WHITEPAPER

WORK TRANSFORMATION
WHERE TO START?
A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE OF
CONSIDERATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES
FOR A DISTRIBUTED WAY OF WORKING

100101010

Oct ‘23 READ NOW

Work Transformation : How To Get Started

THE PURPOSE
OF THIS DOCUMENT
VELDHOEN + COMPANY
is passionate about guiding organisations
around the world to explore how an intentional
and integrated approach to physical space
(Bricks), technology (Bytes) and company
culture (Behaviour) can support their unique
vision for a better world of work. We firmly
believe that each organisation has its own
path towards achieving its goals, but also
recognise that many companies are facing a
multitude of challenges born from COVID-19.
These are varied, evolving and unique for
every organisation. This pandemic has been
a catalyst for change regarding how we work
and live, and one thing is certain: remote work
is here to stay. It has accelerated the global
transition from fixed to flexible, predictable
to emergent, and simple to complex. Entire
industries now question whether their old way
of working serves them post-COVID-19 and are
exploring how to leverage a more distributed
way of working towards a competitive
advantage.
WORKSTYLE TRANSFORMATION
IS NO LONGER ASPIRATIONAL
– IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR EVERY
ORGANISATION
During the pandemic we were able to observe
and measure how those organisations that
had previously embarked on an Activity Based
Working journey presented more adaptive and
resilient results than their more traditional
work-style peers. With the increasing rate of
disruptive events, we believe organisations
who embrace this change and adopt a
distributed way of working will be more
DOCUMENT
responsive to future disruption and better
equipped to survive and thrive.
KEY
This paper explores six key areas of
consideration when embarking on a
distributed way of working:
Throughout this document, you will find
+ Operational Management
different icons to denote the purpose of
+ Technology
content in an easy to identify manner.
+ Managing Digitally
+ People & Culture
+ Physical Workspace
+ Holisitc Wellbeing
Within each area is a collection of guiding IDEAS & CONSIDERATIONS
principles and best practices from various Ideas / Considerations can be used
organisations across different industries when crafting guidelines or policies for
around the globe to help you navigate a particular topic in Distributed Way of
distributed ways of working. We have
selected best-practice examples from
companies who have experienced
BEST PRACTICE
measurable success because they
implemented policies and measures to
facilitate a distributed way of working in Best Practice Examples come from
response to the pandemic.
companies who have experiences
measurable success as a result of
And while each organisation’s work-style implementing policies / measures in
journey is unique, we have also included
ideas and considerations that you can use
as inspiration when crafting guidelines or
policies for a particular topic in your own
distributed way of working.
The essence of Veldhoen + Company’s
ambition has always been to co-create new
ways of working to empower employees to
decide how and where they do their work,
and encourage teams to connect, individuals
to flourish and organisations to thrive.
Work Transformation : How To Get Started

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
01 INTRODUCTION 06 05 PEOPLE & CULTURE 36
An opportunity for companies to re-examine the relationship ​ avigate inclusivity when engaging and communicating in a​
N
between themselves and their employees, the way they were distributed, digitally way. A learning culture where up-skilling​
working before, and how they work in the future. and re-skilling are emphasised.
World of Work Definition 07 Inclusion 37
Key Benefits 09 Upskilling & Reskilling 38

02 OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT 14 06 PHYSICAL WORKSPACE 40

Assess how current policies apply to distributed working, ​ he role of a workspace (office) in the future, consideration of​
T
including supervision, performance management, time measures to put in placed and important questions to ask when
recording, privacy, confidentiality, IT and document transitioning to a hybrid workplace.
management, and insurance. Transitioning the workplace
41
Costs Considerations 15 Elements of a Hybrid Office Space 42
Distributed Working Policies Considerations 18
07 HOLISTIC WELLBEING 44
03 TECHNOLOGY 20 ​ est practices and consideration to tackle loneliness and​
B
Leveraging on technology, coordination in teams will require inclusion, and work-life balance when moving to a distributed
more flexibility and to support more complex processes. way of working.
Hardware Considerations 20 Loneliness & Inclusion 45
Software Considerations 20 Work-Life Balance 48
IT Training & Support 24
Security, Confidentiality & Privacy 26 08 CLOSING THOUGHTS 50
Documentation & Process Building 28
09 ACKNOLEDGEMENTS 52
04 MANAGING DIGITALLY 30
Engaging, communicating and assessing employees will need
10 SOURCES 54
to be tweaked as many activities will go from physical to digital
or a combination of both. 11 ABOUT VELDHOEN + COMPANY 56
Performance & Success 31
Employee Engagement 32
Communicating Digitally 34
Virtual Meetings 35 www.veldhoencompany.com
Work Transformation : How To Get Started

