Organizations are adopting agile working practices to give employees more freedom in a bid to improve creativity, innovation and engagement. That’s according to a new study, “Top 10 Workplace Trends Impacting HR & Facilities”, published by Smartway2, a unique cloud-based software solution that enables businesses to help their people, places and technology work better together.

The Smartway2 study says “the challenge is on” for organizations to create more sustainable workplaces that can adapt to fast-changing needs. Research also shows that companies can reduce their office space requirements by up to 30% by adopting agile working practices.

“The search is on for the optimum means of motivating employees to do the best work of their lives,” said Smartway2’s CEO John T. Anderson. “Traditionally we’ve grown used to big office buildings set up for a fixed use – perhaps with cubicles, individual offices or an open plan layout. But the workplace of the future can’t be so unwieldy. We need to cater for a wider range of preferences and encourage collaboration between diverse groups of people.”

The Smartway2 study points to a growing need for more flexible spaces and Activity Based Working (AWB) that can optimise workspaces for different tasks. Providing a variety of spaces and services to employees on-demand, from anywhere, is becoming the new normal, the study says. People expect to be able to book meeting rooms, desks, equipment, catering and more, wherever they are, on a 24/7 basis.

Recent research conducted by recruitment organisation Badenoch and Clark also pointed to flexible working as the most important contributing factor to workplace happiness. A third of respondents to the survey listed agile or flexible working as the top source of workplace happiness other than salary – with almost an equal number of male and female employees (35% of women; 32% of men) expressing this view.

The Smartway2 study suggests that agile working now extends beyond the workspace itself and into the realms of workplace culture. It is now more about giving individuals the flexibility, autonomy and freedom to choose where and when they work in order to achieve the results that are expected of them.

Increased autonomy can mean allowing employees to come in late and work late, or otherwise mix up their hours – or permitting them to work remotely in public cafes, members’ clubs, shared office spaces, or at home.

“Agile working is a big pull for top talent and improves retention, as smart people expect more freedom than ever before,” said Smartway2’s Anderson. “Get it right and you can create a highly engaged workforce, while reducing real estate costs and operating more sustainably.”

Smartway2 believes organisations need to make their employees’ workplace experience as seamless as possible if they want agile working to be a success. This includes making sure people have secure access to files – and the ability to book the spaces and tools they need – via the cloud, wherever and whenever they choose to work.

Another important consideration when designing a more agile workplace is understanding all the platforms from which people need to be able to book resources – such as Outlook, touch screens, desk panels, meeting room displays and mobile apps. An organisation also needs a system that can accurately track key data such as space utilisation and no-shows.

“In the main, it’s not a technology challenge that work is facing today, it’s a human psychology challenge,” said Anderson. “The technology exists and is relatively straightforward to implement. Humans, on the other hand, are far trickier and slower to change.”

He added: “This kind of culture shift isn’t such a big deal for start-ups and SMBs, but it’s a tall order for larger organisations transitioning from a traditional set-up. Facilities and HR will play an important part in steering the oil tanker.”

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