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Moonisha Gupta

Partner, Soulcraft Solutions.

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Flexi and Agile workspaces are no longer concepts but reality

Across industries, employees adapted to flexible remote working facilitated by increased connectivity and advanced communication technologies

In the past months, COVID-19 disrupted our ways of working by bringing unprecedented challenges. Enterprises worldwide had to transition in the blink of an eye by taking swift actions to protect employees and shift to a new way of working that even the most advanced business strategies hadn’t anticipated. Across industries, employees adapted to flexible remote working facilitated by increased connectivity and advanced communication technologies.

Under the new normal, as the businesses are gearing up for the opening, shifting to a flexible workspace has become critical to control this change successfully. Under the current scenario, enterprises have realized the significance of implementing a flexible workspace to improve productivity and boost collaboration.

Comparative analysis of workspaces & the work culture before and after the pandemic

Before the current crisis, the norm was for workspaces critical to productivity, work culture, and retaining talent. Workspaces were all about accessing shared infrastructure: copy machines, computers, printers, and network connection. Work satisfaction was the by-product of the goodwill built up through endless water-cooler conversations, meetings, and social engagements before the crisis. Enterprises used to generate ideas by conducting a meeting, brainstorming on whiteboards then designated an official to refine the resulting ideas in their daily 9to5 workday.

Since the pandemic, enterprises have swiftly and efficiently adapted to advanced technologies for digital collaboration. As part of the social distancing guidelines, industries have redesigned their workspace strategies to ensure physical distancing and restricted movement of the employees in areas like elevators, conference rooms, and pantries. As a result, the flexible workspace concept has revolutionized the traditional workplace. Flexible workspace and agile work culture enable employees to be more efficient by choosing their working hours and location. A flexible workspace is designed with the latest technology and enhanced ventilation systems to meet increased demand.

What does hybrid work culture demand? How have the terms “flexi” & “agile” in workspaces become a reality?

The hybrid work model is a rapid transition from the traditional work model. It allows the employees to opt for either partial or complete remote work. The hybrid work model enables the employees with more flexibility to complete work when they feel most productive. For example, some people are night-owl while some are early risers. Employees are provided with an option to work with colleagues on-site or opt for remote work.

The pandemic drove the industry to adopt newer and advanced ways of working and work models. As a result, managed and flex spaces comprising the hybrid work models became increasingly popular. Flexible working practices have become synonymous with the open-plan offices where employees can work in wi-fi-enabled social areas within the building. Flexible working enables access to diverse working environments that match the task undertaken and are limited to one individual’s use.

The reinvention of the sector- A new beginning

Industries need to embrace a flexible workplace culture comprising hot-desking, hosting ideas workshops, and regularly switching teams to foster collaboration. Flexible workspaces improve productivity and reduce rent, capital costs, facilities operations, and maintenance costs. The current pandemic crisis has inspired many companies to offer flexible options in their working style. Industries are focusing on letting their business expand without needing additional space and increasing their ‘unplugged’ community to grow.

Conclusion

Pandemics have forced companies to re-evaluate massive outflows, office headcounts, and the distribution of workers. As a result, enterprises are migrating to the flexibility and cost-efficiency that flexible workspaces offer to recover from the financial burden left by the pandemic.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house


Tags assigned to this article:
hybrid workplace Flexible Workplace Enterprises customers

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