Working life used to be very simple. The majority of people travelled in to the same workplace each day, at the same time as everybody else. The inflexibility of the buildings to which they travelled enshrined these routines and hierarchies with static space planning models, working cultures and long leases. There was no great call for flexibility when everybody – quite literally – knew their place.
This is not the world we now inhabit. The workplace is no longer merely a physical
entity and in some cases may not be primarily physical at all. The working environment for a growing number of people is a combination of physical, cultural and technological spaces. The challenges of integrating and managing them are now the primary concern of professionals across a range of disciplines. For directors, line managers, facilities managers, IT and human resources professionals the challenge is how to manage their businesses and employees in this complex new world and offer them the resources they need on a day to day basis.
The resources conundrum
The solution to this particular management conundrum lies in taking advantage of the flexibility of its most fast moving and adaptable elements – people and technology. By empowering individuals and offering them the resources, physical spaces and intelligent technological infrastructure they need, the organisation can not only meet the challenges of this new world of work, but achieve genuine competitive advantage.
Benefits of resource scheduling
- Reduce costs and energy use which adds to an organisation’s bottom line
- Open up control of resources to the people who use them, empowering them to work in the best possible ways and so further meet many of the key workplace objectives of the organisation
- Support the agile workforce such as hospitality management, videoconferencing and sophisticated room booking systems
- Discrete solution alongside IWMS systems that are more focused on other issues such as lease management and maintenance
- Able to generate data in real-time that shows how resources are used, it is also an important tool for strategic decision making
- Awareness of how specific resources are used including how often, in what way and by whom
- Minimize the need for costly and disruptive relocations and refurbishments by utilising existing space and resources better
- Help to tailor both the physical and technological working environment to the precise needs of individuals and teams
The importance of resource scheduling will increase over time both as a result of increasing property costs and as businesses become more aware of the features and benefits of the systems.