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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the world of work has undergone a lasting transformation. Individuals, organizations and institutions are seeking the right balance of workspace opportunities. Workers want to know how remote work can fit into their lives, and how the office can meet their needs. In The Workplace You Need Now: Shaping Spaces for the Future of Work, work environment executives and experts Dr. Sanjay Rishi, Benjamin Breslau and Peter Miscovich deliver a practical framework for how to plan, invest in and create effective digital/physical hybrid workplaces that are beginning to define the world of work. The book explores paths to creating new workplaces that drive the four C's of value: culture, collaboration, creativity, and community. It walks you through the design of custom, flexible, digitally integrated workplaces that manifest new ways of working, and attract tomorrow's top talent. You'll discover the personalized, responsible, and experiential workplace that individuals and organizations alike seek to encourage human interaction, and fuel creativity and growth. You'll learn the path to the purposeful, resilient workplace that incorporates the emerging imperatives of health, wellness and environmental sustainability. Rich with examples from leading organizations from across the globe, The Workplace You Need Now is an indispensable resource for individuals, as well as businesses of all shapes and sizes trying to find the right solution that works for them right now.
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Seitenzahl: 287
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Introduction
Preface
PART I: The Personalized Workplace
1 The Origin and Evolution of Workplace
The Value of Location
Next-Generation Remote Working
Sources Cited
2 Personalizing the Workplace
The People-Centric Workplace
“Demographics Is Destiny”
Baby Boomers
Gen X
Millennials
Gen Z
Gen Alpha
Young Talent Adapting to Remote Work
The Liquid Workforce
The Bottom Line for the Personalized Workplace
Sources Cited
3 The Future Is Flexible
The Rise of the Hybrid Workplace
How Hybrid Working Is Changing the Nature of Work
Sources Cited
PART II: The Responsible Workplace
4 The Purpose-Driven Workplace
The Purpose of the Office Market Remains
Sources Cited
5 The New Corporate Responsibility
Environment and Sustainability
Health and Wellness
Diversity/Equity/Inclusion (DEI)
Sources Cited
6 A Resilient Workforce, Workplace, and Portfolio
The Traditional View of Resiliency
The Changing Definition of Resilience
Hybrid Working Is a Hallmark of Resilience
Resilience Requires Cooperation
Sources Cited
PART III: The Experiential Workplace
Sources Cited
7 The Human Experience in the Corporate Office
What Is the Human Experience?
Critical Experiential Attributes
Sources Cited
8 Experience in the Intelligent Digital + Physical Space
Defining the Intelligent Workplace
The Intelligent Workplace Experience
The New Hybrid, Intelligent, and Digitized Workplace Is Here
Innovative Real Estate Solutions Keep Expanding
The Challenges of a Hybrid Environment
Sources Cited
PART IV: The Path Forward
9 Reimagining the Workplace: How?
The Emerging Winning Model for Workplace
New Workplace Priorities
What Is Your Human Experience Strategy?
Prioritizing Workplace Investments
Managing the Dynamic Hybrid Workplace and Optimizing the Real Estate Portfolio
Identifying Experience Metrics That Matter
From Corporate Real Estate Team to Workplace Experience Manager
Sources Cited
10 Strategic Framework: Journey to the Hybrid Workplace
1.0 Elements of The Personalized Workplace
2.0 Elements of the Responsible Workplace
3.0 Elements of the Experiential Workplace
Path to Strategic Workplace Decisions
Learning from Hybrid Work Experimentation
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Figure I.1 Future of Work: Workplace Framework The workplace must provide me...
Part I
Figure I.1 The Personalized Workplace The personalized workplace is responsiv...
Chapter 1
Figure 1.1 The Evolving Workplace Ecosystem Hybrid working likely involves w...
Chapter 2
Figure 2.1 Worker Profiles A March 2021 JLL study of 3,000 workers around th...
Chapter 3
Figure 3.1 The Future of Work Continuum The future of work is emerging in a ...
Part 2
Figure P2.1 The Responsible Workplace A responsible workplace conveys a sense...
Chapter 4
Figure 4.1 Purpose of the Workplace Ideally, the purpose of the workplace en...
Part 3
Figure P3.1 An Experiential Workplace An experiential workplace provides a co...
Chapter 7
Figure 7.1 Example of Ideal Workplace Attributes A memorable workplace offers...
