Workplace

This is the second article in a three-part series exploring what lays on the other side of COVID-19 for businesses. Click here to read part 1 

It’s time we all have a heart-to-heart conversation about meeting rooms. No, really. They are the piece of working in an office that never quite fits the puzzle, the headache that never quite subsides, the element whose coordination always takes longer than it should. 

Work life in an office is slowly slipping away from what was once the norm not long ago: 9-5 hours in the office, a couple of mandatory breaks, and a sea of desks adorned with personal effects, drawers of snacks and spare shoes underneath. 

HOW INDOOR LOCATION TECH ENHANCES PRODUCTIVITY AND IMPROVES EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING: AN INTERVIEW WITH INNERSPACE CMO CERYS GOODALL At the start of spring this year, InnerSpace announced the close of a $3.2 million seed round led by BDC Capital’s Women in Technology Fund. 

From Collision to Queens University and the upcoming DC5G, our CEO James Wu has enlightened audiences across North America about how we’re dramatically changing the way indoor space is used – and the powerful benefits it brings to companies. 

Tech titans like Google and Apple have made significant investments in mapping and navigation. They’ve taken their expertise in location data and started applying its value to the indoors. And over the last few years a number of startups have emerged to provide insights around indoor location data - primarily in retail. All claiming to have built breakthrough solutions. But yet, indoor data isn’t ubiquitous. Adoption of indoor location to create Smart Buildings remains highly customized and consultative. 

Raj decides that today he’d like to work in the west wing of the office – it’s quieter so he can focus on a major report that’s due. Tomorrow, he plans to work near the cafe for his brainstorm session, taking advantage of the camaraderie that tends to percolate there. Later in the week, he’ll telecommute from the road while visiting clients in communities across the region.

Companies that provide engaging workplaces are rewarded with happy, productive employees. There is no doubt that how and where we work is changing. The evolution of the modern workplace is being driven by demographics, the growing gig economy, and technology trends that are making smart buildings even smarter. Helping to push the changes forward even faster are companies we call workplace innovators. From global brands like IBM, Microsoft and LinkedIn to Alley, a leader in the emerging area of co-working office services, these organizations offer workplace solutions that lead the way in helping people to do their best work. IBM, for example, has embraced co-working and occupies an entire WeWork building in downtown Manhattan for 600 employees.

Indoor location data and IoT applications are revolutionizing how commercial real estate is managed to reduce operating costs and improve tenant experiences. The “smart buildings” of a decade ago look practically antique when compared to commercial real estate today. In the past, networked HVAC systems and single-building management systems helped lower operating costs. It was about being “green.” But nowadays, building managers and tenants expect more value from facilities management solutions.

Smart technology used inside smart buildings can eliminate wasted time and improve collaboration. But it also engages employees by providing better workplace experiences. Organizations that take productivity seriously, know smarter machines are key to unlocking greater returns from human capital. So says Michael Schrage, a prolific author on the subject of innovation and a research fellow at the MIT Sloan School’s Center for Digital Business. We agree: smart technology enables people to work smarter and more efficiently. Applied in a smart building context, it gives people tools to carve out the time and space they need for their work within a busy office setting.

How workplaces and workspaces are changing to meet the needs of a mobile, connected workforce.

In 2017, Forbes cited this study, stating that “happy employees are 20% more productive than unhappy employees”. It further stated that stock prices of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work for" rose 14% per year from 1998 to 2005, while companies not on the list only reported a 6% increase.