New ways of working are changing the office and its uses. With the widespread deployment of hybrid working and the race to make premises more attractive, companies are taking numerous initiatives to build the future of the workplace.
Together with space, quality of working life, interaction, management and new digital tools are the keystones of a successful return to site. But how do you support your company through these major societal, generational and technological changes?
Jean-Marc Couillault, Head of Workplace Strategy Group at Thalestold us that "it'soften technology that has transformed working habits". So we dug deeper into the subject in a fascinating interview. Find out what he has to say about the key stages in a successful transition to shared offices.
Jean-Marc Couillault is in charge of Thales's work environment strategy in both its spatial and human aspects. His team ensures that resources are available to enable employees to carry out their activities properly. Long before the Covid upheaval, Thales questioned its work organization.
2012, the "Cristal" project in Gennevilliers (89,000 m² for 4,500 people) saw the beginnings of a new methodology: designing workspaces by and for employee activities. This, along with changes in working patterns (remote worknomadism, etc.) is leading us towards shared workspaces.
"Even though we weren't socially ready, we built the 'flex ready' work environment with the necessary elements so that the space could be shared later on."
In 2018, following a quantitative and qualitative diagnosis carried out on a representative panel of 9,000 employees, i.e. 25% of Thales' French population, Jean-Marc observes that 48% of workstations are free and meeting rooms are occupied at less than 50% of their capacity. Employees are getting together, but in smaller numbers than before.
A quick shortcut would lead us to think that all that's needed to optimize floor space is to place twice as many people in the sites, without making any alterations. However, according to Jean-Marc, the challenge is not mathematical, but rather involves redistributing spaces to create areas that employees really need.
At Thales, human intelligence is the driving force behind technology. This logic also applies to the management of the work environment, where the office has for many years been a real place for socializing:
"We made the bet that when people come on site, it's above all to collaborate and interact. Individual concentration work is more likely to be done at remote work. This means reorganizing the work week and the team around the hybrid."
In terms of space, this strategy is reflected in an increase in the number of places available in meeting rooms (even smaller ones) and in collaborative areas. In practice, the rate of sharing depends on the department, its culture and the site: "it's usage that determines the rate of sharing". This requires good organization between managers, so as not to make their teams come back on the same day.
Local management plays a central role in the orchestration of hybrid and shared offices. Managers need to be trained in new ways of working to get away from the logic of team control. Coaching is therefore essential to successfully acculturate and transform middle management, which is directly impacted by these changes.
Thales has gone from 7% of employees teleworking before Covid, to 70% three years later. These new behaviors have a direct impact on site attendance rates. Falling attendance rates have been recorded, with Friday attendance dropping to 20%.
In the current period of expected and sought-after energy sobriety, the right consumption of square meters is an objective that has now been taken on board. This change in mentality and discourse reflects a genuine desire to rebuild the working environment so that it matches the company and its teams:
"Now that the objective of saving square metres has been taken on board, we can talk about it freely."
We are therefore witnessing a profound change in real estate strategy and the way it is communicated to employees. It's not just a question of reducing square meters, but above all of optimizing them. Each company has its own challenges: reducing rents, increasing collaborative spaces, a new deal for the employee experience... The strategy does not depend solely on the real estate department; other stakeholders are also involved in the projects.
When the work environment is no longer in tune with the way employees use it, the refurbishment project must involve several trades. Jean-Marc and I discussed two essential partners in the redesign process.
Transforming the way work is organized requires us to take care of human resources, who also need to be transformed. This requires real support, which can sometimes be lacking:
"Today, we support changes in the work environment by explaining to employees the best practices to adopt. But there's still one link missing to really drive the transformation: we need human transformation facilitators."
Often, the work environment changes faster than people, and changing someone's habits or skills takes time. Jean-Marc advises us to start by asking ourselves some questions: has the organization of work changed? Has the management that should accompany this transformation aligned itself with this organization? Then, the company can build the environment that will accelerate and embody this transformation!
A real estate project is a business project. The human resources that make it up are at the heart of the machine. To conclude this exchange with Jean-Marc, let's remember that it's a good idea to start by carrying out a diagnosis to identify the uses of the teams, and then design the appropriate real estate resources. And don't forget to support people through the transformation process.
At Deskare, we can accompany you in your transformation towards flexible offices. Let's discuss your project?
.png)
.png)