Part 4
Figure P4.1 The Path Forward Today’s employees prefer workplaces that are exp...
Chapter 9
Figure 9.1 Integrated Enterprise Transformation Model Four strategic priorit...
Figure 9.2 Future of Work: Continuum of Workspace Allocations Workplace alloc...
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Introduction
Preface
Begin Reading
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Index
End User License Agreement
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Praise for The Workplace You Need Now
“Technology will increasingly play an important role to help measure, model, and manage a connected, sustainable workplace.”
—Brad Smith,President, Microsoft
“The opportunities to transform work and workplaces are staring us in the face. The dynamics of change described in this book make it a must-read for all that want to create a culture for the success of their organizations.”
—Rajesh Nambiar,Chairman, Cognizant India
“Must-read for anyone who wants to understand the new world of work.”
—Philip Ross,Founder and CEO, UnWork.com
“Now is the time for companies to leverage the power of design to transform the human experience at work. We see first-hand the challenges and opportunities companies face in this new era of the office. This book is a refreshing and readable narrative that reinforces human-centric design.”
—Diane Hoskins,Co-CEO, Gensler
“The most successful workplaces will embody and exemplify an organization’s purpose, inspire the workforce, and drive business performance. The book is an invaluable guide for CEOs thinking about the future of work and the workplaces they need to help their people and businesses thrive.”
—Christian Ulbrich,CEO and President, JLL
“Technologies constantly change the workplace experience and the real estate sector’s ability to respond. For those that need to motivate and change, this book captures the factors that are critical to understand the hybrid future of work in our ever digitizing and virtual culture.”
—Dr. Andrea Chegut,Director, MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab
SANJAY RISHI
BENJAMIN BRESLAU
PETER MISCOVICH
THE WORKPLACE YOU NEED NOW
SHAPING SPACES FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK
Copyright © 2022 by Jones Lang Lasalle. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Rishi, Sanjay, author. | Breslau, Benjamin, author. | Miscovich, Peter, author.
Title: The workplace you need now : shaping spaces for the future of work / Sanjay Rishi, Benjamin Breslau, Peter Miscovich.
Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2022] | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021038320 (print) | LCCN 2021038321 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119814801 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119815136 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119815129 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Work environment. | Office layout. | Office buildings. | Flexible work arrangements. | Organizational change. | Organizational effectiveness.
Classification: LCC HD7261 .R4968 2021 (print) | LCC HD7261 (ebook) | DDC 658.2/3—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021038320
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021038321
Cover Design: Wiley
Author Photos: © JLL Americas
To the perfection in my life – my wife, Neha, and our children, Natasha, Sumit, and Shivani. To the priceless little treasure, Sanjana! And to Dad, Mom – the force of nature for her boys – my brother Girish, and our enriching weekend banters!
—Sanjay Rishi
To my wife, Edie; my children, Sam, Emma, and Jack; my parents, Susan and Bill Breslau; my brother, Jeremy; and all my family, friends, and colleagues who support and inspire me every day.
—Ben Breslau
To honor and in loving memory of our father, John A. Miscovich; to our amazing mother, Mary Miscovich; and with heartfelt dedication to my wonderful partner of 31 years, Damon Owen.
—Peter Miscovich
INTRODUCTION
A global software powerhouse, a bank that changed the very definition of innovation, and a technological and research leader with envied brand recognition in industries as diverse as defense, intelligence, and health care. Together, these three companies represent more than half a million employees and partners who have filed in and out of almost 100 million square feet of offices – the equivalent of five of the largest stadiums in the world – every day. These workplaces, and the work done within by the talented workers, have fueled lifestyles, successes, prosperity, security, and health around the world.
Workplaces have served as gathering spaces for generations of workers in pursuit of success, but, just as important, as places where people find fulfilment, a sense of belonging, and opportunities to learn and grow. In varying measures, organizations have used their workplaces and offices as sources of competitive advantage.
For these three companies, and many more in the following pages, workplaces are where brands are created, unique cultures are fostered and environments fashioned to inspire the contributions of the workforce. Their leaders view the workplace as foundational to business success and are willing to invest in creating welcoming, friendly spaces that, in turn, allow their people to prosper. These are just three stories to inspire as we look at the ways in which work is evolving and at the workplace we need now.
