In today’s demanding world we need to be more responsive, efficient and effective in our work, at all hours of the day. The ability to adopt an agile workplace and work in a flexible way allows this to happen.
Agile working means to be able to be flexible and productive, from anywhere. Long days behind the same desk are thankfully on the way to being behind us, and now we can readily respond to emails and complete most (if not all) of our tasks remotely.
What exactly is an agile working environment?
Quite simply, an agile or mobile workplace is one in which staff can work from anywhere, at anytime. This can mean on the road, in a home office, in a cafe with a coffee in hand, or simply in other parts of the office.
Agile workplaces, in their extreme, are usually linked to “hot-desking,” a concept which has grown in popularity with real estate prices are at a premium. Hot-desking is the practice of not allocating a single desk to a single staff member, but in essence, nobody has their “own” desk. It is ideal for organisations that hire a lot of staff out of the office, part-timers, temps, contractors or have job share arrangements in place. It means that the staff member comes in, grabs an available desk, does their work and at the end of the day packs up their things and off they go.
The agile working concept is firmly backed up by technological advances with products like mobile scanners, printers, laptops, even folding keyboards – all designed to be easily carried around, for example, between the office and home.
Today, work-life balance is more important than ever and so the ability to work wherever and whenever has never been more necessary. Here are three reasons why you should consider adopt ing a more agile workplace.
1. More mobility and flexibility for employees
One major benefit of agile working is it gives employees the choice to decide where and how they want to work. Rather than be restricted to an office desk, they may decide a quiet working nook or even a bustling cafe area. It means they are less restricted and can move around the office or even beyond the office walls to work maximising their personal productivity.
2. Increased collaboration and productivity
With greater choice comes the ability to work how one chooses which increases productivity. Also, as employees are no longer confined to their desks, in an open, agile workplace group collaboration is facilitated and temporary teams can work in pods, have working meetings in break out spaces and also connect wherever they may be located.
3. Attract great talent
Agile workplaces are increasingly in demand by employees as many are looking for increased flexib ility for the ir work life. Adopting an agile workplace can have a significant impact on attracting and retaining great talent and with more businesses adopting this type of approach, being left behind could mean missing out on great employees.
There’s no one size fits all approach when it comes to agile working, but the benefits stack up. Not only are agile workplaces favoured by employees, they make commercial sense in a number of ways, for instance, increased productivity, reduced costs and employee retention. Perhaps now is the time to be considering how your off ice can become more agile.
Belinda Lyone, Genera l Manager, COS
