1. Biz Network July August 2021 1-36.qxp_Chamberlink 30/06/2021 11:36 Page 32
PATRONS
East Midlands Institute of Technology
Designing a hybrid workplace for the future Many businesses are striving to encourage people back to work and meet the desire for flexible working, while also grappling with other factors such as ensuring inexperienced people gain the right skills and experience. Rob Day (pictured), founder and chairman of workplace consultancy and commercial office fitout specialist Blueprint Interiors, offers his insight and views from other business leaders from a recent roundtable he hosted alongside The Business Desk.
Potential IoT makes next round Pioneering graduates from a new East Midlands Institute of Technology (IoT) would lead the UK’s green and digital revolution and form the beating heart of the country’s post-pandemic recovery. Loughborough College, Loughborough University, the University of Derby and Derby College Group (DCG) have joined forces on a £13m plan to create the highly advanced workforce needed to lead the digital revolution – otherwise known as Industry 4.0. It has been selected by the Government to enter the final round of applications to become one of eight new UK IoTs. The East Midlands IoT would focus on levelling up the critical engineering, manufacturing and digital skills needed by employers to address the grand engineering challenges of clean growth by embracing the advanced skills required for AI and a datadriven economy. Graduates will be part of a net zero-carbon workforce and support the UK’s journey to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The IoT centre would be based at Loughborough College’s Radmoor Road campus, with other sites at the University of Derby’s Enterprise Centre and DCG’s Roundhouse technical and professional skills college. It would support students by specialising in programmes such as engineering and manufacturing technologies, science, ICT, and construction and planning, working alongside employers including Rolls-Royce, Toyota, National Grid ESO, Alstom, Fujitsu, Uniper and Bloc Digital.
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While working from home, people have had a lot of time to reflect, and are much more aware of the things they need to be happy and more productive at work. As employers begin preparing their workplace for the return of their most valued asset – their people – they will need to take notice of these needs, or risk losing their best talent to organisations that recognise their importance. When planning for the return of people to the workplace – whether an office, factory or hospitality complex – it’s vital that people are placed at the heart of all decisions. However, it’s clear that whenever the Government decides to relax restrictions, most businesses still don't really have an idea of what “good” looks like when it comes to office layout and design. When considering design, a key message being vocalised loudly is that most of us enjoy being around people and anything that risks shutting down the interaction between staff isn’t a good thing. We’ve always created workplaces designed to enable people to collaborate, work in teams, be mentored and, of course, provide all-important social interactions. But for businesses still grappling with what they need to do about their office design, we’ve found these are the key areas for focus.
WHETHER TO DOWNSIZE? An “oversized” office doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Instead of downsizing, ask staff how they want to work and consider utilising your extra space to create agile working environments that foster creative thinking and collaboration. Break-out spaces, meeting rooms, work cafés and gyms all give people the freedom and flexibility to work when and how they feel is best. Remember that some employees may value quiet, distraction-free working. For these people, you may wish to implement quiet zones and comfortable seating arrangements. This is an approach supported by Leena Patel, of Consultus Care & Nursing in Leicester. Her company wants to use space differently and she told the roundtable that “business owners will need to reassure people they have the correct precautions in place so staff can return and feel confident about being in the office”.
DIGITISATION AND COLLABORATION The adoption of digital technologies has also accelerated. Everyone who took part in the roundtable agreed that collaboration between businesses is a model that will be followed. Andrew Millington, from consultancy firm Finch, said its consultants have been working across a vast amount of sectors, and remarked at “how agile our clients have been in adapting to the use of technology to ensure they could carry on communicating with us – even to the point of doing virtual on-site tours”.
Some employees may value distraction-free working
BUILDING SAFETY CONCERNS Another barrier to the office return could be a perception of risk. One way of offering safety reassurances to staff and visitors is to attain the WELL Health-Safety Rating, a new accreditation informed by the WELL Building Standard and more than 600 experts. The Chamber was one of the first organisations in the East Midlands to sign up to achieve this seal and Blueprint Interiors is actively promoting the scheme as a consultancy service. Paul Godwin, of LRB Consulting, believes companies need their employees to feel valued, saying “they’ll need to be treated like VIPs when they return to the office”.
SKILLS GAPS AND MENTORING Your team is the driving force behind your company’s success. While some employees may cherish the convenience of working from home, others may miss the social aspects of offices. There’s no substitute for the knowledge gained from overhearing office conversations involving more experienced colleagues. These offer the impromptu opportunity to learn and ask questions that quite simply never arise if people are working from home, which could create a significant skills gap. Miles Bates, of international property and construction consultancy Gleeds, advises businesses to “act quickly to train, upskill and nurture their talent, and ensure people have the right opportunities to be mentored”. All staff need variety and won't want to come and sit in the same place for 40 hours a week. They'll need to feel valued, supported and have their skills nurtured. If employers do this, they’ll create a happier and more motivated workforce that’s much more likely to look after clients to the best of their abilities. Now is a perfect time to catch up with your team and see what people want their working arrangements to look like now the world has changed.
