The term “new normal” has been floating around for a few years, but now, many sectors are reevaluating its meaning. Does a “new normal” exist? Is it realistic?
Eptura, the leading worktech software solution, said no—at least not within the office sphere, as the most successful businesses are ever evolving to meet employee needs, integrating “worktech” as a core strategy.
Based on insight from more than 16,000 customers, Eptura’s 2023 Workplace Predictions Report breaks down the emergence of the worktech category as the industry continues to shift in regard to how people work.
Key findings:
1. “2023 will be the year of more deliberate and effective hybrid policies.”
The company found that employees who are aware of and understand their company’s hybrid policy shows a positive correlation with how they feel about their organization. Eighty percent of U.S. employees that have a remote/hybrid policy are satisfied. Only 4% do not have a remote/hybrid policy at all.
2. “2023 will be the year to magnetize the workplace with in-person collaboration.”
Forty-five percent of employees see the improved ability to meet with colleagues and clients in-person as a value of going into the office, based on the report, followed by getting noticed by management/help progress career (42%), improving company culture (36%), providing a productive/well-equipped environment (35%) and helping with work/life balance (32%).
Also:
3. “Facility operations and asset management will be reawakened by actionable data science.”
Data will be more easily shared across disparate workplace, asset and inventory systems through data feeds integrated with built-in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
4. “Organizations will become more adept at anticipating and addressing the associated challenges of workspace demand.”
Eptura found that many offices lack collaborative spaces, personal spaces, meeting rooms, quiet areas and amenities for employees and visitors. Forty-three percent of businesses don’t have a way to reserve private or collaborative spaces in advance, and 41% don’t have a way to reserve spaces on demand—26% of businesses can’t work the IT equipment to connect with remote team members.
5. “Smarter automation will facilitate change management.”
Fully integrated solutions are necessary but will also affect workflows and disrupt ingrained behaviors. Employers, to avoid this, will turn to smart automation to manage the assets that bind the company workplace experience together, including human resource information systems, service and ticket management, security and access control, and design, construction, manufacturing, and industrial systems.
