Professional Documents
Culture Documents
THE
WORK
WORK
CHRONICLE
CHRONICLE
THE WORK CHRONICLE
PREFACE
There is no denying it – work as we know physiological aspects of work as well.
it is going through a revolutionary and
Also explored is the journey of an office
volatile phase. Organizations and
undergoing digital transformation leaning
companies alike are grappling with the
heavily on data – the currency of the
after-effects of post-pandemic disruptive
digital era. When it comes to being
digitalization and ever-evolving employee
‘smart’, we retract our statement on
needs.
choice. It would do well for top
Work pre-pandemic had several management to follow and adopt digital
limitations brought to light in the wake of technology to power and accelerate their
unorganized work policies and traditional work.
workstyles. Hybrid working, healthy
This brings us to the metaverse - a
buildings, choice, and digital workplace
APARNA ANIRUDHAN boundaryless and boundless world born
Head Research solutions were at the brim, surfacing
out of providing an optimal experience in
post-pandemic to give way to renewed
entertainment but right now it is the
and purposeful ways of working.
cynosure of WHY people want to work –
Exploring the graph of HOW we used to the pull of choice and engagement. The
work shows a rather slow almost metaverse is set to reshape the world of
insignificant progress in terms of work and it will do well if organizations
employee choice and experience. The utilize it to beat the competition and help
pandemic was a trigger that helped build employee social connections along
pushed the conversation towards the with skills upgradation.
provision of choice in terms of also how
Many aspects of work are undergoing
we WANT to work.
uncertain change, and this chronicle is a
If you thought choice pertains to only the small yet comprehensive effort to guide
way we work, you would find you are readers and make them aware of the
woefully wrong. Choice in providing a new ways of working. It is also a guide for
green and healthy building benefits the leadership to make appropriate strategic
employees and the business alike, so far decisions regarding HOW their
SANDHYA LAKSHMANAN as to say the economic benefits of choice employees would like to work –now and
Manager - Research is evident in the rekindling of in the future.
Choice*?
that having choice in our jobs helps us be latitude. However, the model posits that
more productive, healthier, creative, and individuals can manage these stressors by
engaged. utilizing job skills that allow them to gain
*strings attached. autonomy and control over their work.
Choice, control, and autonomy are critical to
an employee's wellbeing, happiness, and Upon understating the evolution of when,
mental health, but also play an important where, and how work gets done, it is noticed
role in attaining organizational results. A that the choice available to an employee
“My team has been constantly studying the various changes in the psychology of well-designed workplace can enhance always comes with strings attached. By
working people to improve workplace design experiences in our existing projects. creativity and innovation; while a supportive realizing and addressing the pain points that
What we found is that people are missing their offices and they want to get back to work culture is equally, if not more, arise, the path to a better future workplace
their normal routine life. So, this is the point where organizations need to take important. It is also paramount to note that that provides, and champions choice in
those extra steps in redefining the workplace policies and design to safeguard
engaged employees have more control over terms of how we WANT to work can be
their people.”
their experiences at work. paved.
Shilpa Revankar | Co- Founder - ZYETA
Copyright © 2022 ZYETA.
All rights reserved. 6
THE WORK CHRONICLE
Orientation to the needs & desires of employees Computers enter the workplace
1970’s - 1980’s
1970’s - 1980’s
Perimeter offices. • Strict working times (“9-5 o’clock”) are replaced • The desktop computer reduces the space needed
POWER - LOW
by flexible intervals at the beginning and the end for storing documents.
Cubicles of the working day. • Improved document production, reproduction,
High panels, limited daylighting & views to the and storage.
• Not oriented towards the customer.
outdoors. • The arrival of laptops made it possible for work to
• No long-term elasticity on a monthly or yearly
Open Plan basis. be done outside the office, allowing employees to
Lower panels and greater access to natural light. • Schemes were not suited for shift work. work during travel and from home.
Activity-Based Working (ABW) Orientation to customers’ needs and wishes The Internet connects us all
RIGIDITY = FLEXIBILITY
1980’s - 1990’s
POWER - MODERATE
2000’s – 2010’s
Access to a wider range of amenity spaces focus • Shift of focus from the employee to the customer. • Ability to communicate improved drastically with
booths & enclaves. tools such as Email and instant messaging.
1990’s
• Focused on the accessibility of services for the
Coworking • Rise of telecommuting led to a decrease in
customers at any time.
Access to communal resources, amenities, and overhead costs for daily operation.
• Collective bargaining led to a decline in the
other companies. • Ability to market all over the world through
average working hours for full-time employees.
websites, banner placement, and search engine
Neighbourhood Choice Environment (NCE) • Companies extended their operating hours. optimization.
Wide variety of task-based settings for highly
mobile teams.
The economic efficiency orientation Cloud, Big data and IoT
RIGIDITY < FLEXIBILITY
1990’s – 2000’s
POWER - HIGH
• Intelligent automation with self-learning systems.
2000’s
Maker environments-Mobile Occupants • Progress in the organization of working times. • Digitization and unprecedented access to data.
Access to others, scrum spaces for creative and • Working time based on trust.
2020’s
Have employees quit quitting? THE BIG EXIT OR THE GREAT REFLECTION?
