Page 32 - RC21 EDGE Summer Issue

Business Solutions
LEADING WAYS ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE LEVERAGING DATA
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JARROD EASTERWOOD
Director of Marketing and Partner Relations AVUITY
IT’S NO SURPRISE that current normal work modes and habits are drastically different than those in past years. Working from home, employee flexibility, and emphasis on health and safety are among the many subjects that have gained traction in the workforce. One major change that is a bit more elusive is an increased focus on leveraging space and worker data to improve company efficiency, employee experiences and how real estate is utilized.
Data collection and increased scrutiny placed on
the workplace was already gaining traction before
the COVID-19 pandemic, but it now seems to have solidified its footing amongst leading organizations. In fact, expanded data collection was the second trend listed in Gartner’s recent report, “9 Future of Work Trends Post COVID-19” and it seems to be one of the more complex topics to both digest and execute.
IoT platforms, such as those using overhead sensors, booking data, and smartphone space reservations
to pull analytics, are increasingly playing a key role in supporting the growing data-driven workplace. This technology gives facility managers a deep understanding of their real estate while also empowering employees to find the best spaces to work efficiently.
While some may view this as an encroachment on privacy, most organizations are not gathering any personally identifiable data but rather using occupancy, behavior, and usage data to improve employee experience and better support the health and safety of those who work in and visit their facilities.
The following are four important ways facility managers can leverage data to not only make returning to work easier, but also promote a more flexible, healthier and more effective environment for facility end users.
Understand Space Usage
As many leading organizations prepare to return
at least a portion of their workforce to the office through the beginning of next year, it is important they understand how full their spaces are and what sort of usage capacity they can support. Only with headcount and usage data can teams begin to measure how
well they’re performing with regard to maximum capacity regulations. This data supports both a deep understanding of how spaces are being used now,
as well as how future spaces might best support the needs of the changing workforce.