Workplace Motion: smart analytics on workplace utilization

Most business leaders would agree that to thrive in today’s economic climate, it’s imperative that resources are used effectively, costs are carefully considered and return on investment is high. However, it appears many organizations are not applying these principles to their real estate and workplaces.

 

Over the last 10 years, the Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions (GWS) Workplace Strategy team has analyzed more than 200,000 workstations and knows that only 49 percent of office desks are in use at any one time during standard office hours. With the adoption of flexible working, this is a figure that is fast in decline. Therefore, as buildings represent one of the largest overheads for the majority of businesses, there is the potential for astronomical cost-savings by right-sizing your portfolio. It is also important for those delivering real estate services that the workplaces they provide are designed around the people working in them to enable them to work at peak productivity. But, how can you prove it?

 

Without empirical data, it’s hard for workplace professionals to engage with senior leaders and make the business-case for change. However, when armed with real-time occupancy analytics that meticulously detail how people use the workspace, identifying opportunities for improvement should be instantly evident.

 

WorkplaceMotion sensors

The challenge for the industry has been to unobtrusively capture information. Workplace Motion provides real-time space-utilization information via wireless heat- and motion-sensors which continuously monitor activity within a workspace. These discreet sensors can be placed over-head or under desks, to enable usage-data to be generated for meeting rooms and open areas, as well as more traditional desks and work-stations.

 

Once installed, the Workplace Motion sensors require little-to-no maintenance and have battery-life of approximately two years, which allows for long-term studies to be undertaken, if required.

 

Occupancy statistics are gathered, and space utilization patterns are interpreted by Johnson Controls’ Workplace Strategy experts, as well as being passed through intelligent analytics software, to create easy to understand web-based reporting dashboards.

 

These reports illustrate employee work-styles and underused space at a desk-, building- or portfolio-level, and can be benchmarked to help aid strategic property decisions and provide insight into achieving more efficient workplaces. This insight will allow those responsible for corporate buildings to ensure that the amount of real estate that they occupy is right for the business and also that the space inside is designed to suit the needs of the people who work in it.

 

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