GEN-X
➢ Workers with homeownership commitments and other Increased movement of employees
long-term financial entanglements seeking financial between sectors with lower waged jobs
stability. showed a higher quitting rate.
ARE STAYING PUT.
GEN-Z
➢ Workers who were more likely to be terminated or laid CHANGE OF PREFERENCE
off in difficult economic times or during company Increased focus on safety and wellbeing has
restructuring before the pandemic. deterred employees from returning to work.
ARE LEAVING
Copyright © 2022 ZYETA.
All rights reserved. 8
THE WORK CHRONICLE
HOW WE
WANT TO
WORK
1950s - solar energy was used (on an extremely small- 1990s - Sustainable architecture has become part of 1970s - a high prevalence of symptom complaints
scale) clearing a path for the solution of solar panels the world's sustainability system. among the occupants of many buildings was reported
twenty years after the fact. in several countries,
1970s - At the time of the energy crisis, the green 2002 - The concept of "sustainable consumption and 1980s - This has been termed Sick Building Syndrome
building moved from innovative work to the real world. production" was introduced. by a working group of the World Health Organization.
“ Buildings designed, implemented and managed in a “ Meeting the needs of the present without “A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-
manner that takes the environment into account, it compromising the ability of future generations to meet being and not merely the absence of disease or
reduces the building's impact on the environment their own needs.“ infirmity".
while minimizing construction and operating costs.”
- William Reed’s - The World Commission on Environment and Development -World Health Organisation
Focused on the current state Term used mostly for Focused on the distant future for the building and its Focused on the distant future for the building and its
process or product that has little impact on the components occupants
environment
Minimizes the environmental impact due to the design Look at a building’s whole life cycle, from crib to grave Look at a building's whole life cycle, from crib to grave
procedures. (including demolition or disassembly) (including demolition or disassembly)
Hard to achieve a suitable emphasis on human health Hard to achieve a suitable emphasis on human health Support and protect health ethos for better wellbeing
A Smart Digital Twin is an incredibly powerful spatially-aware data model of an entire smart building
environment. But most importantly, because everything is run within a virtual model, a Digital Twin
allows for rapid ideation, prototyping, and business case validation in a near-risk-free environment.
Drones
Some of the highest expectations around digital twins come from having the ability to use a high-precision version of an asset to simulate, evaluate, and predict the future. For the
digital twin to symbolize this, the inclusion of GIS data about the asset and GIS framework around the asset becomes essential. The Geospatial network connects various types of
data and systems to form a unified perception that can be obtained throughout the project's life cycle. As new applications of smart building systems and IoT technologies are
developed, the advantages that smart buildings offer over conventional ones are growing in number
The internet is being reimagined and over everyday life as entertainment, but it took a
Today’s metaverse is made up of ten layers 4, which fall into four categories.
Content:
First-party content, developer content, creator content & user generated content.
Applications:
Tied to specific metaverse use cases—learning, collaboration, events, industry
specific applications.
Virtual worlds:
Environments where large number of users can gather, interact, create, and move
in and out different experiences.
While still nascent in many respects, of employees are open to using digital
the metaverse has a very promising 52% immersive spaces in the metaverse for
future with regard to work. The meetings or team activities
emergent metaverse provides an
opportunity for organizations to reset
of employees are open to representing
and transform the balance in hybrid
and remote work while promising to 47% themselves as an avatar in meetings in the
next year.
bring new levels of social connection,
mobility, and collaboration to a world
of virtual work. According to recent of Gen Z and 48% of Millennials envision
research on future work trends 5 51% doing some of their work in the metaverse
in the next two years.
THE META
WORKSPACE
INCREASED TALENT
FLEXIBILITY RETENTION
CONCLUSION
CHOICE MATTER?
ENVIRONMENTS BE HEALTHY ?
WORKPLACES GET SMART?
YOU META?
Image references:
A. Welcome To The Era Of Choice*
All images courtesy and graphics © ZYETA
B. Is Your Building “Healthy”?
All images and graphics © ZYETA
C. How To “Get Smart”
All images and graphics © ZYETA
D. To Meta Or Not To Meta?
Graphics © ZYETA
Image courtesy – Google.
About ZYETA
Zyeta is an integrated workspace design and build services firm that specializes in delivering exceptional
workspace interiors that leverage the latest thinking in design, workforce optimization, and the environment.
With our unique combination of people, process, and technology, we strive to provide our clientele with
unparalleled value. Zyeta provides its turn-key services for leading organizations across a spectrum of
industries.
We transform raw space into award-winning, next-generation offices, clean rooms, data centers and more. We
focus on large-scale and mid-size office design and build company projects for a diverse international clientele
that includes both global enterprises as well as early-stage companies, having successfully completed
hundreds of projects across India and beyond. The company is privately held by executive management.
Copyright © ZYETA
Information contained in this publication has been obtained by Zyeta from sources believed to be reliable.
However, neither Zyeta nor its authors guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published
herein, and neither Zyeta nor its authors shall be responsible for any errors, omissions, or claims for damages
including exemplary damages, arising out of use, inability to use, or regarding the accuracy or sufficiency of the
information contain in this or any Zyeta publication.