FMJ.CO.UK DIGITAL WORKPLACE FOCUS
SEPTEMBER 2020 29
The world has spent the last twenty years getting
faster. We expect faster cars, faster Wi-Fi, faster
solutions – and we expect them to be seamless. In a
world as obsessed with speed as ours, there is less
and less room for the trial and error approach of old.
The same can be said of our workplaces. While it may
seem odd to talk about the ‘speed’ of a building, by its
very nature a stationary entity, doing so can provide
a refreshed, and indeed a productive, framework for
approaching how we improve the workplaces our
sector builds.
In the battle of the buildings, a slow building is
one where the environment is considered thermally
‘heavyweight’ – its very fabric can influence the
temperature of the space over time. While there
is certainly value in these slower, heavyweight
contenders, the Coronavirus pandemic has
strengthened the corner of their faster, lightweight
opponents: those which use technology to adapt to the
demands of the occupants’ needs on a more immediate
basis.
This is, of course, driven by a new occupier - one
which expects the o ice environment to be as
technologically advanced, as quick, as seamless, as the
world outside its front doors.
THE STAKES ARE HIGHER
Before the Coronavirus pandemic, we were
already seeing greater adoption of
these faster models – developers
and designers alike were
beginning to explore the
real possibilities of
artificial intelligence and
machine learning to
improve the e iciency
and the experience
of the o ice. Smart
sensors were already
being introduced
to measure levels of
occupancy with greater
granularity, to give the
employee greater control
over their workstation, and to
make smarter decisions about o ice
management.
But one very real consequence of the pandemic, the
acceptance of a new, mixed way of working, where
professional lives are split between the o ice and the
home, accelerates the need for these faster buildings
to be the new standard by which we hold ourselves
accountable.
We are facing increased competition from people’s
homes, and embracing technology in everything we do
can help us deliver o ices which work more e ectively
for workers. With the right building, people will want
to be there not because they have to, but because they
want to.
But one very real consequence of
the pandemic, the acceptance of a new,
mixed way of working, where professional
lives are split between the offi ce and the
home, accelerates the need for these
faster buildings to be the new standard
by which we hold ourselves
accountable.”
PUTTING SAFETY FIRST
More pressing, perhaps, than the need to impress,
is the need to keep the UK workforce safe. It’s no
secret that workers up and down the country are
apprehensive about returning to their o ices. Recent
independent polling(1) commissioned by the BCO found
that one in five (20 per cent) UK adults plans primarily
to work from home in the future, while 16 per cent
hope that working from home replaces the o ice.
The uncertainty of the Coronavirus pandemic
endures, and as lockdown guidance continues to
ebb and flow, the onus is increasingly on landlords to
convince occupiers that they can, and will, deliver safe
spaces for their occupants.
This starts from the second employees leave their
front doors. Most workers, understandably, aren’t
prepared to take public transport until the virus is
better controlled. Recent research by workspace
provider The Argyll Club suggested that the main
concern for London’s businesses post lockdown was
whether employees can get to and from work safely(2).
While landlords and tenants alike have limited control
over tra ic flows and train capacity (although a wider
acceptance of flexible hours would undoubtedly help),
there are ways technology can be used to help make
active commuting – cycling, walking, or running – as
accessible as possible. Smart management systems are
already available which will inform workers of available
car parking spaces, smart lockers and way-finding for
cyclists. Increased adoption of these technologies can
help reassure workers that their workplace
is on their side.
Greater integration of
smart sensors, specifically
to monitor levels of
occupancy, will also play
an essential role in
protecting occupiers.
While traditionally
used to improve
environmental
e iciency – by reducing
energy consumption
when not needed – these
technologies can be
pivoted to ensure employees
are following social distancing
guidelines.
They can also provide facilities
management teams with a more granular
understanding of what spaces employees prefer to use,
which can in turn improve how these teams organise
new one- way systems and signpost safe floor space.
Add to this the long-awaited availability of track and
trace apps, and occupiers will be able to integrate this
data with their own management systems to protect
employees should they be alerted of new or existing
Coronavirus cases.
The use of Vertical transportation (VT) i.e. li s and
escalators will also need to be addressed during the
pandemic(3). The most obvious management solution
is to reduce the number of passengers that can use
a li car. Aside from organisational controls, digital
solutions could include upgrading the control systems
to allow for touchless operation via mobile phones,
security access cards or foot-operated buttons. (Some