On March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The next few days saw the rollout of activity restrictions that would eventually force most office-based employees to work remotely. But the pandemic didn’t just change how people work, it opened their eyes to the impact their workplace and employer can have on their health, as well as on issues affecting the wider world. Social distancing, contact tracing and mask mandates made people more aware of their own well-being; employees returning to the office brought that heightened concern with them. They also came back with a greater appreciation for nature and the environment, as many people had replaced social functions with outdoor activities during lockdowns.
Employees returned to their workplaces with a different set of expectations around what their employer should be doing to address climate change, support their well-being and make the office feel more like home. Employers adopted FM:Systems workplace management solutions to help meet these expectations and tackle other pandemic-related challenges, like optimizing space and reducing energy costs.
Here’s a look at some of those solutions, how organizations used them to navigate the post-pandemic volatility, and why they’re doubling down on FM:Systems workplace management technology to help them implement and optimize return-to-office efforts.
Home Sweet Office: Redefining Workspace Flexibility and Comfort
For decades prior to March 2020, the standard office space was a cubicle farm, with views of the outside mostly blocked by offices and conference rooms. Then the pandemic hit, and suddenly every worker could have a window desk — or a couch, patio or kitchen counter desk.
Organizations trying to entice employees back to the office deployed solutions like our FMS:Insights multi-data point analysis platform to emulate some of that flexibility. With the room and desk booking functions in FMS:Insights, employees no longer had to stay at an assigned workspace all day, every day. Instead, they could reserve a desk ahead of time in a part of the office they preferred. They could even book multiple workspaces throughout the day for a change of scenery or to maximize opportunities for collaboration with teammates.
While these capabilities were nice to have when office occupancy was low, they’re essential for companies welcoming more employees back to limited space. Room and desk booking software enables businesses with return-to-office rules to optimize their space based on historical and projected attendance and utilization data, ensuring that employees don’t feel cramped and reducing the potential for disputes over meeting rooms and workspaces. FM:Systems solutions are giving organizations the insights they need to understand the interplay between occupant experience and space efficiency, in order to apply changes to optimize how employees interact with the building. Making the experience of visiting an office smooth and stress-free is also important in improving the well-being of occupants.
Clearing the Air: Enhancing Indoor Air Quality for Healthier Workspaces
Another reason employees embraced working from home was because they controlled the environment around them. They could set the temperature as cool or as warm as they wanted, turn on a humidifier if it got too dry, or switch on a fan if they needed more ventilation. And if there were germs in the air, at least they were their germs.
To help reassure anxious employees that they would be safe and comfortable returning to the office, organizations turned to FM:Systems environmental sensors to monitor indoor air quality (IAQ). These sensors track temperature, humidity, light, noise and particulates, alerting facility managers (FMs) to anomalies that could indicate issues like failing HVAC equipment or filters that need to be replaced. Not only did these systems allow companies to make their employees feel more at-ease about coming back to work, they also demonstrated that worker safety and well-being were top priorities — an important component in talent acquisition and retention, both then and now.
For organizations implementing return-to-office rules, using FM:Systems solutions to maintain clean and comfortable spaces will help avoid air quality issues that could impact productivity and morale. Using data, analytics and trending reports, these sensors, combined with our FMS:Workplace workplace management system, are enabling organizations to understand IAQ at space, floor and building levels. Monitoring IAQ also gives FMs early warning of suboptimal equipment performance, enabling them to address problems early and avoid costly and disruptive equipment failures.
Sustainability Emerges as a Priority: Driving Eco-Friendly Office Practices
Employees returning to the office weren’t just worried about the air inside their workplaces, but about the environment outside, as well. While parties, concerts and other events with large crowds were put on hold, people ventured outdoors for recreation, gaining a new appreciation for nature — and a greater understanding of the impacts of climate change — in the process.
To demonstrate to returning employees that they were taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint, organizations utilized the facility maintenance capabilities of FMS:Workplace to support sustainability initiatives. Routing data from sensors and meters into FMS:Workplace enabled FMs to identify and address sources of energy and water waste and improve operational efficiency. These solutions were also key to helping companies ramp up data collection and reporting to navigate the emergent set of environmental regulations targeting real estate.
Sustainability remains a priority for employees, with 75% of respondents to our FM:Systems 2025 Inside the Workplace employee survey indicating that it’s important for their organization to be taking action on climate change. On this issue, employees and their employers agree: 66% of respondents to our business leader survey said that sustainability is a higher priority than it was a year earlier. That’s not just in response to employee expectations, however. Organizations understand the brand enhancement value of reducing their carbon footprint, and those environmental regulations are not going away. In fact, in many cases they’re becoming more stringent. Companies will need to continue leveraging the power of FM:Systems solutions to help maintain compliance with these regulations and drive incremental improvements in sustainability.
For much of the past five years, organizations have enticed employees back to the office by deploying FM:Systems workplace management technology to imbue workplaces with some of the flexibility and comfort of working from home. Now, companies are adding solutions and capabilities to support return-to-office rules and reduce costs.
To learn how digital workplace solutions can help your organization, check out the latest innovations in workplace management technology: Ensure Your Return To Office is Successful
