Public Sector Proptech 2022

Public Sector Proptech 2022 – Hybrid and hubs panel

The Matrix Booking team were delighted to hold another of our successful Hybrid and hubs panel discussion at Public Sector Proptech 22 hosted in London. The event was attended by almost 200 public sector property professionals and supported by senior figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Office of Government Property, Government Property Agency, RICS, the UK PropTech Association, and techUK.

Over the course of the day, delegates were given the opportunity to engage, discuss, and network with their peers. They also gathered the latest information on the challenges, technologies, case studies, and best practices in the property technology landscape.Our panel hosted by Joe Harris (Enterprise Sales Director, Matrix Booking) included:

Below is a summary of the panel discussions.

How hybrid working has changed the way we work

Our panel started the session by highlighting that plans were already in place to transform our workplaces before Covid. They stated that in some ways Covid took us backwards as it restricted us to work at one desk and hindered the collaborative work that has been re-established in our offices today.

Other panel members commented on how they have seen Covid as a catalyst for innovation to offices and technology to support hybrid working. As a result of these changes, team members can collaborate better than before. Additionally, some organisations are also seeing a cost reduction in office space, as well as an improved experience for those who are hybrid working. This has led to a more open, transparent, and collaborate environment that has changed how the workplace is being used.

Our panel felt that offices need to adapt to the change in behaviour of people who are making use of these spaces. Using data and insights to understand how teams want to collaborate can help with this ability to adapt. They suggest establishing the following:

Government hubs and shared spaces

Organisations can understand customer experience and needs using occupancy sensors and data (e.g. how much meeting room space do we need versus individual desks). Our panel have found that it’s not an option to carve off space without understanding how that space is utilised.

In the commercial world, there has been a drop in the occupancy rate of offices due to the increase in hybrid working. The consensus found by Techserve is that the new hybrid way of working would mean a great return to the office after the restrictions had been lifted. However, this has not happened in the way that many have predicted or hoped.

Unoccupied workspace has meant organisations have needed to adapt these spaces. This becomes more of a challenge as it is no longer a single department using a single floor or space. Using data and intelligence, it is possible to drill down to individual workspace needs.

How each team uses a space varies. For some roles and departments, hybrid working is not possible or may not be the best solution. The office is no longer being used for meetings as video calls can be taken from home. Analysing the data tells us how the workspaces are being used and how we can change them to suit individual needs. Offices are becoming more of a venue to be creative and inventive, catch up with teams, and network with peers. The panel felt that the desk is now seen by many as being at home whilst the relationship building happens in the office.