In this article, I’ll share my insights – supported by excellent research from the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) – to look at how vital facilities decisions will set your organisation up for the years to come.

How do people feel about remote working?

Remote working opened your employee’s eyes to new ways of working. By working at home, they have benefitted in a number of ways like more significant financial savings. Your people want to keep these gains. In fact: 

• 43% enjoy not having to pay to commute to work
• 42% value the increased time they get to spend on personal activities
• 61% feel that their experience of remote working has made them want to continue working from home in the future

But for those that do want to return and adopt a more hybrid working approach, there are a few things you can plan to make sure your organisation provides the right environment.

What do your people want from a hybrid office?

Some of the most valuable insights gained by the IWFM are key statistics about what workers expect as the business world transitions to hybrid working. Here’s what they found out:

• 73% expect flexible working options
• 55% hope for increased cleaning provisions
• 49% would appreciate open and regular communications on hybrid working plans
• 39% envisage adjusted desk organisation to maintain social distancing

Take these insights and make them part of your better workspace and hybrid working strategy.

A professional’s view

“Creating a workplace that feels safe and productive is vital to our success. Listening to our people’s concerns and needs was essential. We have implemented a considered approach based on insight and understanding by gathering qualitative and quantitative insights through employee surveys and feedback. Our people are our most valuable assets.”

Dale Woodcock, Executive Director – EMEA at Woodalls Design

How can your Facilities Manager prepare your office for a hybrid model??

No matter your strategy, your Facilities Manager will play a key role in ensuring your office workspace isn’t just suitable but also empowering for your people. Here are three fundamental principles they should follow to ensure your teams remain happy, protected and productive during hybrid working:

• Develop a flexible strategy that makes sense for your staff, visitors and customers

You also need to provide support for those who work at home. Make sure they have the right equipment, like chairs and software devices. So, your solution has to be flexible.

• Engage with your people

The best decisions can only be made through insight gained directly from your people. You must understand the concerns of individuals who work with you to provide solutions that work for them. Facilities Managers should collaborate with HR colleagues to create surveys, harvest data, and enable action. Ricoh, we call this process “The Voice of the People”

• Lead the charge into the ‘new normal’

Understand that this is just the beginning. Facilities Managers have an opportunity to demonstrate authentic leadership and show the value of their role by providing and integrating solutions that their workplace needs. Think both short- and long-term to stay at the forefront of the ‘new normal’, and remember we’re moving forwards, not going back.

How Ricoh can help you reimagine a better workplace

One of the best ways to ensure your organisation creates a better workspace is by working with a collaborative partner whose experts understand the challenges and opportunities.

Take a look at our guide, ‘Reimagining your workplace’ and learn why we here at Ricoh think now is the perfect time to build for a better business future.

Reimagining your workplace

We’re entering an exciting time for business, one with excellent opportunities to evolve how we work for greater commercial success – but there will also be new challenges.

Click to read a quick guide to reimagining your capture

If you would like more advice on reimagining your workplace or help with an existing project, please get in touch.

The post How to build a better workplace for your people – with insights from IWFM appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.

No matter what happens next, we have learned some incredibly valuable lessons. The importance of business resilience. The potential of flexibility. The benefits of having the right technology and working practices in place to ensure future business success.

But most of all, we’ve fortified our understanding that our most important asset is our people. Mental health and wellbeing have turned into topics at the forefront of business leaders’ minds – and it’s crucial it stays that way.

So, let’s take a look at some of the things you can do to look after your people.

Communicate regularly and openly

Nobody likes to be left in the dark, especially if they’re feeling anxious or uncertain. By being transparent and honest with what’s going on across your business – both the successes and the challenges – you maintain a sense of togetherness, making sure your people feel part of the big picture.

It’s also the role of managers to have regular one-to-one conversations with their teams. And not only to talk about work but also to enjoy each other’s company as if they were hanging out at the office coffee machine.

Provide opportunities to get away from work

One of the biggest challenges for people’s mental health and wellbeing in the last 12 months has been finding the right work/life balance. Indeed, many worked long hours in an attempt to maintain the same productivity they had in the office.

Mix this in with constant video calls – “Can you see my screen?” – it’s no wonder there is a lot of fatigue.

You need to continually reassure your people that it’s ok to manage your own time. In fact, you should positively encourage them to disengage from their home desk and get active. Especially in the shorter winter days – make the most of the sunlight!

Set objectives to work towards

Targets and objectives play a major role in motivation. When we’re working towards something that’s challenging yet achievable – perhaps with the potential of a reward at the end – we feel driven to perform at our best and reach truly excellent results.