01
INTRODUCTION
VELDHOEN +
WORLD
With millennials making up the largest
percentage of the workforce, digital natives

COMPANY
are propelling the remote work movement at

OF WORK
an exponential rate. 01

ON DISTRIBUTED
WAYS OF WORKING
Distributed ways of working are on the rise.
The COVID-19 outbreak has provided an
opportunity for companies to reevaluate
the relationship between themselves and
their employees, reexamine how they were
working before, and reimagine how to work
in the future. Whilst COVID-19 has pushed
companies to embark on what has been
described as “the world’s largest remote
working experiment,1” flexible work models
were already adopted by many companies
pre- COVID-19, and were growing in both
popularity and importance, especially for
the younger generations and people with
caretaking responsibilities.
“Since 2018, 68% of
global-full-time employees
reported working from
home at least once per
month - up from 43%
working from home at least
part of the time in 2016 and
39% in 2012.” 01
“69% of millennials would
give up other work benefits
for a more flexible working
space.” 02
Companies know they need to adapt to a
more distributed and flexible way of working
to stay competitive in the “new normal.” As
distributed ways of working become less a
reaction to COVID-19 and more part of the
mainstream approach to work, there is a
need to examine the various aspects that can
turn it into a competitive advantage as well
as address the challenges it presents. Work
transformation requires senior leaders and
HR to think differently about their approach to
operations and management, as well the role
of employee experience, workplace strategy
and wellbeing.
The immense and rapid impact of the
pandemic has led to several terms being
used to describe how the ways we work are
changing. So before going any further, for
clarity and understanding, please refer to the
following page to our definitions for the most
common work styles we discuss in this guide.
DEFINITIONS
DISTRIBUTED WAYS OF WORKING
Any approach to work in which employees are
encouraged to work anytime, from anywhere.
This style of working goes by many names
- remote working, hybrid working, flexible
working. However, since it represents a range
of workplace policies and approaches, we
have chosen to refer to them collectively as
“distributed ways of working.”
THE WORKPLACE
The workplace is any physical location stra-
tegically designed to support work activities.
In the new way of working, it is a place where
people intentionally choose to perform work
activities (i.e., collaborative work, individual
focus work) and may or may not be in a central
office location.
FLEXIBLE WORKING
How a company offers flexible work can vary
widely. For example, flexible working can
mean:
+ Establishing an alternative workplace
location
+ Assigning workers on different shifts or
travel schedules to reduce the total office
space needed
+ Designing a workplace to cater to mostly
collaborative work, with limited individual-
focused space for those workers who have
difficulty working from home or alternative
locations
HYBRID WORKING
This term is often used interchangeably
with Flexible Working, however hybrid work
policies more specifically refer to those in
which employees are expected to commute to
a specific workplace location for part of their
work week, while also being allowed to work
from another non-central location for the
remainder of their work week.
ACTIVITY BASED WORKING
An Activity Based Working (ABW) approach
recognises people perform different activities
in their day-to-day work and inspires people
to make more conscious choices in how
they execute their work. The workplace and
technology are designed to facilitate ways of
working which promote flexibility, mobility,
and effectiveness by empowering individuals,
encouraging collaboration, and supporting
the many ways people choose to engage in
their work.
(Fully-) Remote Work Remote work means
performing work away from a central
workplace. This work arrangement is
commonly used interchangeably with working
from home but is a broader term which can
encompass any work location that is not the
central workplace. "Fully remote” or Remote
Work means employees are never expected to
travel for work, with maybe a rare exception
for special company events of a more social or
team-building nature.
WORKING FROM HOME (WFH)
Working from home refers to employees
performing their usual job-related tasks at
home, using technology to communicate and
connect with others both inside and outside
the organisation. This can be used as an
alternative name for Remote Work or might be
used to refer more specifically to the alternate
location from which employees perform work
in a Hybrid Working setup.
“The distributed ways of
working are most effective
when people can choose
where they work, when
they work, how they work,
and with whom they
work, based on the work
activities they need to
perform”.
Sennheiser - Singapore
KEY
BENEFITS
PRODUCTIVITY INCREASES
One of the leading benefits of distributed
work is an increase in productivity. Workplace
productivity is best understood here as the
ability of an employee to spend their time
performing the right type of work.
A two-year study by Stanford professor
Nicholas Bloom in collaboration with Ctrip,
China’s largest travel agency with 16,000
employees, revealed that remote or work-
from-home employees actually work a full-
shift, or more, since they are not impacted by
commuting time or travel delays, and are less
distracted or have an easier time focusing
when at home.2 Additionally, attrition
decreased by 50%, due to shorter breaks, and
less sick days and time off. Ctrip saved almost
$2,000 per employee on rent by reducing
their floorplate at their HQ office. 03
Remote work statistics from 2023 show that
the majority of people feel there are fewer
distractions when working remotely. Since
distributed working allows for individuals to
better choose how and when they work based
on activity and performance output, 62% of
workers report feeling more productive when
working remotely. 05
Work styles that promote autonomy of choice
not only help relieve workplace stress, but also
help to support better work-life balance. The
number of people who work primarily from
home grew from around 9 million in 2019 to
27.6 million in 2021. 04
Companies allowing remote
work have 25% lower
employee turnover than
those without. 04
While that may not seem like a huge figure,
it’s predicted by Owl Labs that as companies
continue to offer the possibility for remote
work, employee satisfaction will increase,
leading to more organisational loyalty.
67% of people who work remotely see
flexibility in how they spend their time as the
biggest benefit.
Many people enjoy the ability to manage
their day and find certain aspects that easier
to manage, especially focused work (70
percent), managing stress (65 percent), and
avoiding distractions (50 percent). 6 Remote
work allows for a better work-life balance and
greater employee satisfaction.
Alliander - Netherlands
EMPLOYER BENEFITS EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
Increased productivity: Workers are generally There is more emphasis on independence
more productive when able to perform and autonomy - employees are given more
concentrated, individual work in a calm, responsibility with regards to where and
uninterrupted environment. when they carry out their work.

