footprint optimization
Canadian insurance co. optimizes its footprint by 45% while improving experience.
key figures
transitioning to Activity Based Working
While transitioning to Activity Based Working for some of its employees, Canadian Insurance Co. wanted to analyze how they could go further and move teams located on outdated floors, while maintaining and even improving their workplace experience. We help the real estate team to analyze the workplace utilization and the experience of their people thanks to sensors and an ethnographic approach . This led to the reduction by 25,000 sq.ft. of their footprint in their head office, resulting in savings of more than $2m annually.
At a Glance
- 45% Projected decrease of footprint for the targeted workforce
- $2m Annual savings to be realized after the footprint reduction
full story
This large insurance group has recently refurbished two of four floors in its Canadian headquarter, creating a landscaped workplace, and transitioned the teams to an agile workstyle. Besides, two legacy floors remain, still on a traditional workstyles. Legacy floors are suspected to be under-utilized.
The questions they asked us were.
- Does the agile workstyle work?
- Should we replicate this to the rest of our portfolio?
- Should we change something?
- Could we move some teams to the better floors, and thus save resources spent on the former?
approach
Ethnography
We first conducted an ethnography study, to understand the actual workplace experience, the frictions, feelings and expectations of the actual workplace.
Sensors
We’ve placed sensors on every seat, meeting room, and other spaces in their workplace in order to measure the actual utilization of the place.
Analysis
Our data analysts then gathered, analyzed and rendered the data, focusing on the pain points spotted by the client, to unveil insights about the workplace experience, the different KPIs
results
optimize office occupancy
People on the legacy floor are relocated on the two newer floors - and space is liberated. While the two new floors are praised for their quality, the observed utilization is actually low (1.3 person / seat ratio); and low utilization of the legacy floors
Layout modifications to provide more 2-3P rooms and reduce the number of alternative spots - while improving the location/usability of those who remain. Lack of 2-3p meeting rooms, which impacts negatively the ability for people to easily collaborate.
