Using data to turn your workplace into a space that matters

With hybrid or fully remote work models now the norm, employees often question why they should return to the workplace.

MovePlan’s Stephen Fountain, a Senior Workplace Project Director, believes this is creating a problem for employers who are forced to define their workplace’s purpose. This new dilemma is fast moving to the top of the organisation’s agenda – and this is where data can help.

Stephen spoke to James Preston, the founder and CEO of Intuitive Workspaces, a company which customises workplaces using detailed data about workspace usage.

Here they discuss how data can be used to define the purpose of the workplace.

The evolving world of work is driven by factors including technological advances, changing social and economic conditions, and shifting employee expectations. As we step into 2024, the winds of change continue to sweep through our workplaces, ushering in a new era of innovation, flexibility and adaptability. 

Our team across the globe has been diligently observing and adapting to these changes. Employee wellbeing remains high on the agenda, with a growing emphasis on cultivating a culture of balance and wellbeing, and recognising the importance of a workplace that promotes physical and mental health. With this as a keystone, here we share some of our key insights that are shaping the future of work. 

The past few years have seen much change in the workplace, as organisations strive to create spaces that cater to their employees’ needs. 

“Workplaces of choice” have enabled staff to choose the way of working that suits them.  While initially driven by need (the Pandemic’s stay at home directive), employees have evolved their choices to suit their own personal circumstances: working from home but within a commutable distance to the office, working in the office, working fully remotely, or a hybrid of these. 

These choices now demand structure to ensure that the impact each has on people and the place of work is the right one for the individual, the team and the organisation as a whole. 

Why tech matters – but people’s effective use of tech matters more.

More and more investment into technology-assisted workspaces is being made across real estate portfolios.

From our work with many of the world’s leading companies, we’re seeing cutting edge technologies being implemented into workspaces: mobile-activated QR codes replacing traditional keycard access, digital signage and wayfinding to allow easy navigation around a building, mobile apps to find, book and access meeting rooms, and “smart” meeting rooms that recognise who you are, connect you to your meeting and automatically display your relevant presentation.

Technology, and in particular AI, is revolutionising the places we work.

ESB is a leading energy company in Ireland, investing more than €1billion a year to create a low carbon future.

ESB Group (Electricity Supply Board) has been Ireland’s foremost energy company since 1927. The Group’s property function manages its nationwide property portfolio, with approximately 100 properties, including office buildings, depots and yards.

Driven to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2040, ESB is committed to providing clean, affordable and reliable energy and this target drives its business initiatives.

For over five years, MovePlan provided a variety of workplace consultancy services to support the company’s headquarters in Dublin. Initially brought in to undertake workplace surveys and file and storage consultancy, support broadened to include move management, communications and change management support, and business readiness.

Sustainability at the heart of building design

The most recent project saw MovePlan support ESB in its move into redeveloped sustainable headquarters in Lower Fitzwilliam Street in Dublin. The refurbished building placed environmental initiatives at its core.

The premises’ sustainability features include biophilic design, incorporating nature into the design process, which has been proven to enhance people’s wellbeing, creativity and productivity. The design has also ensured that the space is fresh, open and flexible for future needs.

With the site being a “near zero building” specific examples of the environment being at the forefront of workplace design include the building being fully electric, with hybrid air conditioning, low water sanitary fittings, rainwater collection and well water collection, and solar PV. Finally, the roof has been turned into a sustainable habitat, complete with ESB’s very own bees supplying its canteen with homemade honey.