Supporting a Flexible Workplace: 4 Key Strategies for a Remote-First Teams
VergeSense
We help companies unlock the potential of their spaces to foster connection, inspiration, and sustainability.
Hey there,
As companies increasingly adopt flexible and remote-first models, workplace leaders are exploring new ways to build spaces that foster connection and productivity.
How can you support your flexible workplace strategy while maintaining a strong culture and optimizing your office space?
Let’s dive in.
As companies continue to adapt to employee preferences, flexible workplace models are becoming more common. With globally distributed teams, leaders are discovering new ways to foster connection and productivity, testing strategies such as coworking spaces and event-first approaches.
To help you support your flexible workplace strategy, we’ve gathered key insights and actionable tips from industry leaders, including Noel McNulty from Twilio, who shared his experience at our 4th Occupancy Intelligence Summit last month.
1. Invest in the right technology
Having reliable collaboration tools like video conferencing, project management software, and file-sharing platforms is essential for remote-first teams. But just as important is the ability to gather and analyze data to understand office usage patterns and employee behavior.
By using the right tools to collect data—such as sensor data, badge data, and employee feedback—you can make data-driven decisions that impact office design and space optimization. McNulty and his team at Twilio use multiple data sources to create smarter workplaces, ensuring that office spaces align with the evolving needs of a remote-first workforce.
Key Takeaway: Use data-driven tools to gain insights into office usage and employee behavior, enabling smarter design and optimization decisions.
2. Prioritize In-Person Collaboration Opportunities
Even in a remote-first environment, in-person collaboration remains invaluable. McNulty and his team continue to prioritize face-to-face interactions through regular team offsite events, ensuring that teams come together more frequently.
These events foster deeper connections, strengthen team culture, and give employees the opportunity to collaborate in ways that remote tools can’t replicate. By integrating periodic in-person gatherings, you can maintain strong relationships while embracing the flexibility of remote work.
Key Takeaway: Regular in-person gatherings help strengthen team connections and enhance collaboration, even in a remote-first environment.
3. Use Data to Optimize Office Design
Transitioning to a remote-first strategy requires a shift in how you think about office space. Instead of viewing the office as a place for daily, heads-down work, McNulty and his team reimagined it as an event-focused, hospitality-centric experience akin to hotels housing meeting rooms and breakout spaces.
They relied on data to redesign their offices, looking closely at space usage patterns to create environments that employees actually want to use. This intentional approach to office design ensures that when employees do come in, they find spaces that encourage collaboration, creativity, and connection.
Key Takeaway: Reimagine the office as an event-focused space, using data to create environments that employees will actually want to use.
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4. Focus on employee experience
A strong remote-first strategy is built on a deep commitment to the employee experience. McNulty and his team have made this a top priority, aligning their focus on enhancing employee engagement, culture, and enablement.
Their improvements are guided by a combination of quantitative data—such as space utilization and sensor data—and qualitative feedback gathered from employee surveys, town halls, and virtual collaborations. By continually listening to employees and responding to their needs, you can create a work environment that supports both remote and in-office team members.
Key Takeaway: Continuously gather employee feedback and leverage both data and insights to enhance engagement, culture, and overall workplace satisfaction.
As you build and refine your flexible workplace strategy, remember that a successful approach is about more than just enabling remote work. By investing in the right technology, encouraging in-person collaboration, using data to optimize your office space, and prioritizing the employee experience, you can create a work environment that thrives both virtually and in person.
Make better decisions with WiFi data
On October 29th we’re hosting our next Office Hours session where we’ll show you how to leverage WiFi data from your existing building systems to make better portfolio evaluation and neighborhood planning decisions.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to boost efficiency and improve your workplace experience.
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The VergeSense Team
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