Workplace Technology


The goal of workplace technology is to manage, learn, alert, and automate the workplace and provide a healthier and efficient workplace.

Workplace technologies have the capability to:

1.    Create connected workplaces

2.    Enable all components within a building to talk to each other

3.    Technology can learn user preferences and provide each user their custom environment

4.    Reduce operating costs – efficient building can reduce operating costs

5.    Healthy environment – enables offices to operate at higher standards and help provide a healthier work environment for users

6.    Big Data – understanding the use of space offers real estate teams real-time information on what’s working and what’s not. Usage and office infrastructure performance will lead to more efficient use of space.

7.    Mobility

Imagine…..

Arriving at the office and the building reads your car number plate, and the arm barrier opens. Once inside, the building recognizes your smartphone and asks what sort of activities you are likely to do this morning. Emails for an hour? A couple of phone calls in a quiet room? A meeting? Do you want to sit in your seat? Would you like your colleagues to know you are in the office?

When you get to your desk, the temperature and lighting levels have been set to your preference. You use your smartphone to get a coffee from the machine. The machine knows you usually want a strong Americano at 9.00 on a Tuesday morning. Not Wednesday’s, as you work from home on a Wednesday.

You use your smartphone to send a message to the service desk that the paper in the printer has finished. You can easily find your colleagues. You grab a sandwich from the micro-market, it has the sandwich you like, and you pay for it using your smartphone.

You can check train times, traffic conditions, the energy consumption of the office.

You decide to work at a large table on the thirty-first floor, in the middle of the office. At five you have a presentation to give to a visiting client. Your smartphone opens the door to the allocated meeting room as you arrive and your presentation is already on the screen.

The office anonymizes the data received and learns a lot about what happens during the day. The cleaners have an iPad that shows which spaces most actively used and which toilets need intensive cleaning. On a quiet Wednesday afternoon, one of the office levels is not used at all. The lights and the air-conditioning don’t switch on. The floor does not need vacuuming, and the toilets are not cleaned.

The office anonymizes the data received and learns a lot about what happens during the day. The cleaners have an iPad that shows which spaces most actively used and which toilets need intensive cleaning. On a quiet Wednesday afternoon, one of the office levels is not used at all. The lights and the air-conditioning don’t switch on. The floor does not need vacuuming, and the toilets are not cleaned.

Who would not want to work in a building like this?   Could this inspire and increase employee engagement?

How is this Possible?

Smart Building and Smart Offices are Operating with the following Technologies.

1.    Power over Ethernet (PoE)

2.    Visible Light Communication (VLC)

3.    Sensors & Automation

4.    Wireless Technology

5.    Occupancy Management

6.    Micro-Markets

7.    Magic Carpet Lights

8.    Workplace Apps

9.    Wearable Technology

Power over Ethernet (PO)

Power over Ethernet is a way of providing power for electrical equipment through Ethernet cables – the same ones that already form the backbone of the IT network in your office.

Light points can then be connected to IT networks in buildings, and comprehensive monitoring and management systems. Connected Lighting systems leverage the ever-present nature of the lighting infrastructure to serve as a universal platform for data and communications indoors.

POE uses ‘cat 5’ cables.  Cat 5 cables are designed to carry data, not power. But as long as the load is below a certain wattage (up to about 60W at the moment), they can power and communicate with devices at the same time. Philips, one of the suppliers of Power over Ethernet systems for lighting, estimates installation is up to 25 percent cheaper than conventional wiring as these fixtures receive both data and power over a single ethernet connection.

Click the link to see a video for a quick overview of PoE capabilitiesOpens in a new tab..

Lighting: consumes 40% of typical office electricity. Connected LED lighting offers up to 80% energy savings on the lighting. This equals a reduction of up to 30% of office total electricity consumption.

Cleaning: can reduce cleaning costs by approximately 10% based on occupancy data.

Space optimization: Sensors will allow facility managers to better plan space, resulting in an increased space efficiency of at least 20% thanks to real-time data.

By delivering real-time information and location-based services, Connected Lighting systems can give office workers new levels of comfort, personalization, and control.

