In 2019, Leesman independently assessed the workplace experience of 235,644 employees across 1,277 workplaces worldwide. The study reveals the differences between what employers are providing and what employees need. We summed up the 5 most essential elements that every smart office should have.
1. Focus on employee well-being
If you could pick only one component that your smart office should contribute to, let it be well-being. Why? If your employees do not feel good about coming to work, they will not perform well. Only if they feel autonomous and inspired, they can deliver great results.
In fact, the Leesman study reveals that workplaces that pursue a well-being certification, deliver higher scores on nearly all elements that improve the employee experience.
Well-being can be achieved by giving your employees a sense of autonomy and belonging. Smart office functionalities that accomplish such feelings enable employees to book their own workspace, to quickly organize ad-hoc and hybrid meetings to discuss creative ideas with colleagues, and to find meeting spaces that match the goals of their meetings.
2. Variety of workplaces
The Leesman study reveals that lack of workspace variety is one of the biggest pain points for modern businesses: only 35.8% of employees surveyed globally are satisfied with the variety of different workspace types provided. In top organizations, this satisfaction number can be as high as 97.8%.
3. Boost employee pride
Pride is a core driver of employee engagement. While only 54.1% of employees globally can say they are proud to bring visitors to their workspace, in top organizations, 98.8% of the employees say this.
Imagine what it would do for your company if all your employees talk to visitors with pride. More potential clients would be excited to work with you, and talents would be motivated more to work for you. The positive energy that comes with pride can create a huge ripple effect for your business.
4. Impact productivity and collaboration
On average, 62.8% of worldwide employees say their workspace contributes to their productivity. Great companies accomplish numbers as high as 97.7%. When you increase your employees’ overall productivity and collaboration, your company can create more value as a whole, resulting in better revenues and profits.
5. Future-proof
COVID-19 has proven once again that we are operating our businesses in rapidly evolving times. It is not a question of whether change will occur, but how big the change will be and when it will happen. New technologies will be continuously created, employee behavior will change, and the size of your business will change too.
Creating a reality where you have real-time insights into your employee behavior will make you increase the pace with which you can adapt in the future. Therefore, it is important to make sure your new smart office collects data that enables you to make better decisions at all times.
Create a successful smart office
If you want to create a successful smart office, take a step back, and gain clarity on your smart office vision by deciding what overall elements are most important for your business. Insights from the 2019 Leesman study help determine what elements can contribute most to your success. Our team of smart office advisors has experience in creating the best places to work.