Potential reduction in real estate & increase With flexible working hours and locations,
in cost savings: Companies can potentially work input also becomes more flexible.
reduce their real estate footprint, which leads
to cost savings. Travel time is reduced, freeing up more daily
time and income for personal commitments
Reduced absenteeism. Unscheduled absences and expenses.
decrease when able to work remotely, saving
companies monies.

Fewer interrupted days of work per year:

Severe weather, traffic jams, family issues,
stress and other unplanned absences are
mitigated when employees are enabled to
work remotely.

Lower attrition rates: Remote work has CURIOUS ABOUT

reduced rates of voluntary turnover.
SUPPORTING
Business continuity: Employees who are
equipped to work remotely are more adaptable FLEXIBILITY &
PERFORMANCE?
and can continue work through unplanned
interruptions that would usually disrupt, such
as COVID-19.7
Learn how to support individuals’
Increased sustainability through a reduced
freedom to determine when and where
carbon footprint: Less time spent commuting
to work without compromising team
reduces overall carbon dioxide emissions.
performance and connection.

LEARN MORE

Bollore Logistics - Singapore

Velhoen + Company Team
HYBRID
MODELS
ON A
CONTINUUM Figure 8 (Next page) is more of a ‘hybrid
sandwich’ since Office Bound and Distributed
APPROACHES TO models are not truly considered hybrid. The
three center blue sections are characterised by
HYBRID WAYS OF WORKING varying degrees of choice and autonomy and
To enable our clients to develop a their degrees of time and place independence.
future-proof workplace strategy that We help organisations to distinguish where
incorporates hybrid ways of working we they are on the continuum since there will be
want to provide a range of options which some variance.
could operate along a continuum rather Before digging into operational management,
than either/or categories. We collected it’s helpful to identify where your team
inspiration from a variety of models we currently resides on the continuum and in
saw in the field and were particularly which direction you wish to go. To get clear
impressed by a conceptual model on the hybrid models, we have made some
developed by Adobe and the work of Matt distinctions:
Mullenweg on levels of autonomy.30

When working with organisations, we

approach the topic of hybrid ways of
working based on a continuum that
ranges from high choice to low choice and
high autonomy to low autonomy. In other
words, where is the control stem from
when deciding on the best location to
perform an activity?
Municipality of Venlo - Netherlands
 WFH WFH
WFH WFH
WFH WFH WFH

WFO WFO WFO WFO WFH WFO

WFH WFH WFH

OFFICE BOUND OFFICE CENTRIC TEAM ORIENTED CHOICE CENTRIC DISTRIBUTED

Employees expected Employees expected to Managers coordinate teams Employees are empowered to Majority of employees
to work in the office by come into the office 2 or 3 to organise themselves make informed choices about are distributed, gathering
default; remote working days a week (remotely, at the offic, or a when and where they work, several times a year for in
is by exception combination) factoring organisational priorities person events

No Autonomy Low Autonomy Medium Autonomy High Autonomy High Autonomy

Employer Chooses Employer Chooses Manager Chooses Employee Chooses Employer Chooses
Figure 8

less organisational predictability but enables levels of organisational responsiveness

01 THE OFFICE CENTRIC MODEL
This is an approach where the organisation
chooses the form of hybrid work and offers
little in the way of individual autonomy. This
approach typically takes the form of ‘3in/2out’
where employees are expected to work three
days in the office and two remotely. Usually,
the ‘office days’ are predetermined. This model
offers a level of predictability like traditional
‘office bound’ approaches. A variety of office
designs (e.g., traditional, activity based)
and organisational structural and cultural
archetypes (e.g., hierarchical, matrixed) can
accommodate this model.
02 THE TEAM ORIENTED MODEL
This is where managers are empowered at
a functional level to coordinate if and when
members work in hybrid ways. This offers
a level of adaptability that the Office Centric
approach lacks. However, it requires a high
level of leadership maturity to ensure that
employees maintain a sense of fairness and
equity related to access to flexibility.
03 THE CHOICE CENTRIC MODEL
A Choice Centric model is on the other end of
the hybrid continuum is the Choice Centric
model where individuals are empowered
to choose when and where to complete
their activities. To be clear, the choices are
not made on personal preferences alone.
Choices must be informed by organisational
priorities and are empowered by leadership
practices that focus on trust, clarity, and
focus on outcomes. This model offers less
organisational predictability than the other
two hybrid approaches but enables high
and adaptability. From an office design
perspective, Choice Centric models offer the
biggest opportunity to reimagine the purpose
of the office.
Before we go deeper into the granular
decisions that come with workplace
transformation take a moment to ask yourself
these three qualifying questions:
+ What choices can I make that will best
meet my preferences whilst enabling me
to succeed in what I need to achieve?
+ What are my team’s needs and the needs
of the teams I interact with? How will my
choices impact them?
+ How do my choices support my
organisation’s strategic objectives,
operational goals, and overall cohesion?
Work Transformation : How To Get Started