Visible Light Communication (VLC)

Visible Light Communication is a method of communicating data using light.  Data, video and audio, internet traffic, can be transmitted at high speeds using LED lights.  Research has shown that VLC can produce data rates faster than radio signals.  During a TED 2011 talk, Dr. Hass introduced VLC by streaming HD video using a standard LED lamp.

Click the link to watch a Video on Li-Fi technologyOpens in a new tab. Li-Fi, 100X Faster Than Wi-Fi! | ColdFusion

The possibilities for VLC are abundant as every overhead light and desk lamp light can be used to transfer secure data.  As light does not penetrate through walls, data is always secure.  The system is on when the lights are on.  To turn the system off, you turn off the lights.

Bandwidth is not limited, and it is a safe technology to transfer information. The more lights available, the faster the communication rates are.   This enables communication using lights for laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

VLC could reduce radio waves in the workplace which are known to cause health issues.  It also eliminates interference from cell phones.

During natural disasters and power outages, emergency lights and battery operated lights could provide communication options.

VLC can be used in all places where Bluetooth, infrared, Wi-Fi and the internet are broadly in use.

Sensors & Automation

As the workplace continues to develop due to the continual growth of a mobile workforce, often as much as 60 percent of typical office space sits unused every day.  With the use of office sensors and smart tools, we can optimize the use of our workplace and save money on real estate costs.

The trick to achieving success with a smart office environment is implementing smarter tools that enable the ability to:

1)    Track and understand workplace utilization to enable the creation of the best flexible working design

2)    Provide the occupants with intelligent services so they can get the most from the new workspace & be more productive.

3)    Attract and retain talent in a competitive environment

4)    Enable a more collaborative culture that drives creative ideas and innovation throughout your business

The smart tools to accomplish this include:

·       Sensors to provide real-time occupancy tracking

·       Meeting room booking tools that integrate with Microsoft Exchange to allow for finding free space and booking that meeting space and hotel seat in real time: mapping walking directions

·       Electronic Signage for interactive maps of the office space

·       Mobile device accessibility to support employees in a smart office environment

·       Dashboards and analytical tools to provide interactive charts, tables and floor plans to monitor and analyze the smart office environments.

·       Proximity electronic locks for security doors and computers/printers that lock/unlock when in proximity.  Can be activated by the user identity on a phone or pass card

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an Internet-standard protocol for collecting and organizing information about managed devices on IP networks and for monitoring that information to identify device behavior.

SNMP devices must be installed into all Nasdaq IDF, MDF and computer room to proactively monitor room temperatures to identify potential issues before they arise, or allow for a controlled shutdown of equipment to prevent damage.

Wireless Technology

Bluetooth Low Energy is a wireless personal area network technology used for transmitting data over short distances.  It’s designed for low energy consumption and low cost while maintaining a communication range similar to standard Bluetooth.  The technology provides options for office occupancy management to:

–       Enable facility floor plans with location settings

–       Proximity tracking

–       Routing maps

–       Geo-Fencing – notify when employees enter a building

–       Analytics – back end reporting of space usage

Occupancy Management

Accurate and real-time occupancy and capacity management can be a difficult and time-consuming task but is incredibly important as it is fundamental in many financial and leasing strategies.

A controlled “self-service” portal helps put control and accountability for their space planning back into the hands of the business units by creating a two-way dialogue between real estate and the business, quickly getting everyone on the same page about space planning.

An Occupancy management portal means no longer must this task be managed by multiple spreadsheets, which ensures real-time accuracy, dramatically reduces the risk of human error and can push/pull with HRIS databases to ensure all systems are updated simultaneously.

Micro Markets

Employee expectations are continually evolving, and keeping employees on-site and satisfied can be increased by providing fresh healthy meals and snacks.  They can also offer late night healthy options for employees working late.  Third party vendors typically operate micro markets.  As the third party provider learns shopper’s habits and tastes, employees preferred preferences are provided, and employees can pay for snacks using smartphones.

Magic Carpet Lights

Project information through a carpet.  Can serve as a cool welcome mat.  Enhance customer experience as they walk into your office and their company logo is projected through the carpet.

Workplace Mobile Apps

With the deployment of smartphones across the organization, we may have an opportunity to leverage mobile smart technology to provide employees with real-time facility data.  Apps can be created that make booking meeting rooms easy; locate a meeting room or find where a colleague is sitting very simple; print documents from your mobile device very conveniently.