Microsoft
More than a decade ago, Microsoft recognized changes in the way its products and services were developed and the need for the workplace to support a more agile and collaborative work style. New insights led to a substantial change in the company’s office design, modernizing offices across the globe, while embarking on an ambitious 3-million-square-foot redevelopment project at its Redmond, Washington, headquarters that will shape the lives and work of its associates for decades to come.
The redevelopment now underway replaces legacy buildings primarily featuring closed offices with new team-based workspaces supported by technology to enhance the work experience. Retaining only a small portion of the original Microsoft campus, the new design incorporates the needs of the workforce today, to address the way work is evolving. Collaboration and creativity will create a new, refreshed, energized experience at Microsoft, with workplaces designed to support smaller development and project teams.
The new spaces at Microsoft are designed to spark innovation and creativity, taking collaboration to new heights, leveraging digital capabilities to harmonize lives in and around work. No surprise, of course, that Microsoft is employing its extensive digital and cloud technologies acumen to make work and workplaces effective and easy to traverse, occupy, configure, and engage. Workplace apps will enable employees to reserve workspaces; personalize their workdays, work groups, and spaces; and seamlessly access transit and rideshare applications. Easy access to health and wellness data and amenities will afford employees time and resources for rejuvenation and recharging. Wayfinding tools will help guests and employees efficiently locate spaces and people for interactions. As the Microsoft ecosystem fuels the brain, apps will help employees fuel their bodies with easy access to food, exercise, yoga, and light-filled spaces.
Microsoft is using its own Microsoft Azure platform to manage a portion of the buildings at its headquarters campus and at locations around the world. Incorporating Azure Digital Twins technology, facility managers can digitally model physical space layers, with real-time data anonymization, to learn about the spaces people are using and how they are using them, informing data-driven space planning and allocation. The Azure platform also ensures that buildings operate efficiently to minimize energy and waste, and optimize indoor air quality.
Capital One
You can’t miss the towering presence of Capital One, a global brand that is considered a leader in innovation and banking, as you drive down the Washington, DC, beltway. The landmark campus attracts employees and the community to the promise and ambition of this bank that has embraced digital capabilities to differentiate itself, redefining brand and customer intimacy.
Live-work-play is coming together seamlessly in the Capital One headquarters, encompassing an amphitheater, a biergarten, hotel rooms, a 1,600-seat corporate events and performing arts center, retail, and workspaces that all flow fluidly to enable the next waves of innovation and growth. Easy access to the Metro, ample smart parking, and a design that embraces all modes of traveling to and within the campus, including footpaths and bicycle trails, makes access to and from the buildings efficient. Once again, experience is central to the significant capital investment, and the value of a differentiated workplace is clearly embraced in Capital One’s goal of attracting and retaining top talent.
As guests arrive at Capital One’s seventh-floor sky lobby, the experience is more akin to visiting a world-class hotel or restaurant than a leading bank. Each floor is connected with interior stairs, alternating on either side of the building, to make employees on each level feel connected. Open seating areas around each staircase allow for impromptu meetings. Art and sculptures line the walls and halls are strategically placed to inspire associates and create a sense of connectedness to surrounding communities.
Leidos
A world leader in technology and research, Leidos stands apart in the complex industries it serves, which include defense, intelligence, and health care. One of the largest government contractors on the planet, Leidos manages complex challenges on a daily basis as it operates across the globe – and its workplaces mirror that complexity. Few organizations anywhere in the world have facilities that manufacture the next lunar lander, precision-guided munitions, under- and over-water combat vehicles, while also operating wet labs for cancer research and other facilities that produce and distribute vaccines – including those used to combat Ebola. Add to this diverse portfolio the highly regulated government and intelligence agency facilities where Leidos employees provide expertise.
Leidos’s new headquarters opened just as the world was shutting down in 2020. The sparkling new facility in Reston, Virginia, was not vacant for long, however. Leidos’s mission-critical work brought people into the office spaces designed to promote a sense of belonging, teaming, and energy. Digital technologies deployed across the offices allow seamless, touchless, productive connectivity and navigation across the airy, bright spaces.
What makes these organizations stand out is that their workplaces reflect their distinct brands. Their real estate portfolios are designed to add value by attracting and retaining scarce talent in a time of unprecedented demographic shifts. Their workplaces transcend the simple function of a place to work.
The undeniable reality in this postpandemic world is that workplaces as we know them are on the verge of unprecedented transformation. The pandemic shattered long-accepted individual, business, and societal norms, and unleashed uncertainty at an unforeseen pace and magnitude. Demographic shifts, health and safety, and digital disruption are among the drivers of these accelerating trends.
