3 Simple Steps to Harness the Power of Workplace Data

As a workplace manager, you're used to juggling a lot—planning onsite programs, optimizing your space, creating a welcoming experience for visitors… The list goes on and on. While the sheer volume of responsibilities that you handle is impressive, it's the impact of your work that matters most.

That's where workplace data can help. Workplace data can serve as solid evidence of your impact and help you make a compelling argument for more autonomy in your role, a larger budget, a broader scope of responsibilities—even a promotion. In this post, we'll show you how to create a data-driven workplace so you can prove the impact of your work. Let's get started.

What is Workplace Data?

Workplace data refers to the information an organization collects to understand how people use its physical space. Employee and visitor foot traffic, meeting room reservations, desk bookings, and delivery volume are all examples of workplace data. With workplace data, you can capture a comprehensive snapshot of how people use your company's physical space. This gives you valuable insight into resource utilization and foot traffic patterns, empowering you to make data-driven improvements to your space.

Why is Workplace Data Important?

Think of workplace data as a crystal ball. It gives you a glimpse into how folks use your workplace, enabling you to make informed decisions based on what you see. With good workplace data, you can:

• Measure the effectiveness of your in-office policy
• Improve your workplace strategies
• Gain a competitive edge for your business
• Become a trusted financial steward

It's important to note that not all data is created equal. To reap all of the benefits above, you need the right data—data that's accurate, comprehensive, and unified. Collecting your workplace data from disparate sources, as opposed to a single comprehensive platform, leads to inconsistencies and discrepancies. The result? Unreliable, unusable data.

3 Steps to Creating a Data-Driven Workplace

Ready to harness the power of workplace data? With the right planning and tools, you can create a data-driven workplace where employees are effective, productive, and happy. To get started, follow these three simple steps.

1. Consolidate Your Disparate Data Using a Workplace Platform

The first step to creating a data-driven workplace is having a single source of truth. Relying on multiple sources of information is not only time consuming and frustrating, it can also lead to untrustworthy data. A workplace platform, on the other hand, provides:

• A unified view of your data
• Data consistency
• Improved collaboration and communication
• Better decision-making
• Time and cost savings
• Scalability and agility

2. Establish Your Goals and Baseline Metrics

The next step is to get clear on the purpose of your workplace. What are your organization's workplace objectives? One might be to drive collaboration by having employees work onsite a certain number of days each week. Whatever the case for your organization, it's important to define your general goals and understand what you're going to track to determine your success.

Once you've established your goals, it's time to gather baseline data. This is important because it provides a starting point for comparison so you can measure your progress over time. This helps establish benchmarks, identify trends, and evaluate the effectiveness of your strategies.

Once you have your baseline metrics, you need to get specific with your goals. If you decide to measure employee foot traffic, your goal might be to have an average weekly attendance of at least 80% over a quarter. Whatever your goals, remember to make them SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

3. Look at Reports Regularly to Spot Trends and Areas for Improvement

Finally, regular monitoring of your workplace data will help your team track progress toward its goals, identify areas for improvement, and address issues or challenges before they escalate. It's also a great way to maintain an ongoing conversation about the workplace with your stakeholders.

Your workplace platform should enable you to easily download and share your reports with your team and stakeholders. Consider scheduling a regular meeting to discuss your workplace data each period, how your team is pacing toward its goals, and what you're doing to meet them. Call out any patterns and trends you see—and don't forget to celebrate your wins! Establishing a regular cadence to have these conversations is a critical step to creating a data-driven workplace.

Simply having access to workplace data isn't as powerful as knowing how to put it to work. To use your data effectively, you need to adopt a comprehensive workplace platform and set up the right processes. This doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, keeping things simple—using a single platform to gather your data, establishing a handful of north star metrics, and checking in on a regular cadence—will help you make the most of your workplace data.

By following these three steps, you can harness the power of workplace data to optimize your space, boost collaboration, and prove the impact of your work as a workplace manager. With the right data and insights at your fingertips, you'll be well on your way to creating a truly data-driven workplace.