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It’s no surprise that the way we work has developed in a big way over the last two years. Every business applies different working styles; some have come back into their workplace full time, some have jumped into a 100% remote or work-from-anywhere model, most lay somewhere in between.
The common denominator in making all these models a success is agile working; the ability to work with total flexibility and mobility wherever you are in the office – or indeed, the world.
Many people think that agile working and hybrid working are the same, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Hybrid working is a form of agile working, yes. As is But there is so much more to being agile.
Agile working is formed from the core belief that work is an activity, not a place, and takes its namesake from the popular methodology heralded in the software development sector. It forces us to re-evaluate the way we work and our idea of what a ‘typical day at work’ looks like. looks like.
It’s a concept that considers technology, environment, comfort, and facility, rejuvenating the tired idea of the office into a hub for creativity and collaboration, a destination for a productive and efficient workday and a place that cares about and provides for your needs and wellbeing.
Whilst hybrid working can be convenient for many reasons, like the elimination of commute time and in turn supplying more personal time, the agile workplace takes personal comfort into account by cultivating a work/life balance. It reviews location and subsequent commutability, provides spaces for in-house activities like yoga and fitness classes for those who prioritise exercise in their daily schedule, providing quiet spaces or pods, eliminating the desire to work from home when you need some focus time or have a class because you have everything you need on your doorstep.
Agile working has huge benefits for employees, business operations and your organisation as a whole.
A more dynamic workplace provides employees with the dedicated spaces to do their best work, in their best setting. Equipping the workplace to reduce stress and improve happiness will help employees to appreciate coming into work, creating a positive workplace with happy employees who are healthier, focused and energised.
Agile working also improves business operations, speeding up workflow by allowing people to collaborate and troubleshoot easily through the enhanced speed and reliability of your technology. The ability to connect to servers from anywhere gives teams the ability to work on-the-go and automate tasks that would usually consume valuable resource. Modernised and more reliable technology enables learning and knowledge sharing and encourages autonomy, with everything an employee needs at their fingertips. And if that’s not already a significant benefit to business operations, you’ll save money on costs through better space management.
Agile workplaces are designed with a focus on creating a destination that employees actively want to work in. It attracts new talent, impresses clients, and shows that you prioritise employee needs to work smarter, not harder. Many companies offer a hybrid working model as a part of their employment package,
Technology is a huge part of an agile workplace and modernisation is essential for future-proofing your business. Choosing the right tools for each team based on their needs and goals will drive motivation and give them the space to innovate and achieve more. Implementing a will also help to safeguard against technology issues and security breaches, lowering downtime and risk of software outages.
Employing a culture of adaptability primes your team to be flexible and pre-empt potential problems that could cost time and money. Armed with a team of super-agile people, you’re upskilling for the future, looking ahead and promoting an always-learning environment. This comes from the Agile method mentioned earlier, but without having to actively deploy this way of working through business strategy. It happens by itself.
Turning your office into an agile workplace also means that you can grow faster. Whilst hybrid working also means room for growth, there can be pitfalls. Working from home can trigger connectivity and security issues, and to safeguard against this you will end up spending more.
It’s clear that agile working and hybrid working have their different uses, and whilst each may be right for one company, they may not work for another depending on the nature of the business. Never-the-less, agile working is here to stay, growing exponentially in popularity with companies like Endomag, Tripledot Studios and The Trade Desk adopting a fluid and flexible working lifestyle with its people at the heart.
Your workplace holds enormous potential to improve your business performance. Get in touch today, and we will unlock that potential together.