These three organizations are by no means exceptions of foresight, and the following pages unravel many such stories of innovation and differentiation. Enterprises large and small, public and private, are grappling today with challenges, as well as opportunities, shaping their pursuits of success. Industry sectors and communities are assessing cyclical versus structural shifts as the post-COVID-19 world takes shape. Corporate C-suites are adapting to new realities and uncertainties.
These trends have been clearly evident over the last few years. Never before in history, however, has the topic of workplace been top-of-mind for the C-suites and leaders of organizations. Likewise, never before have individuals challenged the nature of work.
The pandemic shall pass, as pandemics always do, but the learnings and experiences of a year-long world of virtual work will remain. The monumental change that organizations and their workforces had to endure also surfaced a number of questions that companies must now grapple with.
What are workplaces of tomorrow going to look like? Is a virtual work environment truly conducive to productivity, innovation, culture, and collaboration over the long term? How will organizations attract and retain talent in the future, and drive performance and culture for their people? How will work evolve? How must capital be deployed to harness the promise of tomorrow? What is the right balance of work from home and work from work? And, most important, how can we optimize our work, workforce, and workplace?
From a workforce perspective, personal desires, preferences, needs, and wants dominate employee desire to contribute to success today. Workers are asking themselves, “Where should I live? Where should I work? How do I work? When do I commute and how do I collaborate?” With the untethering of work from an official workspace, the individual is exercising the “I” at work.
The good news is that the next few years hold the very real promise of being judged by history as the inflection point of innovation and growth. Now is the launching point for a new approach to work, workforce, and workplace.
Harnessing today’s and tomorrow’s digital capabilities will unleash the creativity and ability of individuals and workgroups to tailor the way ideas proliferate and responsibilities are executed. The very real drive toward a better world is becoming manifest through multiple dimensions influencing workplace strategies. Sustainability and social responsibility deliver economic benefits, while also addressing the more altruistic goals of a healthier planet.
This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the workplace of today and its various influences. It provides a window into the probable and a glimpse into the possible. A personalized, responsible, experiential workplace emerges (see Figure I.1).
In the following pages, we have extensively explored the imperatives to change, provided experiences of organizations and individuals from across the world, and debated options and approaches to bringing these transformed workplaces to life. We evaluated perspectives of organizations that occupy offices, invest in workspaces, and employees who make up the workforce of today – diverse, individualistic, engaged, and competitive. Those perspectives coalesced on a distinct viewpoint: the workplace is the beating heart of an organization and will continue to be so; enterprises must pull the various levers of workplace transformation to harness the power of their workforces; creating a culture of collaboration and a sense of belonging is paramount to talent attraction, retention, and overall success of an organization.
Figure I.1Future of Work: Workplace FrameworkThe workplace must provide memorable experiences; a sense of purpose, belonging, and corporate responsibility; and the power to personalize through the workplace.
We bring to the book the blending of our combined career learnings – a total of more than 75 years – along with the deep expertise of our extensive group of passionate collaborators. Our experiences span careers in digital transformation, real estate strategy, enterprise strategy, innovation, and research. Examples of approaches, thanks to the collaboration of our clients cited across these pages, provide illustrative vignettes to navigate these uncharted waters of the newly emerged picture of workplace.
In Part I, we focus on the personal workplace. We start by exploring the imperatives that are changing the nature of workspaces and, in turn, suggesting that organizations anticipate and develop a strategic response to those imperatives. For the first time in history, four generations coexist in the workplace. Each generation brings with its own unique learnings, cultures, experiences, and expectations. Working collaboratively, these generations create value and success for their organizations. Yet, their preferences, allegiances, and portability across jobs and roles diverge significantly.
As much as multigenerational workers desire workplace flexibility and personalization, that flexibility is driven or limited by the availability of tools and technology. The speed of corresponding workplace evolution will be driven by the level of organizational commitment to change.
The responsible workplace, with its various dimensions, is emerging as the next major driver of change for organizations. Corporate responsibility now goes much farther than it did in the past, when it mostly comprised well-intentioned initiatives to further the corporate culture. Part II lays out the case for change and uncovers a mandate for organizations to invest financial, human, and social capital to effect fundamental change.
