What are examples of workplace challenges?

• On the management side, senior staff may have entitlement issues, such as reluctance to give up their private or corner office in favor of a more collaborative, open work area.  
• Managers may also fear they will lose control and compromise accountability if they have limited face-time with mobile workers.  
• While some staff may welcome more mobility, others may resent having to give up office space, deal with privacy issues, and face disruptions in their work patterns.  
• At the same time, other employees may become too mobile...i.e., they may spend inappropriate amounts of time out of the office.

How can we confront these issues?

• Senior staff needs to be informed about the benefits of new workplace strategies and coached on how to manage mobile employees.  
• C-suite and middle management must buy into the strategy from the get-go and work with the project team to communicate plans with staff at meetings and through information-sharing.  
• Management should also provide staff with sufficient remote communication tools, such as laptops, cloud solutions, and video conferencing.  
• Workplace design solutions that support the strategy by creating an environment that's collaborative and comfortable, while providing appropriate personal space, are critical to a successful implementation. 

Key to this process is being open-minded, patient, and flexible.  This involves plans to benchmark (learning from other companies), pilot, test, gather feedback, and adopt solutions that fit. 

The results?  When executed properly, with the right Project Management team in place, the ROI will outweigh the challenges.  The next generation of offices will bring with it reduced costs, increased productivity, a more competitive advantage for hiring and retention, and even improved morale.  With the right plan, the evolution of the workplace can start to work for you today.