It is no secret that hybrid working has enjoyed booming popularity in the past few years.
44 per cent of workers recently reported home or hybrid working, with professional services and managerial roles leading the charge – only 19 per cent of those in professional occupations didn’t have a hybrid or remote option.
In tandem with this trend towards hybrid working, professional services firms have radically rethought their approach to offices and the working environment.
With few or no days when the full workforce is in the office, many firms are seeking to reduce the cost of their commercial spaces and make them more efficient.
For many firms, this has involved a move towards hot-desking in a smaller office space, installing fewer workstations than there are staff on the assumption that not everyone will be in the office on the same day.
Hybrid but not accessible
While this move towards smaller offices is cost-effective and more sustainable for businesses targeting a streamlined operation, some elements are not right for staff.
On high-traffic days in the office, finding a suitable workspace can be difficult and require manual administration that takes valuable time out of the day – but the challenges don’t end there.
With smaller offices, many firms have taken on fewer parking spaces, particularly in high-value commercial areas where parking spaces are sought-after and may be expensive.
What this creates is an ongoing uncertainty over parking availability.
Significant portions of staff may face difficulties in getting to the office, including:
- Those who aren’t able to take public transportation
- Working parents who may incorporate the school run into their commute
- Staff with a disability who require parking near the office
- Workers in areas which is poorly served by public transport
We have seen several solutions employed by firms, including taking manual bookings via email for parking allocation.
However, this is time-consuming and opens the door for lost bookings or other confusion which can result in oversubscribed parking.
We saw the need for a more efficient solution.
An innovative solution
We understand the needs of busy professional service providers and the challenge of balancing accessibility with cost-effective hybrid working.
With efficiency and ease of use at the forefront, we developed our desk and car park booking system.
Real-time booking is designed to prevent overbooking and ensure that everyone has access to a parking space and a desk if needed. Combined with capacity management and stress-free pre-booking, our solution ensures that all office staff have their needs met and can make the most of their hybrid working arrangements.
Through a consistent review of our technology, we have identified the need for further flexibility to truly support flexible working, including compressed hours and unscheduled meetings.
We’re able to offer this with flexible booking options with remote access, allowing employees to book space in the office and the car park for a few hours, a few days, a week or more and helping employers to understand how their offices are being used in real-time.
For maximised efficiency, our solution easily integrates into major practice management software.
Achieving your ESG objectives
Making your office accessible to everyone should be a core tenet of your environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives.
By ensuring that everyone who needs one, has a space in the car park, and in the office, you can not only support those with additional requirements, but you can also integrate our system into your sustainable travel initiatives.
Use your parking booking system to identify the benefits of sustainable travel and public transport – encouraging its use for those who are able.
In this way, you can easily support commuters in the office and beyond while making your smaller, more sustainable offices work for you.
Although it’s easy to overlook, making sure you have enough on-site space for employees on any given day is essential to working efficiently and reduce wasted time.
We can help you optimise how you use desk and car park booking to enhance efficiency and reduce mistakes and overbooking.
To book a demo and find out how our solution can help you, contact us today.