02
OPERATIONAL
MANAGEMENT
COST CONSIDERATIONS
Given the COVID-19 impact, many employers
are now questioning the way they work
”Employers should ensure
and the associated business costs. There that a clear policy or
is undoubtedly an initial cost factor linked
to changing the method or way in which an agreement is in place on
organisation operates. However, they are what responsibilities the
outweighed by the longer term cost savings
from real estate. employer and employee
Prior to the pandemic, “according to PGi, the
have with respect to
average real estate savings with full-time expenses and equipment.
teleworkers is $10,000 per employee per year.
The insurance giant Aetna shed 2.7 million A formal arrangement may
square feet of office space by implementing
a remote working policy, resulting in a cost-
also support an employee’s
saving of US$78 million per year. The cost- ability to deduct home
saving implications of remote workers alone
make it a huge draw.”8 office expenses for tax
Many employers reimburse employees for
purposes.”9/10
expenses such as cell phone, travel, computer
hardware or software, or automobile related
expenses when these costs are incurred for The following are examples of companies that
the business. have reaped significant financial benefits (and
environmental) as a result of moving a portion
When employees are required to work from of their staff to flexible working:
home, employers should also consider if
employees are improperly shouldering
business costs. One expense that is not often
reimbursed by employers, unless agreed by
the employee and employer, is the cost of a
home office space, i.e., a portion of rent and
utilities.

Alliander - Netherlands
BEST 01 BRITISH TELECOM (BT) 11
PRACTICE Since the 1980’s, BT has been adapting its
physical infrastructure to embed flexibility.
EXAMPLES
Today, BT employs around 70,000 flexible
workers, saving around £700 million a year on
property, and reducing absenteeism by 60%.
Leveraging video conferencing and remote
access solutions, they have eliminated approx.
300k face-to-face meetings per year – a cost-
saving to the company of nearly $256 million
USD per year (and 47, 400 tones of CO2).
03 ACCENTURE
Accenture estimates it has saved $8 million
annually by using telepresence systems instead
of business travel (also saving approx. 2,000
tons of CO2 – a nice environmental perk).
02 CISCO SYSTEMS
Cisco offers its employees a virtual office
solution that can be accessed from anywhere.
With 14,000 employees using the solution,
the estimated real estate cost savings is $82.5
million annually. Employees are estimated to
have reduced hours commuting by 2.81 hours,
saving 2.5 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
04 SUN MICROSYSTEMS (ORACLE)
Then Sun Microsystems, now Oracle,
implemented its “Open Work” program 14+
years ago, in which an estimated half or
20,000+ employees work from home at least
one or two days a week. As far back as 2007,
as a result of this program, reduced real estate
holdings by approx. 15% and $68 million in
associated costs.
 IDEAS &
Companies generally adopt one of the
following approaches, or a combination of,

CONSIDERATIONS
when equipping their employees with the
tools to perform their role remotely:

01 COMPANY PROVIDED
CURIOUS ABOUT INITIAL SETUP
MEASURING
The company provides everything their
employees need to perform their job, from The initial setup consists of all the tools

PROGRAMME
hardware to software and IT support. This is required by employees to perform their
the most common approach for providing the jobs remotely.
basic set of tools for an employee to perform
SUCCESS?
These generally include:
their job.

02 BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD)
This program allows employees to use their
own device. The employer pays an allowance
or a pre-determined portion of the associated
costs. The downside to this approach is that
security and support can be difficult for an
organisation to implement.
03 ALLOWANCE FOR EQUIPMENT
PURCHASES
The company provides an allowance claim to
subsidize the purchase of equipment.
This is often for equipment perceived as
supplementary in supporting an employee to
perform their job, i.e, an ergonomic task chair.
When it comes to employee experience, CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
different departments track different
data. HR monitors engagement and + Hardware – laptop, monitor, mouse,
retention, real estate tracks workspace headset
usage and satisfaction, IT measures + Software
application usage and bugs, and so on. + Office supplies & equipment -
ergonomic desk and chair
With different data sources, it’s difficult + Operating Expenses
to get a holistic view of the employee
experience. How do you layer data
+ Mobile and internet subscription
meaningfully to generate actionable + Video-conferencing technology
insights? + Training
+ IT support
LEARN MORE
DISTRIBUTED
WORKING
POLICY
CONSIDERATIONS
Employers should consider how their current
policies apply to distributed working,
including supervision, performance
management, time recording, privacy,
confidentiality, IT and document
management, and insurance.