We define four macro responsibility imperatives: health and wellness, environment and sustainability, diversity/equity/inclusion, and resilience. Members of today’s workforce are driving as they seek to blend working from the home, from the office, and from anywhere. They care about societal causes, including glaring problems of social and racial injustice, income inequality, and environmental sustainability. They want the workplace to support a distinct culture and opportunities for collaboration, creativity, and community, and they’re relying on their employers to build such a space. The challenge, of course, is to address the divergent needs and preferences of workers themselves. We examine four worker profiles whose divergent needs are a source of challenge and opportunity.
In Part III, we explore the experiential workplace. Experience indeed is everything – in personal lives and in lives at work. Individuals are motivated to come to work to find social interaction, mentorship, collaboration, and learning. Workplaces are evolving rapidly to accommodate these heightened needs of individuals. C-suite executives increasingly recognize that workplaces should be inviting and healthy, and facilitate a rewarding experience. Talent attraction and retention rests on this focus on workplaces that help create a brand and a sense of belonging that can be illusive in a digitally enabled world.
We unpack design influences that are affecting physical spaces. The innovation and creativity in the physical design shape the first visual experience for the visitor. Much can be leveraged from ideas and concepts that leading enterprises are creating and adopting. We further explore the intelligent experience – the coming together of the physical and the digital. In leading companies, digital transformation is enabling not only new business models but also new workplace experiences. Mobile apps are making navigation easy, space reservations efficient, occupancy management effective, and the entire spectrum of sustainable, responsive, smart workplace operations a reality.
Not unlike industries that have harnessed digital and cloud technologies to power innovation, workplaces stand to benefit from the enhanced postpandemic attention to the domain of corporate real estate. Commercial property technology – “proptech” – has been fueled by investments across the globe, and the pandemic has enabled a marked acceleration of a whole new spectrum of capabilities, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, augmented and virtual reality, and touchless technologies, to name a few, into the workspace.
The dimensions of transformation are diverse, with no panacea or “one-size-fits-all” approach for organizations and workers to embrace. Yet, the trends, the needs, and the capabilities for transforming workplaces are undeniable and the opportunity vast. The call to action has never been louder and the foundation of support never stronger, for organizations to navigate their individual journeys through the labyrinth of options.
The workplace of the future is here and now, and the lines between where we live, work, and play have become blurred. The experiential workplace is now the new metric by which spaces are being evaluated, as organizations seek to optimize their use of space while fostering employee engagement and productivity through dynamic workplace strategies.
We conclude the book in Part IV having described the emerging demand, the paths to fulfilment of those demands, and the risks of inaction. Relying on the assessments and views of the entire ecosystem of workspace participants – investors, occupiers, brokers, managers, proptech entrepreneurs, corporate real estate officers, human resource leaders, chief information officers, and more – we aim to help organizations and individuals think through the continuum of needs and priorities across six facets of workplace transformation.
Since many of these issues and trends are still emerging, with no one “right answer” for the workplace, we have sought to provide a strategic framework whereby companies can discover the approach that will meet their unique corporate management, organizational, workforce, and cultural needs. The proposed framework is a tool for decision-making and capital investments that can be customized to each organization. It reflects approaches that leading organizations are adopting to fit their particular circumstances.
PREFACE
From climate change to the COVID-19 pandemic, crises, and mass disruption – the likes of which we have experienced in past eras – we have seen devastating and yet fundamentally transformative consequences emerge. Across history, crises have catalyzed innovation and business model transformation, and have been followed by a sense of optimism. The idea for this book first emerged just as the world had been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic and hopes of a quick recovery had been lost. For months, humanity reeled with uncertainty, fears, grief, and loss, and socioeconomic challenges that, combined, more closely resembled a gripping science fiction movie than real life. From dining with friends or cheering at a baseball game to taking a child to school and heading to the office, normalcy was displaced.
In the aftermath of all that despair, however, optimism, innovation, and an acceleration of lasting changes have emerged. CEOs of world-leading organizations have been on the news talking about their workplaces. The evolution of work – a perpetual journey – has become front and center as organizations begin to reconcile priorities of collaboration and culture with the learnings and implications of mass remote working. The idea of “workplace” as we knew it has undergone unprecedented and unplanned transformation.
Traditionally, of course, the office has had a central role in the business of work. “Going to work” meant going to a downtown high-rise office building or a suburban corporate campus, not your guest bedroom or kitchen table or, if you are fortunate, an actual home office. The pandemic shattered these conventional views of work and the office, and upended many other societal norms along the way.