It’s all about giving yourself focus and a sense of control. But this doesn’t have to be related to your business. Even things as simple as trying out a few new exercises can release those endorphins, reset your mind and improve your work productivity.

Some extra inspiration from Ricoh…

We’d like to tell you about something we’re doing to promote a sense of unity and support among our people.

In February, we’re asking our people to get active and raise money for charity by taking part in The Prince’s Trust ‘Future Steps’ challenge. This involves downloading an app and trying to do 10,000 steps a day for the month of – with a leader board to keep things competitive.

Everyone here is very excited, it’s generated a sense of community and it’s for a good cause. Why not try something similar in your business?

And remember, it’s all about taking the conscious approach.

Taking a conscious approach means constantly monitoring and supporting your people. It’s about being aware of their mental health and wellbeing at work through open communication. And being proactive when you identify problems and solutions.

Reach out to your colleagues before the emotional fatigue of remote working sets in. Put the right support in place before anyone even needs it. And understand that plans are just sketches – things you can adjust and tailor as you make each decision along the way.

Find out more by reading our report on The Conscious Workplace here.

The post Top tips for supporting your people’s mental health and wellbeing appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.

2020 will long be remembered as one of the most challenging and unpredictable experiences. The spread of COVID-19 and the ensuing global health crisis impacted the personal and professional lives . The UK lockdown and need to remain in the home when possible led to the UK GDP to fall as far as 20.4% in April – the lowest ever recorded monthly drop.

How lockdown unleashed accidental innovations in home working?

The first months saw a rise in discussion of a ‘new normal’ to come. As businesses and employees began to adapt to working from home, we saw an acceleration of remote working. Policies and the adoption of technology to support these new models up and down the nation. Businesses looked to innovate to stay afloat. Whilst we learned to adapt, it has become increasingly clear that the next challenge is the evolution of our workplace.

Facing new challenges

Never before have businesses had to deal with employees being fearful of returning to work . The consideration of illness within the office has never been a conscious worry. Perhaps people had hand sanitiser during flu season. But no office would have required staff to physically distance, sit behind Perspex screens or wear masks for the safety of the team.

What will lockdown mean for the way we work in the future?

Similarly, employees are no longer reliant on the convention of the office to be productive. With many people thriving in new locations, there is a growing call to change the way we use the office.  Addressing the modern-day worker who will want to use the office as a ‘destination’ location, that is fit for purpose.

This new ‘conscious workplace’ is achieved through engagement with change, enablement through new technology, innovation and a constant state of evolution. As a result of the current climate, businesses are having to make difficult and carefully conscious decisions to guarantee the safety and well-being of their staff – both physically and mentally.

We’re not just transitioning to a ‘new normal’, but rather a new future. So how exactly do we, as business leaders, make these choices? How do we create a physical environment which still functions productively and can generate collaboration and innovation?

Enabling through technology

Enabling through technology means employees and employers can create an environment that evolves in a stable way. Supporting your business’s future recovery and growth.

Productivity in the UK was in continuous free-fall before COVID-19. The uncertainty caused by global and European political and economic upheaval meant we had seen the UK’s lowest productivity level since the 1800s. This is not surprising when you consider 80% of office workers in the UK felt they didn’t have the technology to do their jobs properly. Studies showed that 56% of UK workers believed productivity was stalling their company’s growth because of outdated tech.

The transition to remote working due to lockdown kick-started a revolution in the way we work. Businesses and sectors famed for their legacy processes.  Systems had to play catchup and lead on digital transformation projects overnight. Suddenly the projects that IT teams across the UK had been trying to instigate despite opposition, were given the green light and thrown into hyper speed.

Engaging your employees

While we champion technology at Ricoh, we know that it alone won’t solve all your problems. Instead, it’s balancing technology with people that will help tip productivity levels back up. Being forced to work from home may have been a catalyst for a vast digital revolution, but people drove the solution.

Employee experience has long been rated as an important issue among workers. In some cases, employers denied flexible/remote working requests out of concern or fear that employees were unable to do their job efficiently.

Today, many employees feel an improvement in their work and life balance. But for some, the isolation associated with working from home had led to crippling loneliness. While there is no ‘one size fit’s all’, there is an organisational need to communicate effectively with employees, engage and listen to their needs. While enabling a better and more productive way of working.

The evolution

Like everything else in existence, the office will keep evolving. Over time, your employees’ wants, values and needs will change and so too will what your business has to provide.

The workplace environment must continue to evolve. With the right blend of working, we can create environments that are productive and sustainable in the long-term. Technology and the changing needs of people in the conscious workplace will be critical to ensuring long term productivity.