Employers should also be

aware of their obligations
under applicable legislation,
including employment
standards, health and
safety.26

Bankwest - Perth, AUS

IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS
Workplace regulations vary depending on
location, but there are certain risks and
challenges that prove somewhat universal
and should be considered when crafting your
workplace policy.
DISCRIMINATION
Employers should be careful to ensure their
policy does not discriminate based on age,
disability, origin, sex, status, or even pre-
existing conditions.
CULTURAL BIAS AND STEREOTYPES
Enabling a sense of community and making
sure that all employees are educated in the
company’s discrimination and harassment
policies whilst engaging in teleconferences,
etc., is advised.
WAGE & HOURLY WAGE REQUIREMENTS
Workers might need to accurately record time
worked, and wage requirements still apply.
Therefore, employers are recommended to
maintain appropriate timekeeping using tools
such as electronic timesheets, apps, or any
type of system that allows for monitoring and
effective timekeeping.
EMPLOYEE EXPENSES & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
REIMBURSEMENTS “Generally, OHS regulations require employers
Employers should consider the expenses likely to ensure employees conduct an assessment
to be incurred whilst working remotely, such as of their home workspace, report hazards, and
phone and data plans, and the reimbursement follow OHS protocols to include the following:
laws respective to their location, and internal + Emergency procedures, including
policies, as previously discussed. evacuation and communication protocols
in case of emergency.
CONFIDENTIAL & CLASSIFIED + Ergonomic assessment and
INFORMATION considerations.
Employers should make sure that their policies
include up-to-date definitions on handling
+ Check-in procedures for employees
working alone.”10
confidential and classified information outside
of the office.
WHS (WORKPLACE HEALTH &
SAFETY), INSURANCE, AND WORKERS
COMPENSATION
Companies need to think about how their
current workplace liability cover can extend
to cover distributed working, relevant to local
laws and regulations.
Work Transformation : How To Get Started

03
TECHNOLOGY
HARDWARE
CONSIDERATIONS
Advancements in wireless technology in just
the last decade have removed many of the
barriers to distributed working. Computers
and mobile devices are now more portable
and affordable, with widespread internet and
mobile connectivity providing a productive
and engaging experience for employees.
To work in a distributed way, it is an essential
requirement that workers have access to
portable devices.
SOFTWARE
CONSIDERATIONS
Software has made similar advancements
on the back of improved connectivity and
hardware. Collaboration software and
services have seen tremendous growth in
recent years, tools like Asana, Trello, Miro, and
Figma make it easy for teams to find places to
easily collaborate asynchronously.
Most of these tools integrate seamlessly
within collaboration hubs like Microsoft
Teams, Google Workspace, HubSpot, Cisco
WebEx Teams, Slack, and Workplace from
Meta.
These devices should support employees to
complete their work in the same manner as in
the office.
Device solutions should take into account
the functionality required by employees,
the approach for distributed work, and any
other broader workplace strategy decisions,
including ways of working and compatibility
with existing or future systems and processes.
Survey tools can serve as a supportive
method for checks in with distributed
team members, even when not physically
together. Some popular options include Polly,
Simple Poll, Google Forms, Microsoft Forms,
SurveyMonkey, and Slido. Survey tools have
come a long way and now have dynamic,
impressive, and customisable features to
support routine data collection and give
distributed members a voice.
Medibank - Australia
IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS

REMOTE SETUP
A remote or work from home setup may
include the following:
+ Laptop/Tablet
+ Smart Phone
+ Input devices like mouse, keyboard etc.
+ Headset
+ Monitor
+ Print/copy/scan equipment

REMOTE CONNECTIVITY
IT should consider how employees can
seamlessly connect to any internal networks
and databases in order to facilitate distributed
working. It is important to consider the type of
internet connectivity an employee has access
to when working remotely and what solutions
might provide this.

GLG New York - United States

 01 CISCO ANYCONNECT PLATFORM 02 MICROSOFT TEAMS
BEST The Cisco AnyConnect platform is available to Teams is a cost-effective way to keep the

PRACTICE
all employees and provides access to the Cisco team connected while integrating with the
network from any location, using any device. rest of your Microsoft 365 products. It has a
The platform ensures a seamless working chat function that allows for segmentation

EXAMPLES
experience comparable to a Cisco office by team, location, and/or topic. Having a quick
setup, while allowing employees to use the check-in via messaging can help to reduce the
technologies that they are most comfortable number of meetings. For anything that requires
with. Whether it’s a Cisco-owned laptop or more in-depth discussion, it makes meetings
mobile phone, a personally owned iPad or other more efficient and organised by centralising
connected device, employees are able to access the calendar, supporting files, and a built-
everything they need on the Cisco network in recording feature – ideal for anyone who
wherever they are. couldn’t make it to the meeting or for future
reference.
AnyConnect provides Cisco employees with
increased flexibility and ensures a consistent
experience in the context of increasingly
flexible working arrangements. Given that 90%
of employees work remotely at least one day a
week, and 32% of employees are completely
mobile, the ability to provide a secure and
reliable virtual infrastructure is critical.

