Having transitioned to digital-first practices, a Technology Client previously based in Santa Monica approached Ark to structure a “dynamic workplace” toolkit for its now distributed workforce.

Sector

Technology

Location

Santa Monica, CA

Central Challenge:

Defining the role space plays in a virtually-oriented workplace while maintaining
robust collaboration culture and
employee experience. 

Our Approach:

Based on behavioral research, Ark developed a playbook resource to inform employees on issues of culture, experience, technology, people management, and physical space.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our client's workforce became distributed across 36 states, with the largest groups in California and Texas, where their headquarters were once centered. These locations featured dedicated seating for all, private executive offices, and several meeting rooms.

Organizations that are remote-first default to systems and processes that are geared around a distributed workforce and any in person interaction is focused on collaboration. The client's current Dynamic Workforce approach closely aligns with this Remote First approach. Many companies are moving towards a hybrid approach which still revolves around an office centric model.

Tactics:

We led a series of workshops with their HR team and a cross-section of business leaders aimed at deciphering the client’s employee value proposition as a digital first organization.

In one workshop, we delved into how the company's purpose could inform the vision for a new dynamic workplace. By clarifying these core values and finding what they are—and aren’t—we were able to categorize each aspect effectively.

With the insight collected from our sessions and by benchmarking their existing setup, we recommended that they reduce their space by 75%. This move not only enhances flexibility but also decreases their footprint. Essential remote work elements were categorized into a "dynamic workplace" framework on their intranet, aligning with our client's vision.

For the Dynamic Workplace initiative, our client aimed to offer employees near the Austin and Los Angeles locations a space for team collaborations, town halls, and events. Our design team created two versatile spaces, emphasizing flexibility to enable teams to adapt and use the areas according to their needs.