Benefits of Workplace 3.0 – the future of the office

So, you’re back in the office (at least part time) and things are just as you left them 2 and a half years ago. Same desks, same swipe-cards, same setup of monitors.

Now you wonder how you did this every day?

This is where the benefits of Workplace 3.0 come in.

Touted as a vision for the new workplace by the Government of Canada.

The “new normal” and striving to return to a sense of familiarity was something that carried workplaces through remote work growing pains and as the world reset. However, as people are returning to the office in a range of capacities and on a variety of schedules, things are long overdue for an overhaul.  

Workplace 3.0 is meant to create a work environment that works for the people who use it. Learning from employees both in your organization and at others in terms of what works and what doesn’t is going to form the ideas to help create the office people want to commute to. 

Because of this, here’s 5 areas were seeing the most interest in for modern workplaces and how the benefit of Workplace 3.0 impact the people who are going to use it. 

Digitization & Going Beyond paperless 

Digital transformation and an increase in awareness around the fact that our future is in fact digital, and full of efficiency improvements that brings to the table. The need for digital transformation in the public sector cannot be understated now. 

Going digital doesn’t just get rid of paper but opens doors for new practices like workplace management, ticket and service requests. Digitization lays the groundwork for the introduction of mobile tools for things such as coworking, information sharing, and collaboration between teams; all at their fingertips. Even more so, it is the foundation of the new-look Workplace 3.0.

Operations and workplace management is a booming industry that is only going to continue to grow in the coming years as businesses and organizations situate themselves in the office again. An increase in responsiveness, productivity, and capacity for action through data collection are all reasons to embrace a digital transformation in the workplace. 

Managing facilities and building operations is a relatively new avenue for many, which makes digital solutions a straightforward and accessible option to get started with. Abandoning stacks of binders and logbooks for things like application-based maintenance records or emissions readings on systems is going to make a business more sustainable over time. 

Sustainable Operations 

The term sustainable operations encompass practices such as emissions and energy use, and business operations. Part of environmental social governance, which has emerged as areas of importance to younger employees hoping to see their employer take steps to be more environmentally conscious.  

Sustainability has become a staple in most long-term business planning, as more focus is placed on our relationship with the environment & how we impact it. Aligning goals and operations with sustainability in the workplace breeds longevity.  

Most of the sustainable transformation lately is grounded in digitization as the primary means of improving areas such as energy management, emissions, and industrial processes. 

Through integrating software solutions and automation across a portfolio or process, digital tools can track, analyze and adjust certain systems to be in line with emissions and energy goals.  

This can also be seen as part of the green buildings movement where entire built environments are constructed to be not only sustainable but offer a new kind of office space. These projects often include green space, improved air flow and emissions practices, lighting systems, which in improve the employee experience and turn the office into a destination for work. 

Employee Experience 

How to improve the employee experience? 

What is employee experience? 

Both these questions are being asked daily in businesses and organizations looking to get their employees back into the office. What we need out of the office is different now, and it must offer benefits that home offices or remote working does not. 

Some surveys are finding that the key to getting younger employees back is increased social connections with coworkers. This can be accomplished in a range of ways, but changing the basis of the workplace to encourage more collaboration and social time is going to mean people see it as a destination that has something to offer. 

Extending past social connections, demand is increasing for an office that incorporates health and wellness, efficiency, and manages space to match the needs of the workforce. Workplace management tools like Archibus gives teams a digital platform to support all of these. 

The best way to improve employee experience and elevate it to the next level is communicate with employees on what they need from the office and take intentional steps to make changes. 

Listening to employees on what they need from the office and using data to back your changes is a core benefit to Workplace 3.0. Creating spaces that work for the people while elevating the quality of interaction with the office space itself, rather than a default one-size fits all approach. 

Physical Space 

Making meaningful changes to the office is going to involve changes to space and how space is used to create the best physical environment.  

Making data-driven space management practices a part of your modern workplace shows exactly how the office space is being used. Helping drive change in ways that you can be sure are going to matter to your team. 

Open-concept space, more social areas are both seen as two desirable parts of physical space and benefits of workplace 3.0. Designating more areas for collaborative work along with private workstations or meeting areas that aren’t board rooms is going to change how people use the office and thus change the workplace culture.  

We’re seeing truly unique projects arise to transform the modern office. Projects like those at Spotify offices around the world merged the brand values and mission with intuitive space. Art, common rooms, collaborative or social areas are all mainstays in the new offices that transform the experience of working in-person. 

Of course, this was done intentionally, taking advice from employees and making engagement a priority by including them in the design process. With more fluidity in how we work thanks to technology, there is more room for space to be used fluidly as well, meaning how we see and use the office must change. 

Smart(er) Technology  

If you’re working to bring your office into the modern era, smart technology and integrating digital tools is going to go a long way. Digitization and going paperless is helpful, but make sure that tools for reporting and data collection for your space are part of the plan. 

Smart technology is about enabling employees and making better decisions while making things around the office more efficient.  

Some smart workplaces may allocate their smart resources to bolster things like collaboration and sharing of information between remote and in person staff. Others may choose to use it on things such as sensors and digital twins to collect data and information on systems and facilities.  

To truly elevate your workplace into the modern era, smart technology such as cloud solutions or digital conferencing are going to empower teams to work together and more efficiently; helping you see the benefits of Workplace 3.0

Smart technology can include digital twins, which help with planning and simulation using data collection and digital modelling. In areas such as industry or construction, this is going to streamline workflows that previously required more manpower or longer time to complete. 

Artificial intelligence and smart technology can be integrated into a variety of areas across a business or organization to improve how a workplace operates. Smart technology to uplift and transform the office to become the office of the future is a no brainer. Smoother transition, more efficient workflows and process improvements when combined with other areas outlined are going to result in offices looking and working differently than we are used to. 

Any of these 5 areas can provide impactful change to your office and usher in a new kind of office that works for people. Workplace 3.0 and the modern office are not buzzwords, but a central concept to the changing landscape that is work. Tools and resources are meant to help us do our jobs in an environment that is suitable for more than just work but considers the basic needs of the people doing it.