[Blog] Create a Smart Hybrid Workplace & Accelerate Digital Transformation

Source: Adobe

Flexible work schedules are fast becoming the new normal. As more companies transition to remote working environments, businesses are seizing opportunities to streamline functions across the operational chain. Businesses are realizing the importance of using areas more creatively to accommodate smart hybrid workplace models, a type of work arrangement that combines aspects of remote and in-office work.

A 2020 survey found that companies shifted almost their entire workforce to remote work as the pandemic spread, with 73% of executives noting the move was a success. Now, just over half of executives (55%) expect to extend flexible work options post-COVID. The research further shows that office workers are pushing for remote work – 72% say they prefer to work away from the office for at least two days a week, while a third (32%) prefer never to go to the office.

When should employees be in the office? When shouldn’t they? Should they be at all? The debate over hybrid work environments rages on. Whatever type of hybrid work your organization chooses, it’ll involve digital platforms and tools to support flexible, digital workplaces.

Leverage AI in the Office

“The hybrid workplace is a … new work model that organizations face post-pandemic,” according to Dion Hinchcliffe, the Principal Analyst at Constellation Research. The hybrid model will also represent the largest-ever group of divided workers: Those heading back to the office (60%), and those remaining to work from home (40%).

“It will be vital to connect these two groups better across the location divide to collaborate efficiently, foster a common culture, and keep them effective and productive as work is conducted across the gap,” says Dion Hinchcliffe, the Principal Analyst at Constellation Research.

The challenge is how to effectively create hybrid work models that will help companies retain and attract top talent, drive productivity, and support employee engagement with the same kind of rigor as in the pre-hybrid days. A solid digital infrastructure, the experts say, will allow for more clarity, measurability, and adaptability in the hybrid work model.

Smarten Spaces can help to mitigate these challenges so employers and employees can work together to optimize in-office and remote functions. Our digital technology will automate Hybrid work with AI-based scheduling and recommendations to align your space with the needs of your flexible workforce. With our smart desk management platform, you can organize your workforce and enable a seamless hybrid work experience. The Workforce Rostering feature allows you to manage who works from the office and when; allowing you to schedule a time to automate in-office time when your colleagues and teams are also in the office to maximize collaboration.

With our Workplace Experience App, employees can secure a desk or a meeting room in just a few steps. It offers real-time seat and space options and an innovative Artificial Intelligence that completely automates social distancing seat planning based on your occupancy standards.

What AI is doing is taking repetitive tasks from a person and doing them faster and more efficiently, as well as learning and offering insights on how to optimize collaboration and flexible space. It’s worth noting that 54% of executives say they are using AI to automate processes too complex for older technologies.

Efficient HR, Infrastructure, and Resource Management

Having the option to switch between the two work arrangements can prove extremely beneficial long term. But to reap maximum benefit, companies will have to invest in implementing the necessary infrastructure and managing the resources to yield better team synergy.

The same software that powers remote working is at the heart of a smooth-functioning hybrid workplace. With the Smarten Spaces Jumpree app, you can ensure your people have all the space they need when they need it. Some of the features include managing your meeting rooms by defining the names and then providing capacity, zones, and location.

Workplaces of the future will evolve in response to the pandemic regardless of whether they’re offices or manufacturing plants. Contactless and passwordless interactions using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and QR codes will become the norm for mundane functions such as unlocking physical access to restricted spaces or operating vending machines. Smarten Spaces can help your employees stay connected with the smart office integrations with complementary workplace solutions and IoT-enabled functionality through beacons and sensors.

AI makes people uncomfortable because it‘s often thought of as something that leads to job losses. However, when it comes to AI integration today, “augmentation” is the operative word– the idea that AI will help us do our jobs more efficiently, rather than replace us.

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Embrace Digital in Your Office Culture

Integrating digital technology and embedding a digital culture will pay off in ways that positively impact team synergy and collaboration. There are several reasons why your corporation should care about digital culture, here’s three.
– Breaks hierarchy and speeds up work – Encourages Innovation – Attracts new-age talent and retains the current workforce.
A study has found that 54% of executives successfully increased overall productivity in their businesses by implementing AI. In a fiercely competitive market, it’s becoming increasingly important to create a digital culture in your business. To help instill a digital mindset, you need to ensure employees are informed, engaged, and empowered. But how? Embracing transparency, encouraging collaboration, offering digital training, and being comfortable with risk. That’s how.

In companies with a weak digital culture, just 12% of employees feel productive. In a strong digital culture environment, this increases to 22%. From AI-synchronized schedules to automated Visitor Management and Access Control Systems, automation is central in maximizing the benefits of a smart hybrid workplace.

Smart Hybrid Workplace Solutions With Smarten Spaces

The future office has arrived, and so too have the benefits. From optimized space efficiency to increased collaboration, Smarten Spaces leverages AI-driven technology that can help transform any workspace into an environment where productivity is maximized and creativity flourishes thanks to these powerful innovations.

The Smarten Spaces platform creates hybrid environments that will propel your business into the workplace of the future by enabling flexible spaces to extract maximum benefit from digital transformation. From more efficient workforce rostering to scheduling and space recommendations, tapping into AI-powered solutions will help to fast-track the digital culture necessary to attract talent.

Looking to evolve from fixed to flexible workplaces and accelerate your digital transformation? Get in touch with Smarten Spaces today, we love nothing more than helping you create smarter hybrid workspaces for everyone on your team.