Cisco has seen notable productivity gains as a

result. Those working remotely are 5% more
productive than office-based employees and
claim to be nearly 7% more likely to stay at
Cisco, a 26% reduction in attrition. At the same
time, the use of AnyConnect over traditional
desk-based work has made it possible to reduce
real estate savings by 50% per employee.12
IT TRAINING
& SUPPORT
IT support is often needed immediately when
a problem is encountered. Training the team
on best practices for hardware maintenance
and general security can make a world of
difference while having a hybrid and/or
distributed team.

“It is in a corporation’s best

interest to train staff on
security awareness with
not only understanding the
hardware for protection but
also how to protect their
physical surroundings. Screen
protectors, locking devices and
simply building habits to never
leave a computer unattended
in public must become
business norms for those that
work remotely.”

MICHAEL MILLER
CEO of VPN Online13
IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS
Training in the functionality that enables
working in a distributed way is critical. Michael
suggests the following training tools for
consideration:

ALISON DIGITAL SECURITY AWARENESS:

Focuses on how to be more security conscious
in the evolving remote workplace.

COURSERA CYBERSECURITY
AWARENESS AND INNOVATION:
Cybersecurity awareness mainly focused on
identity management and understanding
adequate protection mechanisms against
common threats related to identity.

NINJIO:
Cybersecurity awareness training that uses
micro-learning storytelling to educate and
empower employees to become defenders of
their devices.13
SECURITY,
IDEAS &
CONFIDENTIALITY CONSIDERATIONS
& PRIVACY FOR EMPLOYERS

PHISHING RISK: AUDITS & SURVEILLANCE:

With the increased number of cyber-related Emphasise by educating and
crimes, consider implementing higher security communicating with employees on
and protections. these new risks. Ensure they are
aware of such scams and how to alert
relevant authorities such as the IT
These crimes usually security team.
Teleconferencing Software:
target individuals and Choose software that provides
organisations through support for private meetings and
adopts encryption best practices to
various means to send supply maximum security. You should
ransomware or malware and share the access code and meeting
URL of private teleconference
to steal user credentials. meetings with intended participants
only, and ensure a password is needed
to join the meeting.
They also target remote access and video
conferencing systems. Organisations need
to ensure they have strong processes and VPN:
policies to mitigate these risks. IT teams need to make sure that
the VPN, network infrastructure
devices, endpoint devices, and other
remote access systems are updated
with the latest patches and security
configurations, as well as anti-virus
signatures.
Perform regular audits of the
privileged domain and local system
accounts to detect unknown
accounts.
AUTHENTICATION LOGS:
Closely monitor authentication logs
for remote services and look out
for suspicious account behaviour or
activities across systems.
LUNCH & LEARN:
Organisations should provide regular
training sessions to employees about
new cyber threats and preventive tips
to heighten their awareness.
RECOVERY PLANS:
Review and put in place cyber incident
response and recovery plans that can
be effectively implemented due to
telecommuting circumstances.
IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS
FOR EMPLOYEES
According to an article in Forbes, “a laptop
is stolen every 53 seconds and 93% of
successful data breaches occur in less than
one minute.” 13 Employees need to hold
responsibility for protecting their equipment
and security.
The following are some recommendations:
+ Install and update patches and software
for firmware of antivirus applications,
operating system and hardware like
modems and routers regularly.
+ Have security measures in place for
the monitoring of the system, network,
database and users.
+ Implement a two-factor authentication
and enforce strong passwords.
+ Use a secure Wi-Fi network, and always
make sure to send important and sensitive
information over Virtual Private Network
(VPN).
+ Avoid using public Wi-Fi and instead,
hotspot from the mobile phone.
+ Avoid clicking on links or opening
attachments found in e-mails or text
messages from unknown or untrusted
senders. Even if the e-mail or text message
appears to come from a known or familiar
sender, double-check the details to verify
the authenticity.
+ Emails containing sensitive information
should be encrypted as well as the devices
that store the information.
+ Ensure that the home router is secure
by changing the default password and
checking that security settings are set to
enable automatic updates, disable remote
access, and disable Universal Plug and
Play (UPnP).
+ After a video meeting, the best practice
is to mute the microphone and cover the
camera. Lock the screen if you are stepping
away from or taking a break.
DOCUMENTATION
& PROCESS BUILD
Given the nature of remote work, the
technology employed to assist with
communication, conversations and exchanges
can be directed through the collaboration
software used, recorded, documented, and
referenced later to ensure accuracy.

