FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
A new report by global real estate services firm, JLL, has found that tech-enabled solutions are a crucial factor to the success of the hybrid work model.
The report, Technology and Innovation in the Hybrid Age shows that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and organisations will need to implement tailored tools and processes that work for their employees, clients and business models.
Sharad Rastogi, President, JLL Technologies commented: “Hybrid work looks different for every business given the uniqueness of their employee base and business model, and where they are with regard to return to work. While the office remains a cornerstone of operations, identifying and adopting the right technologies so employees can seamlessly work in the office, at home or elsewhere is essential to the success of the hybrid work model.”
JLL’s research found that while there is an ambition to adopt several technologies which are considered essential for executing hybrid work, there’s a large gap between future plans and current implementation.
Top technologies in service of hybrid work that are currently in place across companies surveyed include remote working technology (47 per cent), in-office collaboration technology (40 per cent) and workplace experience apps (36 per cent). Over the next three years, companies are also planning to adopt solutions like sustainability and environment controls (60 per cent), digital infrastructure and connectivity (58 per cent) and occupancy and environment sensors (56 per cent).
With 55 per cent of office-based employees now in a hybrid work pattern, JLL says companies must increase the rate of technology adoption to meet workforce preferences and business goals.
According to the report, on average, companies have adopted only four out of the 15 anchor technologies necessary for the hybrid work transformation, but many have significant ambitions. By 2025, 78 per cent plan to incorporate the majority of these technologies into their portfolios and in 2022 alone, most companies aim to adopt up to six new technology solutions. Moreover, to harness the technological expertise needed to identify and implement these solutions, an increasing number of companies are outsourcing. Forty-four per cent of large organisations are reporting that they are working with external partners to accelerate commercial real estate technology implementation.
The 15 anchor technologies are as follows:
- Remote working technology
- In-office collaboration technology
- Workplace experience apps
- CRE data warehouse
- Coworking and flex space management
- Touchless access
- Digital connectivity and infrastructure
- Sustainability and environmental control
- Predictive facility management
- Portfolio data analysis
- Health-tech wellbeing solutions
- Occupancy and environmental sensors
- Smart contracts
- VR immersive meeting
- Robotics for cleaning, maintenance and security
According to JLL those companies that can empower employees and support flexibility with the right technologies and purposefully designed workplaces “will succeed in the hybrid working environment”.
Developing an effective workplace experience is a balancing act.
This years annual insight report delves into the work-life balance we now face in our day-to-day lives. How the new hybrid working world sees us challenge the balance of getting these things right and what workplaces can do to support its colleagues.
Find out how your organisation can get it right by clicking here to download Balanced Workplaces, a Claremont Group Interiors Insight Report Issue 6.
