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Tired of being the ‘Check-in Cop?’ 3 new check in easy features you need to know

Posted on by Luke Christian-Farman

It makes sense to make your beloved spaces bookable, and accessible for your teams, with tools that encourage them to use them right? We think so too. You see, spaces are meaningless unless they’re being used for a purpose, and now that people are chomping at the bit to return to the spaces they love whether, for social connection or team collaboration, it would be wise to have something in place to enable your people to check in easy.

You may even be wondering that the problem isn’t in managing spaces or making bookings, but rather in making it easier for your people to book, and access those spaces, in the moment or ahead of time. If that’s you, and you’re tired of being the ‘space booking, and check-in cops’, look no further because we’ve got you covered with this latest set of features. 

Arrive early, check in early

Getting to the office early for scheduled meetings, or to use the space you’ve pre-booked is better than arriving late, fact! Sometimes it cannot be helped, but for the most part, getting in the office early doors is never a bad thing. 

An evolution on checking into spaces and a much-requested feature by many now means all Kadence users can check into their bookings early on the same day if their spaces are available. With this new feature, your people no longer need to wait for their booking to start before they can start on their day. 

More Auto-release options 

When it comes to managing your spaces, and maintaining some level of organization, and order, one fundamental problem businesses are experiencing with other platforms is knowing what to do when people don’t show up to their bookings. If there is anything in a hybrid workplace that causes as much strain on the sheer amount of wasted time having to rectify this issue it’s this one! However, in most cases, there is always a genuine reason why someone might be late for their booking, and for those that have childcare responsibilities, or had their train canceled, losing your spot to work in the office that day just doesn’t seem fair. 

Having more Auto-release options (1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours & 3 hours) gives Admins far more flexibility when it comes to managing bookings, and ensures that you and your people get the spaces you need when you need them.

Easy check-in

Book the perfect space in your favorite office every time 

When you’re planning to come to the office, and you’re wanting to see who’s there, and what spaces are available that day, this newest feature makes your preferred place to work your default location. So whenever you go to see what spaces are available on the web app, you’re right where you need to be.

Conclusion

Making it easy for your people to make space bookings, and check into those spaces is the only way to go when it comes to organizational hybrid working. It not only encourages your people to come to the office, and not waste bookings, but it means your spaces are being used in the ways that they are intended. Remember, spaces are meaningless unless they’re being used for a purpose, and now with these new features, you can make it easier than ever for your teams to enjoy them.

Interested in getting started? Kick off your free trial today or get in touch with our team for a demo.

Do you have trouble getting your teams into the office?

Hybrid Workplace Persona #3: The Culturalist

Posted on by Dan Bladen

In our hybrid workplace persona blog series, we’re taking a look at the personas you’re most likely to encounter in your hybrid working office. The four hybrid working employee personas – Soloists, Adapters, Culturalists and Traditionalists – will each approach hybrid differently. Understanding these differences will help you navigate a smooth transition from a traditional, nine-to-five office culture to a hybrid one.

Change can be unsettling for anybody. Insight into the people you’re catering for will inform the tools, systems and culture you need to put in place to keep staff happy and engaged.

In this edition, we’re looking at the Culturalist.

The Culturalist: The networking persona

The Culturalist is the social butterfly, the networking persona. This hybrid working persona loves to spend time with other people and they thrive as part of an office community. The polar opposite to the Soloist; working remotely all week in isolation is definitely not for them. Their preferred habitat is the informal meeting area or collaboration space, or you might also spot them chatting at the water cooler or office social areas throughout the day.

But don’t mistake their social nature for slacking off. Often seen as extroverts, Culturalists are energized by socializing and having people around them. They can be great problem solvers and networkers. They’re heavily invested in the workplace community and are often a driving force behind it.

They’ll be the ones organizing office nights out, baking competitions, and Secret Santa. They’ll also be the ones who are great at collaboration and working across departments, joining the dots and making things happen. Coming into the office should be an enjoyable experience for them. While the flexibility to work remotely will still be important, your Culturalists are likely to come in more frequently. 

Creating a destination workplace

Culturalists will have missed connecting with others and getting out and about more than most during the pandemic. To help them transition to hybrid you’ll need to make them feel engaged and feed their social side for the best workplace experience.

The opportunity to collaborate is important to them so make sure there’s space designed for teamwork. 

  • Collaboration hubs with interactive whiteboards, video conferencing or hybrid meeting setup to make meetings more inclusive 
  • Open areas with comfy chairs and refreshments for chance encounters, impromptu brainstorming sessions and small social gatherings 
  • Silent zones for undisturbed, focused work for those coming to the office to run away from bad internet connection, or to take care of their mental wellbeing by enjoying a peaceful cup of coffee. 
  • Adding a splash of color and plant life can help people feel relaxed and make a break from the desk, encouraging communication and creativity. 

Get our guide on ‘How to make collaboration work in the hybrid workplace’ to discover more ways to enhance workplace experience for your Culturalists.

Create a ‘social’ room and desk booking experience

When they come into the office, your Culturalists will want to be sure they can sit near colleagues and have access to spaces that enable them to collaborate.

In many organizations, the days of one-desk-per-employee are gone. Desk scheduling software such as Kadence’s Wx offers short- or long-term bookings with interactive floor plans that show which workspaces are booked, by whom, and at what time, this can help guarantee they’ll get to sit with colleagues. The same goes for room booking – people can decide exactly when to come to the office to maximize opportunities for chance encounters and collaboration.

Know where colleagues are for networking and socializing

With a dispersed workforce, it’s easy to lose track of where colleagues are working on any given day. The last thing a Culturalist wants is to make the trip into the office, only to find the rest of their team are all working remotely that day.

Putting in place a system that allows everybody to share they will be workingtheir whereabouts during the week will enable employees to sync their own schedules with colleagues’ schedules. Culturalists will value being able to plan their week around the activity of their team.

Biophilic office design

Biophilic office design brings nature into the workplace. It’s based on the idea that humans are intrinsically bound to nature and the natural environment. Workspaces more in tune with nature can make us more content and relaxed.

When your Culturalists come into the office, they’re looking for an uplifting and positive workplace experience. Office design has a key role to play in creating this for them.

Design your office space with biophilic principles in mind:

  • Use natural materials, such as wood or stone
  • Ensure access to natural light and views of green spaces, if possible.
  • Create outside areas for people to socialize and relax
  • Add indoor plants to your décor
  • Embrace a color scheme that has echoes in nature

Optimize your workplace experience

Your Culturalists need employee engagement. They will look forward to the different aspects of office life. Being stuck at home working at the kitchen table will have been particularly difficult for them. They’ll have missed getting out of the house, working face to face with others, and socializing.

They are also keen on hybrid working. It gives them flexibility and work-life balance, but they can still enjoy coming into the office. Just make sure that you take steps to ensure their office experience is a collaborative and productive one.

Give them a simple and intuitive way to book desk and meeting space, the opportunity to sync their schedules with colleagues, thoughtfully designed collaboration and socialization spaces, and a biophilic-inspired workspace design.