Intranets and documentation

management software can
house internal documents,
records, projects, resources,
etc., available with permissible
access anytime, anywhere.
Centralised documentation helps to
streamline business and improve remote
communication.
CURIOUS ABOUT
GETTING STARTED
WITH ACTIVITY
BASED WORKING?
There are many misconceptions about
what Activity Based Working really is.
This workplace philosophy isn’t about
open-plan offices — it’s a key to unlock
the potential of your people. As the
founders of the concept, V+C provides
a range of solutions to help you get the
most from ABW.

LEARN MORE
Bankwest - Australia
Work Transformation : How To Get Started

04
MANAGING
DIGITALLY
PERFORMANCE
& SUCCESS
Research has shown that employees that
work from home, or remotely, tend to be
more productive and happier. At the same
time, companies are saving money and
helping the environment. But what does it
mean for managers and their ability to lead
effectively with a team that is partially, if not
fully distributed?
The reality of distributed work is that
managers cannot see their employees.
They can no longer depend on visual cues to
determine the effectiveness of their work,
though it can be argued that this is not a
dependable metric anyway. That said, it can
sometimes create uncertainty and a feeling
of anxiety on the part of management, which
can lead to micro- managing, inflexibility and
panic over the delivery of business outcomes,
all of which plays out within the organisation
and team culture.
To avoid such a situation, managers
should shift their mindset, and establish
clear expectations and success metrics,
focusing less on the number of hours, or
input, and more on measuring how well the
employee is performing based on output.
By setting clear goals and expectations and
relying on trust instead of visual cues and
presenteeism, teams will become more self-
motivated, which, in turn, will drive employee
engagement and retention.
“Often, managers use business, working late
or other proxies to infer that an employee is
effective,” says Jeanne Wilson, PhD, Professor
of organisational Behaviour at the College of
William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. “In
a distributed work situation, managers must
rely more heavily on results. That’s a hard
transition for a lot of people to make.”16
Itoki - Japan

IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS
To help in that transition, it’s advisable
to review and amend the organisation’s
performance management system for any
contradictory incentivisation. The following
can be considered:
+ Set clear and measurable goals and KPIs.
+ Schedule regular 1-to-1 meetings
between managers and direct reports
to ensure they are on track and working
towards the pre-determined, established
goals.
+ Determine ahead of time how often and
the preferred method of communication
as leadership and communication styles
play an impactful role.
+ If possible, connect through video chat
instead of by phone as between 70-93%
of communication is nonverbal in nature.17
+ Be on the lookout for burnout. While some
managers may worry that remote workers
are slacking off, often the opposite issue is
usually the problem. People cannot switch
off work as easily when performing their
function from home, and across various
time zones.
EMPLOYEE DATA & EVALUATION TOOLS
In some cases, leaders are looking to
employee data to evaluate performance.
There are many such tools currently available,
but it is important to note that transparency
is crucial as employee engagement and
monitoring approaches are becoming widely
used. As stated, trust is an important factor
in managing remotely. It is best to make sure
that employees are aware of and understand
the benefits of all tools being used.
ShapeTools that used to enable and enrich
collaboration and productivity now also aid
in providing measurable data to analyse
productivity and performance; a more
data-centric component to performance
evaluations.
EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT
The benefits of an engaged workforce are
too significant to overlook. With disengaged
employees costing companies at least
US$450 billion a year (Gallup)18, leaders need
to take a good look at how to engage mobile
and remote employees more effectively.
Employee engagement is key to performance.
It leads to increased productivity, improved
quality of work, and retention of talent.
“People want purpose and meaning from their
work. They want to be known for what makes
them unique. This is what drives employee
engagement. And they want relationships,
particularly with a manager who can coach
them to the next level. This is who drives
employee engagement.”18
For a manager, it is important to engage with
direct reports consistently, and take the time
to understand what is happening in the lives of
their employees. This helps to build empathy,
which leads to establishing and building trust,
which is key to creating a relationship where
employees feel heard and supported.
CAREER GROWTH
Another consideration for employee
engagement within a distributed way of
working is the fewer opportunities to network,
which have been seen as necessary to career
advancement or growth.
Managers should, therefore, schedule regular
check-ins, not only to discuss current projects
or performance, but the employee’s personal
and professional goals, and together figure
out a plan to help them achieve this.
FOUR KEY WAYS TO INCREASE
ENGAGEMENT
According to IMD Professor,
Jennifer Jordan, there
are four ways to increase
engagement within virtual
meetings:
01 Take the emotional temperature or
‘pulse’ of the team, which can help a
leader identify fluctuations. This is more
difficult to do in a virtual environment, so
video helps. Another suggestion is using
‘experience sampling apps,’ which allows
teams to register how they’re feeling. Be
aware that having a culture of trust plays
a role in the team’s ability to share openly.
02 Don’t underestimate the value of face-
to-face interactions. Where possible,
regularly scheduled interactions with the
intention of team building and cohesion,
rather than task-related activities (save
those for virtual meetings).
03 Introverts don’t work better in a virtual
environment than extroverts. They might
fare better working alone for longer
periods since they get their energy from
being alone, but both types play a key role
in a virtual meeting setting. Don’t exclude
extroverts for fear they will be unhappy in
such an environment because they often
help to strengthen team bonds.
04 Don’t worry about over-engaging.
Research on how individuals deal with
conflict cites two generally beneficial
approaches to conflict – collaboration
and compromise – and two generally
destructive approaches to conflict –
avoiding and competition.” In a virtual
setting, it is recommended to lean
towards high engagement rather than
not enough. 19
IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS
+ Encourage open communication among
employees and leadership.
+ Use mobile-friendly tools to share
information and updates.
+ Make time to foster interpersonal
connections outside formal meetings.
+ Encourage employees to share feedback
with management (through surveys,
listening sessions, etc.).
+ Celebrate personal milestones and team
successes.
+ Provide ongoing training and development
opportunities to help employees sharpen
their skills or discover new interests.
+ Keep in mind that the four generations
(Baby Boomers, Millennials, and
Generations X and Z) all have unique
experiences with and feelings towards
technology.
COMMUNICATING
DIGITALLY
Communication is essential to employee IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS
engagement. It is key to any functioning team.

