best position to handle whatever comes when you know where your people are and how much vacancy currently exists.

Here are some tips about features to look for:

Self-service portal: Speed data collection by providing an easy way for departments to enter, update and validate their data. They will WANT to do it when they see the reports you can provide them in return.

Utilisation tracking: If you’re facing restrictions on getting some teams to enter data, you can import badge swipe data or implement computer network monitoring software to collect utilisation data automatically.

Related article: What’s New in Smart Building Technology: Occupancy Sensors

Scenario modeling: If you’re getting wind that changes are coming, you want access to tools that help you prepare multiple possible scenarios for accommodating machinery of government changes.

STEP 2: Gather new data

When the word comes down about changes impacting your department, you won’t have to panic since you have your workplace management system and your occupancy data in place. So what comes next?

Now is the time to gather new information: both the digital kind and the human kind. If you’re lucky, your workplace management software company might help you with the digital part (gathering and importing the data about the new teams you need to accommodate). That’s how you’ll find out about the numbers of people and how their teams are currently structured.

Here’s some important advice: don’t stop there. Get in touch with leaders, representatives and space champions for the new teams affected by the machinery of government changes. That often means EAs and PAs, who you want to make your new best friends. They can tell you about important things to know about the teams being moved, such as which teams would benefit from being aligned, which can’t sit together, and what important goals and initiatives they are working on that might impact the relocation.

STEP 3: Create a relocation plan

Once you know for certain how much vacancy you have, as well as the numbers and needs of those you need to accommodate, it’s time to create a plan for the relocation.

Spend some time (but not too much time, you’ll be under pressure to get started) modeling a few scenarios to see which option provides the best balance of cost effectiveness and time to implement. You will be able to see where your existing vacancy can accommodate the new changes. Your workplace management software will come in handy now, when you can easily restack your floors to create a contiguous space for the new group. Don’t forget to take into account the intelligence info you learned from your space champions when creating seating plans and move schedules.

Another option to consider when working through possible solutions for machinery of government changes, especially when it looks like you don’t have enough space, is a move to agile working. Moving from an assigned seating model to a free address space might be the solution you need to accommodate a new department without adding footprint.

 

To learn more about moving to agile working, read this related article:
10 Keys to Success with the Agile Work Environment

For more tips about creating relocation plans, read this related article:
Office Relocation Planning: Keeping Your Move On Track, Part 1

STEP 4: Communicate

Moving makes employees anxious, and machinery of government changes make the whole situation even more stressful. When entire departments are moving and restructuring, there’s a great deal of change management that needs to take place. Communication can smooth the transition by helping people be prepared for what’s coming and easing their fears.

You really can’t communicate too much in preparation for a relocation. There are give and take aspects to this communication: listening and gathering intelligence, and proactively providing helpful information to affected employees. We previously mentioned the “take” part: making friends with representatives of the new departments to learn about their needs. Now it’s time for giving back. One of the most efficient and effective ways to do this is by setting up automated email communications for everyone involved in the relocation.

Technology can make this task vastly simpler. Just set up different templates providing need-to-know information for each affected group, and schedule them to go out at the right time according to the relocation plan.

 You’ll also need to communicate information to other parties involved in implementing the relocation, such as removalists. Technology can make this step simple as well, when you can easily generate reports with all the information they need.

STEP 5: Provide move day support

Even with the best relocation plan, you’re bound to hit a few snags on move day. This is especially true for moves caused by machinery of government changes, since you’re moving so many with so little time to get ready. Once again, the trick is to be prepared and provide support for dealing with issues.

Establish support points-of-contact for different types of issues in advance, such as IT issues or finding lost items. Then communicate that information to everyone (using one of your email templates!) prior to move day. On the day itself, people may not have comm set up so you’ll need support staff walking the floors to help people out.

Your goal should be to minimise work disruption as much as possible. Postpone problems that are not business-critical, and focus on getting people back to work.

Related article: Office Relocation Checklist for Successfully Executing Your Move

Implementing workplace technology: How long does it take?

Here’s the good news: you still have time to be ready for the next general election and the resulting machinery of government changes. Today’s best in class workplace management software can be up and running in months, rather than years like some older IWMS systems you might be considering.

Time to implement and achieve value is just one of the critical features you must consider when evaluating workplace management tools.

Learn more about what you might be missing from our informative guide to 5 Critical Comparison Points for Workplace Management Software.

Categories
Video

VIDEO: How To Create a Stacking Plan to Right-Size Office Space

If you are a corporate space planner, figuring out how to right-size your office space can seem overwhelming. How can you create a new stacking plan that takes advantage of your existing vacancy? You may need room for a new team or just want to consolidate so you can sublease space that’s not needed.

Just figuring out where you have empty seats can take weeks all by itself. And while you are collecting that data, it’s already becoming outdated as people move around. The good news is, there’s a much easier way to create a new stacking plan that consolidates your vacant seats. Watch this video to see Serraview’s Ian Morley demonstrate how to do it in a couple of minutes.

And don’t forget, if you’ve got questions, send us a message on Twitter and use the hashtag #AskSerraview.

Hello, and welcome to Serraview’s first Space Planning Video Blog!

My name is Ian Morley, and I’m here to answer your most pressing questions about corporate space management.To get the ball rolling, let’s start with one of the most commonly asked questions we get from clients.

The question is: What is the best way to right-size my office space?It’s a great question. Let me show you how we can use our Scenario Planning Tools to quickly answer it.First up, I’m going to open up Serraview’s Block & Stack tool and take a look at the extent of the problem.

We’re going to take a look at the stacking plan for our building at 100 Broadway.

Here you can see our current stacking plan for the building, including how many seats are assigned to each business unit.

If you look here at the top right, you can see some key metrics about the building.

The key number I’m looking for is this one here in gray… it’s showing that we currently have 429 vacant seats in the building.

If you look at the floors you can see that they average about 128 seats per floor. In other words, if we create a new stacking plan to right-size the space allocations, we should be able to free up over 3 floors of space.

Putting that into perspective, in most major cities, that’s the equivalent of over $3 million in wasted real estate space.

Ok, so how do we go about creating a new stacking plan to right-size the building?

The best way to do that is to create a what-if scenario plan.

We’ll go to the FILE menu and choose NEW PROJECT.

I’ll add a PROJECT NAME and enter my building.

To right-size my team allocations, I select all the teams, then choose TOOLS, Set to occupants.

You can see that the system has now compressed all of the teams’ allocations, and freed up all this vacancy here in the white.

Now, we may be able to stop here, but I do want to go a step further and quickly restack the building by dragging and dropping our groups around. That way, we can consolidate all our available space into a couple of floors, so that we can hopefully sublet or repurpose for another project team that’s about to enter the building.

An there we have it! In the space of a couple of minutes, we’ve just created a new stacking plan to right-sized the building, and we’ve freed up over three floors of vacant space.

Thank you for joining us for Serraview’s first Space Planning Video Blog!

If you have a pressing question that you’d like us to answer, please send us a message over Twitter, using the hashtag #AskSerraview.

I look forward to it, and see you next time.

To learn more about corporate space planning issues, read these related topics:

Fast-Track Corporate Space Planning: Technology Can Shorten Your Day
10 Steps That Drive Better Space Efficiency in the Workplace

If you’re just beginning a search for the right corporate space planning tool, you’ll quickly discover that comparing the available options is no easy task. There’s a wide range of features and functionality, and it can be tricky to figure out what will deliver the results you’re after. Hone in on the search criteria that help companies get faster results and better ROI with this helpful guide to 5 Critical Comparison Points for Workplace Management Software.