Employee expectations shifted significantly during the pandemic, as many continued to be just as productive from home as in the office – and they didn’t miss the commute. Many organizations are now shifting their expectations, examining their workplaces and real estate portfolios as they ponder the evolving purpose their workplaces should serve.
The value of the workplace is being redefined, with the recognition that brand, talent, culture, and creativity are inherently intertwined. Enterprises large and small, public and private, along with communities, are assessing whether the current shifts we are seeing in how people live and work are cyclical or structural. Consumers are adopting new lifestyles and rethinking their value systems. Health and safety, social justice, and environmental impact are at the top of the agenda for many workers and, likewise, for many employees, customers, shareholders and other stakeholders. And yet, at the same time, there is broad recognition that offices and workplaces are at the heart of organizational culture, creativity, and talent attraction – fundamental keys to individual and organizational success.
The opportunity to write a book about this pivotal moment was too compelling an opportunity to pass up. Across diverse cultures and societies, work and workplace are evolving through multiple dimensions. The best thing I did was to enlist my colleagues Ben Breslau and Peter Miscovich – both prolific thinkers, researchers, and writers in their own right. To no one’s surprise, the response was an immediate and enthusiastic yes. Over many months, through holidays and long weekends, they juggled work, home, and family priorities, yet nonetheless were able to devote precious time to this endeavor.
Our understanding of what constitutes a workplace has been fundamentally redefined as it becomes increasingly clear that work is not a place you go to but something you do – a phrase you will encounter again.
In our daily work lives, we collaborate every day with organizations that are pioneering new approaches to their workplaces, buildings, and real estate portfolios. These owners, occupiers, and operators of corporate real estate represent a rich repository of experiences and knowledge that we have drawn from throughout the book. We were fortunate – and grateful – for the unanimous support we received from our clients so willing to share their workplace innovation stories.
In the pages ahead, we seek to navigate these combined experiences to provide a window into the probable and a glimpse into the possible – personal, responsible, and experiential workplace for the future of work. We hope you find the book thought-provoking and worthy of sparking debate. Most important, we trust you will uncover trends and ideas to inspire the future of work and workplace in your organization and in your personal lives.
Sanjay Rishi
PART IThe Personalized Workplace
“My philosophy is that everything starts with a great product.”
Steve Jobs, Co-Founder, Apple Inc.
Consider your favorite products and what you love about them. Is it the style? Maybe they are particularly practical or intuitive. Do they serve their purpose well? Do they provide great value?
They are probably easy to access and increasingly interoperable, or at least compatible, with other products you use. If they are innovative and entertaining, too, you may find it hard to live without them. And, depending on your shopping preferences, you may find they are made by companies committed to environmental sustainability, fair labor practices, and other public benefits.
Your favorite products likely engage you in a personal way by responding to your needs. They probably aren’t custom-built for you, but rather developed in a way that feels personalized or configurable for your needs. Such products don’t dictate when you use them, but instead draw you to them. They often offer the ultimate flexibility in how, when, and why you use them.
Think about your iPhone, your Peloton, your favorite pair of jeans, or even your favorite fancy latteccino made just the way you like it from your local coffee bar. When you feel like changing things up, you can consider additional options like a new mobile app, a different yoga or cardio workout, an of-the-moment accessory, or a passionfruit beverage from your friendly barista.
Now think about your workplace – that is, the one you frequented before the pandemic. Would you characterize it the same way you describe your personal items? Probably not. Yet, believe it or not, it’s actually possible for a workplace to be all of those things – personalized, responsive, beneficial for public good, experiential. In fact, workplaces are going to have to become more like consumer products to meet the needs of workers now. For employers, now is the time to adapt the “product” – the workplace – for a personalized, responsible, and experiential future (see Figure I.1).
We live in a world of seemingly endless options and instant gratification. To stand apart, consumer brands have had to find ways to create emotional connections with their customers, almost instantly. Why should the workplace be any different?
People have more options than ever in where, how, and when they work, including more opportunities to work with companies located around the world, or even to start their own business as a freelancer or gig worker. Organizations must find ways to spur affinity, create community, and engage workers far beyond their daily tasks.
Figure I.1The Personalized WorkplaceThe personalized workplace is responsive to employee needs and preferences, and will empower talent with a choice of workplaces and spaces.