Register to attend our events

If you’d like to hear more insight into why behavioural science should now be the central to your workplace strategy, you can register for the webinar here

Register for the webinar on the 19th November: ‘Why behavioural science should now be the central to your workplace strategy

Get in touch today and we’ll discuss how we can provide the perfect solution for you.

The post The key to solving the UK’s productivity puzzle appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.

In times of uncertainty, you must offer your remote workers the right support – for both their wellbeing and the wellbeing of your business.

As your business continues to maintain and support an agile and remote workforce, the pressures and stresses placed upon your people become more unique. While some may have switched seamlessly to new ways of working, others may struggle to find balance. It all depends on an individual’s circumstances so it’s important to provide the right support to help your remote workers navigate these changes.

But what is ‘the right support’?

It’s a good question and one that needs to be answered by today’s business leaders and senior managers. World Mental Health Day brings this awareness to the fore for all organisations so this post aims to provide you with ideas, initiatives and answers for how your organisation can support the wellbeing of your people.

Protect your people and you’ll promote productivity during trying times.

What challenges are your people facing?

Some challenges will be the result of your people’s personal circumstances. You must reach out and discuss whether you can offer any help.

But there are also business challenges that will affect everyone in your organisation. Streams of online meetings. Periods of total isolation. Delays in getting IT or project support. It all adds up to become a taxing experience each working day. 

How does this affect remote workers?

First off, it makes us feel fatigued. Constantly having to deal with tedious technical issues and convoluted, drawn-out digital conversations are tiresome. It can even lead to people working longer hours as they try to make up for the lost time. 

This all makes for more stress. As people search for the right balance between home, work and personal responsibilities. They also hear all the doom and gloom on the news – especially regarding the pressures on society, the economy and job insecurity.

It’s not a healthy way to work. But, by being proactive and promoting positivity, business leaders can inspire a real difference.

The power of positivity

There are steps we can take to help improve our mindset. By focusing on a proactive and healthy lifestyle, we look after the health and wellbeing of remote workers in times of high stress.

Here are some top tips to help keep you and your people remain positive at times of stress:

Keep in touch.

You must regularly reach out to your people – and it shouldn’t be about work. A quick phone call to find out how someone is getting on, sharing funny or engaging content, a casual video call (maybe with a beer…) are great ways to get people smiling.

Encourage regular breaks.

Make sure your remote workers know it’s ok to step away from their work. One of the biggest benefits of more agile and flexible working practices is that your people can exercise greater autonomy over their days. So help them to take advantage of this.

Promote kindness.

Kind acts feel all the more impactful during times of adversity. Think about how your organisation can help others, or how you can enable your people to award and recognise each other. They will rally to the call and feel good for doing good.

How practising mindfulness can help your remote workers

A really powerful way to promote positivity, and help your remote workers proactively take care of their mental health and wellbeing, is to share some tips on how to practice mindfulness.

Meditation and mindfulness can make a real difference in how we think and react to situations, reducing feelings of fear and anxiety. 

This is because mindfulness – which includes things like yoga and breathing exercises – focuses our thoughts and feelings on the present moment. So, instead of becoming overwhelmed, we feel we can manage them.

Nine simple steps for mindful breathing

There are many resources out there which you can find to help you and your people practice mindfulness, but one that’s quick and easy to do is mindful breathing – ten minutes where you just focus on you and your lungs. Here’s how it works:

• Sit in a quiet place and turn off your phone
• Recognise any thoughts, feelings or emotions going on inside your head
• Bring the focus back to you. This is your time for the next ten minutes. Don’t allow any distractions
• Focus only on your breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth
• Notice your lungs expanding, and the time between each inhalation and exhalation
• Feel yourself relax after each exhale. Your shoulders are dropping. Arms and legs becoming heavy
• Feel the cool air in your nostrils, the warm air leaving your mouth
• After ten mins, slowly rise from your mindful state – wiggle your toes and fingers and smile
• Ease into the rest of your day feeling focused and happy!

Adopt a people-first approach

By promoting positivity, offering proactive support and keeping in regular contact, you can help your remote workers thrive in their roles and lead happier healthier lives.

Working with a specialist partner to implement these types of transformation projects is key. And finding a partner who shares a people-first approach is essential.

Creating a Conscious Workplace

Whether you’re a small business or a large-scale enterprise, Ricoh believes in adopting a ‘people first’ approach to all aspects of the business. From how we communicate to the physical technologies, process and environments we provide, we need to always put the experience of our people first.

Adopting a people-first approach will not only help mitigate stress and support positive employee mental health but also enhance productivity and performance.

