Strategies for using quantitative and qualitative metrics to optimise hybrid work solutions

Abstract

To address the emerging needs of the hybrid workforce, corporate real estate (CRE) organisations must adapt how they plan for, design and fit out workplaces. Every CRE group is still learning how to navigate this new environment, and there are no definitive solutions. This paper asserts, however, that a hybrid approach that is not well planned and carefully implemented will not meet the needs of employees or their organisations. A successful plan should be based on the right data about how an organisation’s employees are using space. Past methods of measuring space utilisation may not apply to the workplaces that support a hybrid work model. This paper describes how to take a phased approach to creating an effective hybrid workplace combining on-site and remote work. One of the challenges facing CRE is how to measure office utilisation and rebalancing existing spaces to accommodate evolving workstyles. This paper provides actionable advice on using the right quantitative and qualitative metrics to develop a hybrid work experience that will yield the best results. It also discusses the crucial roles of HR and IT groups in creating the optimum hybrid work solutions, as well as the importance of linking these efforts to the organisation’s business goals, unique organisational DNA and the needs of its people. Finally, the paper describes what makes Boston Consulting Group’s new Canadian headquarters in Toronto an example of a successful new post-pandemic work programme.