Exploring workplace experience with IT Manager Rachel Barrett

In the workplace world, it seems like everyone is talking about workplace experience. What is it? Workplace experience is a holistic approach to creating a great environment for people working on-site. It unites best practices from facilities, technology, and people management into a single, cohesive domain.  Workplace experience was also the topic of conversation in a recent webinar: “How workplace experience can transform the future of work.” In this webinar, Envoy Product Marketing Manager Wing Poon led a discussion with SharkNinja’s Senior IT Manager Rachel Barrett. Below, we’ll go through some of the highlights from their conversation.

1 - For hybrid to work, you need a great workplace experience

Wing and Rachel talked about the important role the workplace plays in ensuring employees are healthy, happy, and productive—particularly during the pandemic. “We operate at maybe about 30% of our pre-pandemic capacity. Engineers and product testers come in every day and everyone else is working under a hybrid model, which is working well. People are productive and still have face-to-face interaction and the opportunity to collaborate in person.” The conversation emphasized the importance of having a great on-site experience. If your folks don’t enjoy being in the workplace, then they’re less likely to want to go in. For a hybrid model to be successful, creating an engaging workplace experience is key.

2 - Don’t forget to keep employee sentiment in mind

Rachel noted that being mindful of employee sentiment is important when it comes to workplace management. SharkNinja’s hybrid work policy was created with employee comfort in mind. “To me, it should be what is most comfortable for employees. Companies should give people options that are in line with their personal preferences. For most teams (at SharkNinja), it’s two to three days each week in the office.”

Creating a hybrid work schedule that works for your folks is the secret to nailing your hybrid strategy. What works for one person or team may not make sense for another. In a flexible work model, working with your employees to set clear hybrid work policies is a must.

3 - Prepare for technical challenges when you first adopt hybrid work

Finally, the conversation also covered the technology challenges that can come with hybrid work. Rachel shared that one of the biggest challenges she’s faced has been navigating meeting logistics. In a hybrid setup, some meeting participants may dial in remotely while others meet on-site. It can be hard to know what size meeting room to book, especially when it comes to meetings with lots of attendees. That’s where having a meeting room booking tool has helped Rachel’s team determine who’s in the office and select the right size meeting space. Having access to tools like this not only saves time, it also helps ensure people can focus on the work that matters—not complicated logistics.

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Want to catch the full webinar? Watch the on-demand to learn more about the importance of workplace experience and how to leverage it to transform the future of work.