Further reading on how to support your remote workers:

Recognising the fatigue caused by remote working

How to build a better workplace for your people – with insights from IWFM

How innovation can empower HR leaders to better support their people

Discover more about Ricoh’s Intelligent Remote Working Solutions.

The post Supporting remote workers is key to business resilience – here’s why appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.

It’s been a strange few months for most. Working practices have changed. New routines have been established. And we’ve all been coming to terms with remote working.

This has been easier for some than others. For every individual that switched seamlessly, another faced the daunting task of balancing work, childcare and adapting to new tech all in one go.

And as we look ahead to a return to the office, a similar shakeup in our day-to-day is in the making. In this article, we’ll look at what the future might hold for different people – and how business leaders and organisations can provide the right support.

The future for furloughed workers

Furloughed workers may have been out of action for over two months. That’s two months of amusing themselves with reduced social contact – and two months of being out of the loop of what’s happening day to day within their organisation.

Furloughed staff may be asking  Is the work still the same? Have I missed any business-critical information? Do I even remember all my passwords?’.

It’s up to business leaders and HR departments to provide the reassurance they require and keep the lines of communication open.

The future for remote workers

If someone wasn’t furloughed, chances are they’ve been working from home full time.

For these people, anxiety isn’t caused by being out of the loop, but the amount of time and energy they’ve now invested into adopting new ways of working – and the thought of having to return to their more office orientated working practices.

It’s important to gain feedback from your remote workers. How do they want to move forwards and provide the right resources and technology to help them make adjustments? Whether that’s back in the office, working at home or a mixture of both.

The future for everyone

There are lots of things that will cause anxiety across every industry and role.

We’ve had months of guidance on living safely through social distancing. But for a large proportion of the population, returning to the office means looking at commuting options, needing more flexibility and adjusting to unfamiliar social situations.

And then there’s the work environment itself. Will there be hesitation among employees? How will workspaces incorporate social distancing? Some may even ask ‘Is it even necessary – why can’t we just continue to work remotely?’.

These questions must be answered by all organisations that are considering the future of their workplaces.

Choosing our own ‘new normal’

At the end of the day, we are in control of how we move forwards. We’re approaching another time of significant change – one that will resonate for years to come. And while it’s natural to hesitate and feel anxious, we can also see this is an opportunity to enact positive change.

Some of the world’s leading organisations have already offered their people the choice: ‘return to the office or continue working from home – it’s up to you.’ They can do this now because they’ve got the right technology and processes in place – so it makes no real difference to their business, it just benefits their people.

Evidence has long shown that remote workers often have higher productivity and job satisfaction. This could be your chance to empower your people, remove their anxieties and enhance productivity all at once.

So, how should organisations approach the future?

Look ahead to how your people can enjoy the very best working experience moving forwards – this is a task for all areas of the organisation from Facilities Managers, to HR departments, to business leaders.

But don’t expect to find a quick and easy solution. Take each day as it comes, gaining regular feedback from them and see every obstacle as an opportunity for improvement.

Facilities management

Facilities Managers have always been focused on the efficient and effective delivery of support services for the organisation they serve. In the current circumstances, this has never been more important.

In the face of new challenges, it’s the Facilities Management team within businesses that must navigate the practical elements and implementation of safety, efficiency and continuity in the workplace and beyond. Ensuring that people feel safe and understood during their return and into the future. This means putting people front and centre as you consider the strategy of returning to the workplace and ensuring they have had the opportunity to give their input

HR departments

As working practices look to transition once more, it’s important that the right support networks are in place to enable your people to make decisions for themselves.

This isn’t just about listening and providing assistance where it’s needed. It’s about proactively showing that your people are at the forefront of every business decision. This will help reassure them that whatever the future looks like, they are very much part of it.

Business leaders

If you discover that your people want to continue working from home, you need to ensure you’ve got the processes and infrastructure required to support them.

This means the implementation of cloud technologies, the latest collaboration tools and any necessary hardware for each individual.

If you need help with identifying exactly what your business needs to empower your staff, work with a people-first partner like Ricoh – we’ll work alongside you to build the perfect package for your organisation.

Please visit our Work Together, Anywhere Webinar Series page to access the webinar recording

Related Posts

Recognising the fatigue caused by remote working

The future of work – an opportunity to reimagine

The work together, anywhere revolution - is here to stay

Why facilities managers are the key to hybrid working

The post How to deal with the pressures of returning to work appeared first on Insights - Empowering Digital Workplaces.

Marco has led Ricoh’s adoption to the ‘Time To Change’ employer pledge during the past year and works with the teams to promote initiatives across the business. Giving support to open and honest conversations about employees wellbeing as well as access to resources and advice to support them.

