Why space management is a vital part of the battle to recruit and retain top talent

Gerry Brennan, CEO, and Sarie Copplestone, Client Services Director, Cloudbooking

Welcome to the 21^st century workplace, where the employee reigns supreme and businesses have to battle to not only meet their expectations but also improve workspace productivity and reduce costs in order to attract and retain the best people. An empowered and well supported workforce leads to improved productivity, collaboration and greater talent retention, which ultimately impacts the bottom line – but how can businesses achieve this elusive workplace goal? Get it wrong and you will not only fail to attract top employees, but you could also lose the ones you have.

Overall job satisfaction is very closely linked to the efficient management of workspace. According to Gartner, employees who are satisfied with their physical workplace are 16 per cent more productive, 18 per cent more likely to stay, and 30 per cent more attracted to the company over competitors. Yet despite this, the modern workplace doesn’t seem to be working when it comes to supporting workers, optimising space effectively and providing that positive workplace experience.

As our latest report indicates, the reality is that a significant 80 per cent of employees feel that technology not working properly creates a negative experience at work, while 70 per cent feel a lack of space hinders productivity. Staff also yearned to interact with workplace technology that offers the same sort of personalised experience already provided in their own lives by the likes of Google and Uber. 61 per cent of employees surveyed said that this type of experience in the workplace would make them happier, and therefore more likely to remain.

The modern worker expects technology to assist them with everyday tasks, such as identifying the location of key colleagues and helping them engage with those colleagues using simple and intuitive tools. Too many companies use outdated tech that frustrates and embarrasses users in front of suppliers and clients. Outdated tech is also a major cause of unnecessary expenditure – if a company cannot see how its space is being used then it will not be able to plan for the future based on solid data.

Every company has a duty to let ideas and creativity flow, and that can only happen if the technology is designed to facilitate it. Take a look at your booking system, your video conference service, availability of creative space and knowledge sharing among your staff and ask yourself if you find these easy to engage with and if they make you more productive. If the answer is no, you need to think again!

At Cloudbooking we believe technology should be hidden until it’s needed. We champion the use of RFID and sensor technology to allow users to locate colleagues, see when space is available and make it easy for them to engage with that space and the technology within it. And if the process is unconscious, the outcome will be meaningful data based on actual usage, which means that you can plan for the future based on facts, not guesswork.

Let Cloudbooking help you win the race for top talent in the modern workplace.