Carly Bell

Since early 2020, COVID-19 has forced us to work in ways we couldn’t have expected or anticipated. Some agencies are only now beginning to reopen their central workplaces. Others never will. As we navigate the return-to-office journey, we’re only at the very beginning of what’s certain to be a monumental change in how and where people work, and how space is managed. As organizations chart a course forward, it’s important to look at what we can reasonably predict, and where we just don’t have answers yet.

Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, according to EPA reports. Whether it is their home, workplace, or another location, people depend heavily on a controlled environment. Everything from the air we breathe to the light we bask in is artificial or at least managed. In shared spaces, it is the responsibility of building owners and managers to provide healthy and safe workplaces.

Out of sight, out of mind. It’s all too easy to forget about asset maintenance when the assets themselves aren’t right in front of you. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this became more evident as employees went home and logged into a virtual workplace instead of coming to a physical space.

There are two distinct factions when it comes to working from home: those who relish it and those who despise it. Before COVID-19, working from home was a perk. When the pandemic hit, work-from-home (WFH) became a necessity to combat the virus’s spread. One person’s dream; the other’s nightmare. As COVID-19 rolls on, employers are dealing with two sides of a war between those who want to return to the office and those who’d prefer working from home. Depending on who you ask, results are mixed:

The modern workplace is a far cry from spaces of the past. Banks of private offices gave way to an open concept fad that’s morphed into a hybrid of spaces, including personal desks surrounded by pony walls, hot and hotel desks, and collaboration areas. COVID-19 threw workplace and space management into turmoil, but the return-to-work movement is underway. As employees come back to offices, stores, factories, and other businesses, the need for privacy in the workplace again takes center stage.

Mixed-use spaces – used by public sector agencies for different purposes – or even mixed-use cities present unique challenges for workplace managers under the cloud of COVID. Unlike single-use facilities, mixed-use spaces may see much larger groups of people come and go. Monitoring the health of every individual is likely impossible without strict contact tracing standards.

Historic buildings hold a special place in the hearts of architects, workplace planners, and employees. There’s something alluring about creating workspaces within the confines of century-old stone or retrofitting a Victorian Era home into offices. For all their uniqueness, repurposing historic buildings for modern workplaces isn’t as easy as replacing a few light fixtures and brushing on a new coat of paint. Most older structures are governed by sometimes-strict regulations overseen by historic districts – the first was created in South Carolina in 1931.

The benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT) are undeniable. IoT-enabled technologies collect data that impacts cost, productivity, compliance, and security. However, that data is only as good as the analyses derived from it, especially when it’s connected to how workplaces are populated, and space is managed today and in the future.

Managing real estate for a single workplace is, in certain ways, simple. There is a single set of data for land, buildings, and leases. For companies with multiple properties or a global presence, the task becomes daunting. A centralized data repository is the key to maintaining accurate and easily accessible information to manage real estate portfolios. But not all data systems are alike. Real estate planners and facility managers should consider several items when choosing a real estate portfolio management system:

Let’s face it: the days of open offices are over. The pandemic likely drove the final nail in the coffin of a design fad that was all the rage but fails to meet the safety and productivity needs of today’s workplaces. That’s no easy task in the face of a pandemic that shut the economy down for months and continues to wreak havoc. But employers are reopening workplace doors and welcoming employees back—and Archibus is ready to help with safe back-to-work transitions.

The more things change, the more they stay the same— especially when it comes to budgets and requirements. How does one keep up with it all? It is crucial to track, manage, and analyze property and infrastructure information to maintain or reduce operational costs. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your IWMS and keep up with all the changes thrown your way. 1. Collect as much (accurate) data as possible