This is a great time to remind ourselves of the unique pressures many of us are facing whilst we work remotely and the key role business leaders and senior managers can play in supporting their colleagues.

Constant video conferences. Intermissions of complete isolation. Difficulties in getting the support we need to do our jobs. These problems are challenging our productivity – and our mental health.

Meetings have always been a key aspect of our working lives – but now they’re our taxing time and energy more than ever.

We can no longer just pop over to IT to fix a problem. Or quickly ask a colleague for some clarification on a project. And we must also always be on the alert, just in case someone needs us.

But we’re not alone. In this article, we discuss the fatigue caused by remote working – and how business leaders can support their workers against exhaustion.

Why are video calls so fatiguing?

Well first off, they’re all basically the same. Imagine going to the same venue for every single event in your life. That’s our working life right now. It’s a bit repetitive – even if you dress it up as a virtual pub lunch.

They also fail to replicate what we’re accustomed to in real conversation. We have to concentrate extra hard to pick up on things like expression or tone. And silence is natural when we talk face to face, but it causes anxiety when we’re remote. And if the tech isn’t working as it should do, then it’s doubly stressful.

But mostly, meetings cause fatigue because they often require your full, sustained attention. Whether you’re speaking to clients or colleagues, most of us will find that we need to be fully alert and attentive. Ensuring we bring value to the meeting. And with more meetings than ever, that takes a lot of mental energy. Not surprising then that we’re feeling tired and fatigued.

How is remote working affecting our mental health?

Many of the challenges facing society as a whole are exacerbated by remote working. And it’s different for everyone because everyone’s home life is different. But there are some common factors affecting our mental health.

Changing attitudes to work

In 2019, a survey conducted by DigitalOcean concluded that 82% of US tech professionals who work remotely reported feeling fatigued. 52% claimed they worked longer hours. And 40% felt they had to contribute more than those who worked in the office.

Added stress

Remote working is piling on the pressure for individuals across the UK. Not only are we having to find the right balance between working from home and our other responsibilities, but we’re constantly hearing about job insecurity and economic downturn in the media.

And uncertainty around money has a very negative impact on mental health.

Adapting to new routines

Many of us have been going through the motions for a while. Our bodies and minds have acclimatised to a certain way of living. We’ve nailed down a routine that works for us and our jobs.

But those routines have been shattered. Our eating habits and sleeping patterns have suddenly changed. And trying to adjust to those changes on top of everything else can impact on our mental health.

How can business leaders support their employees against exhaustion?

Managing your employees while remote working is a major challenge. But it can be just as easy to do too much as do too little. Here are some quick tips for supporting colleague fatigue, relieving stress and anxiety, and enabling them to work effectively.

Don’t bombard people with communications

Keep your messaging quick, calm and concise. No information overloads. And keep the number of internal meetings to a minimum as most remote workers already have numerous customer meetings already scheduled in their diaries.

Trust your employees

Trust people to do their job. Don’t micromanage. Lack of trust can lead to bouts of anxiety, depression and loneliness.

Mix up your messaging

Don’t use the same methods of communication every time. Pick up the phone, use project collaboration tools, and keep emails succinct.

Think about individuals

Rules on career progression, personal welfare and your team members’ experience or ability still apply. New staff need extra support. Learning and development is still crucial. And your people still need to feel like they’re moving forward – not that they’re on pause.

Review your collaboration technology and tools

Trying to use collaboration tools which are tricky to use or perhaps just don’t work as well as they could, is a significant frustration for remote workers. Ensuring the technology you have is right is key. So ask them if they find them easy to use. If you find they are struggling, involve them early in the process of assessing the issues and finding new tech. Making sure the new solutions are truly fit for purpose and adaptable to meet changing requirements.

Adopt a people-first approach

At the end of the day, your most important asset is your people. All of your key business decisions have to be made with them at the forefront of your mind.

Help your employees thrive by encouraging a sense of community and pull everyone together with a clear and transparent goal.

Ricoh’s Work Together, Anywhere campaign

“We help organisations of all sizes to deliver business-as-usual by enabling intelligent remote working – even at times of disruption. Our end-to-end remote solutions are user-friendly, secure and scale to meet your needs.”

Whether you’re a small business or a large-scale enterprise, Ricoh has efficient solutions to introduce effective remote working practices.

Not only will they ease the transition and alleviate stress for your people, but they’ll also enhance productivity and performance.

Visit our dedicated page and learn how Ricoh can quickly and securely empower your people, automate mission-critical business processes and aid digital transformation efforts.

Learn more about Work Together, Anywhere

Click to read Work Together, Anywhere

And if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me on LinkedIn.

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