We now live in an “age of radical changes and uncertainty.” To thrive in times of such radical changes, companies will need to be flexible, and keep transforming in directions that are beneficial to promote growth. In this presentation*, CBRE introduces the concept of “workplace of the future”, and the elements required to create such an environment.
What are the changes? In 2020, the outbreak of Covid-19 forced many companies to introduce remote working. We used to think “working in the office” was the standard workstyle, but that idea has changed significantly. Technology continues to evolve rapidly, and we cannot ignore its importance as the foundation of our society. As we enter an era in which the average human life expectancy approaches 100 years, our society will become more diverse and complex.
Wo r k p l a c e S t r a t e g y November 2020
* this short presentation is a simplified and approximate translation of a longer Japanese presentation.
CONCEPT OF “WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE”
BO R L E SS WO R K
No border for locations, between real and virtual, and work and private life—create a seamless lifestyle of your own.
Work style
Space
Organization
• Work can happen anywhere • Employees manage their working hours • Select a work style that fits diverse values and life styles
• Select your work spaces: office, remote office (satellite office, co-working space), home • Increase the variety of work spaces that suit your work activities
• Job-based, project-based employment • Work with people around the world • Various employment statuses not limited to the traditional ones.
PLACES OF ACTIVITIES IN BORDERLESS WORK COLLABORATION & SELF DEVELOPMENT • Internal collaboration and innovation • Client hospitality • Fostering a Sense of Belonging • Learning and Growth of individuals • Corporate brand and PR
EXCITE & REFRESH • Making good use of long travel times • Inspiration and discoveries out of learning and experiences • Virtual tools making flexible working possible regardless of location and time difference
EFFICIENCY & CONNECTION
OFFICE TRIP
Business trip /”workation”
REMOTE
Satellite /coworking
HOME
• Improving work efficiency • Collecting information from new networks • Socializing with other companies colleagues to create new ideas
FOCUS & RELAX • Reducing commuting time to maintain a work-life balance • Productive and Intensive Work
Reminder: this short presentation is a simplified and approximate translation of a longer Japanese presentation.
2
Work Locations In borderless work, employees will choose their own work locations. Based on diverse values and lifestyles, each individual will combine, at his/her own will, four work locations: OFFICE, REMOTE, HOME and TRIP.
Annual Ratio of Work Locations
Balance based style
Active style
Home-based style
Hyper flexible style
OFFICE and HOME occupy a major portion. Choose whether to work in office or at home flexibly, according to one’s life style. Adopt REMOTE and TRIP work for a change.
Keep OFFICE time to a minimum. For inspiration and information, socialize with people from outside of the company in REMOTE time. When traveling a long distance, take the trip as a vacation and make a clear distinction between work and private life.
Work mainly from HOME and value work-life balance.
Through TRIP (“workation”), stay in an extraordinary environment for a longer term looking for learning experiences and inspiration that cannot be experienced from daily life.
5%
15%
20% 35%
Go to the OFFICE or attend external meetings only when necessary.
10%
20%
30%
30% 10%
60%
35% 15%
45%
60%
5% 5%
Reminder: this short presentation is a simplified and approximate translation of a longer Japanese presentation.
Keys to Success Borderless work requires a radical transformation in work styles. The transformation cannot be achieved effectively if done without a plan. Everyone needs to engage in this transformation thoughtfully, at an individual, company, and workplace level.
① Each individual makes effective use of diverse work locations Whether or not employees can make use of diverse work locations effectively will be a crucial point from now on. By effectively choosing where to work, in accordance with each location’s intended use, employees can not only increase productivity but also enjoy a professional life where they can continue to learn and grow, while maintaining mental and physical health.
② Companies align the variety of work styles with the corporate culture Remote working is useful for employees. However, we should not forget that the relationships can be strengthened, and innovations induced through face-to-face communication. When introducing remote working in the mid-term or long-term, companies need an implementation plan aligned with the business needs and the company culture, and develop a management style suitable to the plan.
③ The office becomes a value proposition to employees When remote working becomes the standard, the office needs to provide enough “value to employees” to make them want to use it. It is very important to create an office environment that offers meaningful experiences, which can be shared only when people meet in person. Building these value points strategically is crucial.
④ Organizations need to engage employees at all levels A variety of elements needs to be carefully considered when creating a new office. It requires an innovative approach that goes beyond conventional facilities and technologies. Going forward, organizations will need to engage individuals at every level to deliver a comprehensive transformation and foster a united workplace. Reminder: this short presentation is a simplified and approximate translation of a longer Japanese presentation.
Elements that will be more important Experience/ community
? WELL
?
Managing Change
Vision/ strategy Communication
Management/ corporate planning PR
Fostering a workplace across the organization
? HR/legal System/ rule
FM/ IT
Space/ tech
FM/IT Facility operation
4
Elements required for a “workplace of the future” Creating a “borderless” workplace in a society that keeps evolving requires the following five elements.
Flexibility
Technology
Awareness Raising & New Skills
Flexible work styles are essential to increase productivity and enhance employee engagement. Creating a structure that aligns facilities, tools, systems, and organizations will also be important to enable employees to perform at their best.
Among the numerous new tools emerging, companies need to select the tools suited to their corporate characteristics.
Social conditions are changing rapidly. Consequently, the competencies required by knowledge workers are also evolving. Attributes and skills that will be necessary for the future are: a learning mindset, art thinking*, virtual literacy** and emotional intelligence.
Productivity, innovation and hospitality tools will become essential to support the future workplace.
Well-being
Sustainability
In the future, promoting well-being will be a successful factor for companies in hiring and retaining talents. To realize this, each company needs to understand the current issues, formulate wellbeing policies following the company’s corporate vision and characteristics, and make sure that employees are aware of these policies.
A workplace can contribute to the SDGs*** in five areas: environment, well-being, technology, diversity, and company systems. A workplace serves as a foundation of an organization and society by extension; therefore, we expect that the promotion of sustainability in the workplace will have a significant influence on the society.
* Art thinking: ability to think open-endedly, and risk what is new. ** Virtual literacy: ability to use virtual means to learn, teach and collaborate. *** SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals as set by the United Nations and to be achieved by 2030.
5 Reminder: this short presentation is a simplified and approximate translation of a longer Japanese presentation.
Let’s move forward! Thank you! For more information about this report please contact: Workplace Strategy in Japan Chinatsu Kaneko Senior director chinatsu.kaneko@cbre.co.jp
Laurent Riteau Director laurent.riteau@cbre.co.jp
Hiroko Katsuta Consultant hiroko.katsuta@cbre.com
Toshiyasu Toya Consultant toshiyasu.toya@cbre.co.jp
Miho Mitsuyama Consultant miho.mitsuyama@cbre.co.jp
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