Leveraging sensors and mobile devices can provide real-time location information, space utilization, and occupancy data.  This data can provide Real estate, HR, and Technology departments usage reports, occupancy levels, occupancy heat maps, traffic flow charts.  Having access to this data across all locations would provide organizations with real-time data to manage space efficiently and support request for capital dollars.

Occupancy heat maps and proximity analytics would also provide managers with data on how their employees work, who they work with and enable more informed decisions on where their team should sit.

While workplace mobile technology is relatively new, it is out there.  Having recently visited R/GA in NYC we have seen an App in use.  It is a smart tool that is deployed in all their facilities.  Real-time analytics are provided, and because of the data presented, decisions are being made to relocate teams and staff based on heat maps and proximity analytics.  Just nine months after fitting out their NYC office using manual surveys, technology is providing smarter information, and they are moving 60% of their staff.

Wearable Technology

A lot of companies have a self-insured health program, so any benefit to an employee’s health can reduce healthcare expenditures and have a direct impact on business profit.  As wearable technology advance and lower in price, employers can motivate employees to be more active. Through the workplace, you can design a workspace that allows employees to stand and move around, but a step further may be to have competitions that encourage movement.  Perhaps offer a health insurance credit for wearing and achieving levels of activity.  A step too far maybe, but no harm in the company providing such a service, maybe offer wearable technologies to employees and allow third-party health providers to monitor employees health for early detection indicators of chronic health issues.

Some of the workplace technologies discussed above are for the future but there are technologies you can utilize today to provide quick wins for employees with little cost and low risk.

Two Workplace Technology Quick Wins that You Can Implement Immediately

1. Micro Markets could be tested at a couple of locations and if successful, then deployed to larger offices.  The cost will be low, and the risk is passed to a third party.  Micro markets will provide employees with alternative convenient food options.

2. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) should be deployed across all offices.  SNMP’s are cheap and provide 24/7 monitoring, alerts and remote access for all critical environments.

Long Term Workplace Technology Strategies 

Sensor, wireless technology, automation and Power over Ethernet are technologies that are the most exciting; the most advanced and are currently being deployed in buildings throughout the world.   These technologies have the capability to be the core technology to design a building management system.  These technologies enable the management of core building infrastructure, occupancy management, and smart usage analytics.  POE products are provided by companies such as Phillips, Siemens, Samsung, Cisco, and Honeywell to name a few.

A small trial or prototype would enable a company to touch, feel and play with these new technologies.  The cost to install and operate small square footage would be limited.  You could also use the data to learn user habits and experiences and provide insights to understand the benefits for the use of the technologies in other locations.

These technologies and the providers of the technology need further study and research to understand their potential applications and benefits.  Like all new technologies, it’s vital to understand what will be the market leading technology. Think VHS or Betamax, backing the wrong horse can be an expensive mistake.

Some of the technologies reviewed are more advanced for commercial use than others.  While Visible Light Communication has promise, it’s too early to commit to a real estate use, but you should continue to monitor VLC technology.

As mentioned, there is a learning curve required within most real estate and facility teams to understand some of these technologies.  Your team would benefit from training, attending conferences and visiting companies who are leading workplace technology implementation.  It is therefore recommended that your team participate in related conferences and visit offices that have deployed new technologies.

Workplace Technologies Recommended above Will:

·       Provide a truly connected and smart workplace

·       Enable office components to be connected and work smartly together

·       Allow each user to customize their workplace, leading to higher engagement and higher productivity.

·       Real-time monitoring of space usage leading to better designs and increased space efficiencies

·       Critical monitoring and alerts of building infrastructure

·       Enhance workplace experience

Embracing these technologies will lead to better employee experience, higher employee engagement, and ultimately higher productivity.

Steve Todd

Steve Todd, founder of Open Sourced Workplace and is a recognized thought leader in workplace strategy and the future of work. With a passion for work from anywhere, Steve has successfully implemented transformative strategies that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. Through Open Sourced Workplace, he fosters collaboration among HR, facilities management, technology, and real estate professionals, providing valuable insights and resources. As a speaker and contributor to various publications, Steve remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of workplace innovation, helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic work environment.

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