Another week, another ‘Wave’ ??

5 news items from the world of work and workplace you can digest in 5 minutes.

This week:

1. Fifth of firms failing to meet staff flexible working demands
2. AI is helping architects change workplace design
3. Big Tech recalibrates after years of building pricey playgrounds

Failing to Meet Demands: A fifth of firms failing to meet staff flexible work demands reports Workplace Insight . 20% of HR directors admit they don’t know where to start in meeting their workforce’s flexibility needs, according to a new report by Apogee Corporation . The data shows there’s a significant disconnect between HR departments and employees, with over a quarter (28%) of employees identifying insufficient tech as the biggest barrier to feeling more connected to their organization and colleagues. Poor digital collaboration across hybrid work settings is having an extensive range of impacts on staff, from frustration (29%) and isolation (28%) to an inability to do their job properly (28%). Sadly 76% of HR directors say employee expectations around flexibility are simply incompatible with business needs. Read Full Article.

How to Approach RTO: As an increasing number of companies backtrack on flexible work policies, employers are incentivising in-office work. The carrot and stick method saw Salesforce donating $10 to local charities each day employees attended the office across 10 days in June. Meanwhile, J.P. 摩根 and 华特迪士尼公司 are offering in-office dining, and 谷歌 hosted a Lizzo concert. Vanessa Stock , CPO Pitch , said: “If leaders can provide genuine clarity on their remote work strategy and end goals, their teams will execute more successfully. Protecting or reviving outdated traditions is like swimming against the tide – we need to find new ways of collaborating and building teams. I can assure you the answer is not calling everyone back to the office for an arbitrary number of days per week.” Read Full Article.

AI Rethinks Office Design: AI is helping architects change workplace design, reports 纽约时报 . To address the changing landscape of work, firms like Zaha Hadid Architects have been turning to AI to help its architects design better office buildings, and spaces that cater to workers’ individual needs. “I’ve been a workplace designer for the last 24 years,” said architect Arjun Kaicker . “I’ve seen more change in the last 24 months than in the whole of my career.” Historically, offices have been designed based on organizational charts to “see who reports to whom and which departments might need to sit next to each other,” said academic, author and activist in design Jeremy Myerson . Today, with staff members both WFH and the office, “businesses just can’t afford to have swathes of real estate that are underutilized for the week,” he said. Many businesses are using algorithms and machine intelligence “to have a much more real-time, dynamic reading of what’s happening in the space.” Sensors track people and environmental conditions — temperature, air quality, noise levels, humidity, carbon dioxide levels and daylight. Architects and workplace designers then cross-reference that data to get a better picture of actual needs. Read Full Article.

Building Plans on Pause: After years of building pricey playgrounds, Big Tech recalibrates, reports The Hustle . Anyone else remember when cities were desperately pitching to 亚马逊 on why they should be home to the company’s second headquarters? Amazon’s original HQ2 vision promised a $5B complex and 50k employees, but the company, which cut around 27k corporate roles this year, has since scaled back, reducing the budget by half and pausing breaking ground on the second phase. Meta and 谷歌 have also reevaluated recent real estate moves amid widespread layoffs and an uncertain economy. Read Full Article.

Flexible Offices Help Growth: A recent article from global property consultancy Knight Frank looks at ‘How flexible offices could help your business grow’. “Flexible offices are one of the top office trends we've seen this year, helping many businesses take their operations to the next level — especially with the rise of flexible and agile working,” said the piece. “As we navigate our way through a period of slowing growth and restricted spending, businesses need to spend their budget wisely and as effectively as possible. Whether it's keeping costs low by only using what they need, wanting greater freedom with their lease arrangement or something else entirely, there are many reasons to explore the many great flexible offices on offer.” Read Full Article.