An issue that often comes up in conversations about hybrid working in 2023 is how people can best use the physical space in their office when patterns of behaviour on different days can vary so much. Some of the comments have been:
“on Mondays and Fridays, the office occupation is so low that it feels dead in here – there is no vibe or energy”
“I made the effort to come in but none of my team are here - so why did I bother?”
“Why are we spending money on running services on 4 floors of space today when we could all sit on one floor?”
“If we all share desks how can I make sure there is enough space for my team to sit together on days when we are all in the office?”
I interviewed Stuart Munro from Calven who thinks fusing together employee experience and workplace operations with a smart tech platform that facilitates “dynamic stacking” is the answer. Following is an edited interview with Stuart discussing how Calven have helped leading businesses including Canva and Officeworks grapple with these issues…
What does “dynamic stacking” mean and where did the description come from?
Dynamic stacking is a way for a building to automatically respond to the occupancy of a workplace based on the fluctuations of attendance each day.
Why has dynamic stacking become important?
COVID broke the traditional methodologies for blocking and stacking workplaces. Employees now have much higher degrees of flexibility and as a result, office attendance fluctuates. Quieter days can be a ‘ghost town’, and busier days neighbourhoods are overflowing. This is a challenge for workplace managers who are still trying to apply traditional space allocation methods.
How does Calven address these problems?
We use smart technology to plan the block and stack each day based on who is in. On quieter days Calven brings people together, on busier days we grow into the rest of the space. Importantly, you’ll always be with your team. Space becomes optimised in this model and for large tenants this can lead to entire floors being empty. Being able to power down space is an interesting proposition that is front of mind for many businesses we are working with.
What are the advantages for the people coming to a workplace that is using “dynamic stacking”?
The advantages are broad…
When employees arrive at the office, they can be confident that they will have a desk alongside the people they want to work with. This fosters a sense of belonging and collaboration and ensures proximity for the organic mentoring and learning that people are missing working from home.
A dynamic workspace also cultivates a vibrant working environment filled with people, creating opportunities for interaction, social connection and removing those feelings of desolation from sparsely populated spaces.
Finally, Teams get a better experience from dynamic spaces. Calven organises desk allocations in a neat way; facilitating space for employees who like to plan ahead of time, as well as latecomers who decide to attend the office the morning of. Employees don’t have the burden of having to book desks or fill in forms just to come to the office, everything is much more streamline.
What are the advantages of “dynamic stacking” for a business?
Implementing "dynamic stacking" in a business setting offers several key advantages. Firstly, it enhances team productivity by facilitating more effective collaboration and communication among team members. Additionally, it optimizes workplace utilization, ensuring that space is used efficiently. This approach also contributes to a more appealing and vibrant office atmosphere, ultimately increasing occupancy and utilization rates. Furthermore, in larger workplaces, there is potential for significant cost savings as the system allows for the shutdown of underutilized floors, resulting in reduced energy consumption, cleaning expenses, and other operational costs. Overall, dynamic stacking not only enhances teamwork and workspace utilization but also leads to a more cost-effective and attractive work environment.
There are many. Better team connection and knowledge sharing, resulting in increased productivity and effectiveness. Increased workplace optimisation and utilisation with increased ROI on the office space. A better and appealing workplace culture which help people feel a sense of belonging. If you take it to its full potential, there are significant cost savings and efficiencies from being able to power down services and offerings on quieter days.
How does Calven support “dynamic stacking” on a daily basis?
Each day office attendance is different and team requirements differ. The workplace is becoming a much more varied space in terms of amenity and facilitating team needs. With Calven the office can look different each day, it can be arranged into the most optimal, fit for purpose space by leveraging smart algorithms that can match demand with the supply of space.
How can Calven improve Environmental Performance?
There’s a lot of innovation coming to improve the environmental performance of buildings and we already see technology playing a key role in resource consumption. We see Calven as a central platform that can integrate into building systems to enhance environmental performance. Because we understand the needs of employees and teams and manage the supply and demand of space, then inevitably we can look at how space can be powered down to not waste energy and resources.
Are the cost savings significant? (energy / cleaning costs etc.) and do the cost savings outweigh the cost of implementing / using the App?
It's probably the wrong way of looking at it. The hardest things to measure are often the most important when it comes to the effectiveness of a workplace; how do you put a price on improved culture, sense of belonging, team connection, productivity etc. When you proportion the cost of a technology like Calven which is not just making the office more streamlined, it’s providing a tonne of value from a cultural perspective, if we are also reducing costs by making real estate more effective.
What objections do people have to Dynamic Stacking?
There are real requirements to deal with around people who have OH&S requirements or certain roles that need to be more anchored to space. People also don’t want to feel like guinea pigs, being thrown around a building each day. Assuming the workplace strategy and technology is capable of addressing these challenges then there aren’t too many more objections.
Do people have to sit where they have booked, or can they change their mind?
Most workplaces we are in are trying to encourage internal movement within the space. Technology should be seamless for supporting this. Good workplaces should feel organic and be designed for consumption. It should cater for all the things employees need and can’t do effectively from home and it should feel normal for employees to start somewhere in the morning and be somewhere completely different by the end of the day. Its an opportunity for Calven; if we can tidy up unclaimed bookings, provide a real-time view of what’s available, and make it seamless for employees to move around and dock into spaces then it will be an effective environment.
If a business is using an App like Calven how does it work?
It starts with giving people an easy way to coordinate their office days with their team. They can also see what events and employee activations are happening that they may want to participate in. The rest (e.g. a desk booking) is automated. The trick for us is to focus on the right value exchange for employee’s time. Employees shouldn’t be completing homework each day just to come to the office.
I imagine not 100% of people would bother using it – what % do you need for it to be effective?
I don’t know the exact answer, but I would say organisations care far more about how often teams are coming together, than ever before. If employees can’t be bothered using Calven then they are actually saying they can’t be bothered ‘working together to come together’ and I think that’s a real cultural issue.
If someone just turns up how can they find where their team is?
Calven will let them know and ask if they want a desk near their team. Like magic!
Can you use this approach on a smaller fitout – say one floor?
Yes, there's less of the benefits around space optimisation but we can still organise a floor to have the best fit for the teams that are in that day. Calven is a broad platform that manages hybrid work, office real estate, workplace experience & analytics and it gives benefits for business small or large.
What sort of data over time does it provide and how might that inform future workplace changes?
Very interesting data that weaves together employee hybrid schedules, real office utilisation and engagement metrics. We are seeing growing trends in the KPI's or metrics that support a modern workplace - what's your cost per visit, how often are teams coming together, what are the avg number of teammates clustered each day. This can give many signals about how your workplace is performing.
