The days of 1:1 seating are long gone. A hybrid workplace strategy accommodates a new style of working and a variety of spaces for a truly human-centric workplace. But since an agile ratio is unique for every company, how do you calculate yours and how to stay on top of refining them dynamically?
So, you recognize hybrid is here to stay, and you’re ready to transform your current office into a commute-worthy, productive, and efficient workplace.
But you (understandably) have questions. Firstly, while many firms may see that three days in the office to be the norm, the reality is that the hybrid office of the future needs to accommodate a variety of preferences, whether people are coming in twice a week or twice a month.
Calculating agile ratios for hybrid-enabling space is complex. After all, you’re trying to use your space effectively while juggling the needs of employees coming in at varying frequencies and on different days.
So, how do you find the sweet spot for space optimization? Here are four steps to calculating the right agile ratio for you.
Step 1. Understand your current utilization
When creating your workplace strategy and understanding your headcount requirements, you need to take stock of where you are currently. That means looking at data on how your office is currently used now—not pre-pandemic understandings and assumptions from when most employees headed to the office Monday through Friday.
Let’s start by taking an inventory of your current spaces and their purpose, whether it’s neighborhoods of desks for focusing, meeting rooms for collaboration, quiet nooks for informal chats, and so forth. Then, look at how these spaces are being used with occupancy data. This should come from a range of sources, including badge swipes, room bookings, and space temperature.
Next, you want to add context to raw data and determine why your space is being used in the way it is. What do your employees like and dislike about the office? The best way to find out is to ask them, and that’s where qualitative data comes in. Asking employees what they think can give you valuable insights into how people want to work, which helps to mold your final vision.
Now you’re armed with some quality workplace data, what’s next? Well, if you use Saltmine, all that data will be fused and analyzed, and then you’ll get recommendations for how to proceed.
Step 2. Re-design office space with employees in mind
Even if every employee could have their own desk, simply sitting next to their team isn’t enough to peel them away from the comforts of their home office.
These days, the workplace has to offer more than free beverages and a place to perch in front of a laptop. You’ve already looked at your current inventory, and if your office has a traditional set-up, it’s likely that you might need some more ‘we’ spaces.
Dialing it up isn’t just about adding more meeting rooms; employees want to socialize, collaborate, learn, and pursue a good work/life balance. To facilitate these activities, a mix of spaces is required. For example, your facilities could include an on-site coffee shop for informal team catch-ups or a yoga and meditation room to recharge.
In short, your space configuration will impact your agile ratio. Luckily, when you get to the scenario planning stage on Saltmine, you can rapidly compare multiple scenarios to expedite this phase of pre-design.
Step 3. Experiment in pre-design before taking the plunge
You may have a hunch that a certain ratio would work for you, but the only way to discover your sweet spot is to experiment. You can do this before tearing down a single wall.
You’ve now got your workplace utilization data and added some ‘we’ spaces and exciting facilities to your floor plan. Now, with the limitless possibilities you can test in the pre-design phase, it’s time to see how it would actually work in real life.
With Saltmine, you can try out several scenarios to discover what ratios are needed to accommodate an effective hybrid work environment. Our platform connects the dots: your data from programming, test-fitting, and design, up-to-date guidelines and stakeholders are all in one place. That means you can test fit and gather feedback without jumping around different platforms and email threads. Plus, integrated information gives you costing data as you go, so you can make confident decisions and avoid going over budget.
You can communicate seamlessly with key stakeholders, explore different scenarios and know that they’re all underpinned by data. And with engaging visual walkthroughs, you’ll all be on the same page, regardless of design acumen.
Step 4. Keep reiterating with scenario-based planning
The aim is not to view the office as a one-and-done project, but to create an agile and flexible workplace together with the relative processes. In other words, the perfect office is not a static concept. It constantly evolves with modern demands, trends, and working styles.
While you may have discovered a ratio that works for now, you may reevaluate it as your business goals and the needs of your employees inevitably evolve. You may need to make room for an influx of new hires, or your office may become so irresistible that people are coming in more than previously anticipated—everything in the CRE world is dynamic these days.
You can measure your impact by continuing to track all the data that helped you make decisions in the first place, from sensors to sentiment. Going forward, you’ll get a bird’s-eye view of how your portfolio is performing and be able to use the insights to make bigger strategic changes that meet your business goals.
Conclusion
One size doesn’t fit all, and every organization will have their own unique ratio that works best for them. However, once you’ve gathered and understood the workplace data, you can make confident, data-driven decisions about space optimization.
Without a sensible ratio or continuing BAU, you risk having a sea of empty seats. On the other hand, the rewards are many: happy, effective employees and a thriving company culture.
- With fragmented tools and a lack of workplace oversight, this company didn’t have a comprehensive understanding of its CRE portfolio.
- Now, all their workplace data can be found in one centralized place: Saltmine.
- Saltmine makes their data actionable and meaningful, which has helped them to develop a human-centric workplace strategy, enhance employee productivity, and increase portfolio efficiency.
Check out the full story here.
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