How do you manage the impact of remote work and flexible schedules on your space and workplace management?

1 Assess your current and future needs

Before you make any changes to your space and workplace management, you need to understand your current situation and your future goals. Conduct a space audit to measure your existing space inventory, occupancy, utilization, and performance. Identify any gaps, inefficiencies, or opportunities for improvement. Then, consult with your stakeholders, such as senior management, human resources, and employees, to determine your organizational objectives, priorities, and expectations for the post-pandemic work environment. How many employees will work remotely, on-site, or in a hybrid mode? How often and when will they need to access the office? What kind of workspaces and amenities will they require? How will you ensure their health, safety, and well-being?

3 Use technology to support your space and workplace management

Technology is an essential tool for FMs to manage the impact of remote work and flexible schedules on their space and workplace management. You can use various software and hardware solutions to collect, analyze, and visualize data on your space performance, occupancy, and utilization. For example, you can use sensors, cameras, or badges to track how employees use your space and identify patterns, trends, or anomalies. You can also use dashboards, reports, or alerts to monitor and evaluate your space efficiency, productivity, and satisfaction. Moreover, you can use technology to facilitate your flexible workspace strategy by enabling employees to reserve, check-in, or check-out workspaces via mobile apps, web portals, or kiosks. You can also use technology to communicate with your employees, provide them with information, feedback, or guidance, and solicit their input or feedback on your space and workplace management.

4 Review and update your policies and procedures

Another way to manage the impact of remote work and flexible schedules on your space and workplace management is to review and update your policies and procedures accordingly. You need to ensure that your policies and procedures are aligned with your organizational goals, flexible workspace strategy, and employee needs and expectations. For example, you need to establish clear and consistent rules and guidelines for your employees on how to use, reserve, and share your workspaces, as well as how to maintain hygiene, security, and etiquette. You also need to update your procedures for cleaning, maintenance, emergency, and contingency planning to reflect the changes in your space usage and occupancy. Furthermore, you need to communicate your policies and procedures to your employees, train them on how to follow them, and monitor and enforce them regularly.

5 Evaluate and improve your space and workplace management

Finally, you need to evaluate and improve your space and workplace management on an ongoing basis to manage the impact of remote work and flexible schedules. You need to measure and assess your space and workplace management performance against your objectives, indicators, and benchmarks. You need to collect and analyze data from various sources, such as technology, surveys, interviews, or observations, to understand your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You also need to solicit and incorporate feedback from your stakeholders, such as senior management, human resources, and employees, to understand their satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty. Based on your evaluation, you need to identify and implement improvements, changes, or innovations to your space and workplace management to ensure that you meet your current and future needs and challenges.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?