Research shows that a third of employers are now offering some sort of flexible working scheme, although nearly half (46 per cent) have no such scheme in place.[1] Flexible working can have economic advantages for businesses, boosting productivity as well as offering the chance to reduce expenditure on office space. Yet employee demand is one of the most important reasons to create an agile workplace which fosters a collaborative culture, according to workplace experts Condeco Software.

Condeco reports that their clients are citing the increasing rental cost of office space and growing demand for flexible working as factors driving them to reconsider how they use their space. Many businesses are now turning to sensor technology as the most practical and effective option on the market as they seek to optimise their working environment.

Chas Moloney, Marketing Director at Ricoh UK and Ireland, comments: “Our decision to install sensor technology in our offices was motivated by our desire to transform our workspaces into cost efficient, innovative and collaborative areas which enable our employees to achieve their best at work.

“Ricoh also support customers in creating the best working environment for their employees and developing their digital transformation, by working on all aspects from IT Infrastructure to Managed Document Services, from outsourcing to collaboration technologies. How effectively people can do their work, share and access information in real time, as well as collaborate with colleagues, customers and business partners is critically important to the success of any organisation”.

Paul Statham, founder and CEO of Condeco, comments: “People can sometimes be worried that because sensors are monitoring how much a desk is being used, the technology is checking up on their behaviour. In actual fact, the role of sensors is simply to understand how the building is working and how it could be designed more effectively. The studies are completely unconcerned with how individual people are working and they remain nameless and faceless throughout the whole process.

“There is a very clear ethical framework within which these studies take place, and the payoff for staff can be immense. They don’t want to be tied to their desks; the information collected by sensors makes it easier for organisations to turn their buildings into a more dynamic space. And this responsiveness is not simply about making a one-time change to an office. The live data helps individuals to navigate round the office on a day-to-day basis, using their mobile to see where a desk is free, for instance.”