With increased mobility and FOR EMPLOYEES

freedom, teams need to be Clarify communication needs and
Choose the right channel. Utilise
more conscientious about preferences, and working hours to
managers, teams and partners. online chat for group or 1:1 quick
keeping in touch in order questions or updates. Quick
Make sure everyone has the needed conversations are easiest on
to manage the workload, context and use shared documents the phone. A video chat is best
ensure business goals to let people with different schedules
work asynchronously.
for meetings with more than
two participants or difficult
are delivered upon, and conversations.
ShapeIt can be difficult to keep track Corporate information should be
maintain a sense of team of who knows what. Start meetings consolidated in a single location
and social connection and documents with a summary like the intranet or a central online
resource. Resources like forms,
of goals and status. This will help
with one another - align the team and enable effective online learning, company updates
should be organised properly to
communicating effectively collaboration.
provide easy access for employees.
and often. Be mindful when using texts and
emails to communicate as they have
a way of being misconstrued due to
Distributed working means it is more language, culture, mood, etc.
important than ever to proactively check in
as a team and with everyone. It is also a great
way to build more robust relationships with
VIRTUAL
MEETINGS
Video or teleconferencing is not a new thing. IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS
But in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which
left companies scrambling to keep their
employees safe and healthy, user rates have
swelled, and new communication challenges FOR EMPLOYEES
for companies/leaders have arisen.
Use video technology verses
Keeping everyone on the call engaged, active
teleconferencing to ensure everyone
and attentive can be difficult. Productivity
is properly equipped to participate
is difficult to maintain when dominating
and engage in the same meeting.
personalities take over, and multi-tasking
leads to lack of participation and tuning-out
Provide an audio dial-in option for
entirely. To avoid such pitfalls, the following
those unable to be visible in that
best practices can be applied to run virtual
moment or have a weak internet
meetings more effectively:
connection.
+ Practice and prep with presenters, if
needed. Test the technology being used to
+ Give everyone access to a shared drive make sure it works ahead of time.
where agendas, notes, and documents are And if necessary, create a training for
placed and can be accessed at any time. participants on how to use it.
+ Establish and commit to a regular schedule
if it’s a weekly or monthly meeting, for
example.
+ Be aware and respectful of time zones.
If unable to move a meeting knowing it
will fall outside of a participant’s working
hours, discuss, ask and thank them
properly for their time and participation.

Macquarie Bank- Australia

Work Transformation : How To Get Started

05
PEOPLE &
CULTURE
INCLUSION
For the purposes of this paper, it’s important
to note that inclusion is a separate concept
from diversity. SHRM (Society for Human
Resource Management) defines inclusion
as “the achievement of a work environment
in which all individuals are treated fairly
and respectfully, have equal access to
opportunities and resources, and can
contribute fully to the organisation's success.”
20
In an inclusive work environment:
EVERYONE IS TREATED WITH RESPECT
Building an inclusive culture is the shared
responsibility of employees, managers and
organisational leaders. It takes intention at
every level to sustain an inclusive workplace.
EMPLOYEES ARE VALUED FOR THEIR
STRENGTHS
When employees understand their strengths,
they can tap into what motivates them and
what they naturally do best. They can also
identify any blind spots related to observing,
evaluating or demonstrating respect for
others. 26
LEADERS ARE FAIR AND UNBIASED
Leaders and managers need to be fair and
unbiased in hiring, assigning work, evaluating
compensations and promoting. It's also up to
leaders to architect an organisational culture
in which employees feel they can safely
express themselves and raise concerns with
transparency and confidence.
Inclusion, the act by
which employees are and
feel included, leads to
connectedness, which
leads to increased levels of
engagement.21
Connection is the energy that exists between
people when they feel seen, heard, and valued;
when they can give and receive without
judgment; and when they derive sustenance
and strength from the relationship.
IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS
FOR EMPLOYEES
+ Prioritise inclusion. Be mindful and aware
of the subtle ways people may feel left
out.
+ In a meeting where there are co-located
team members and remote members,
instill protocols to ensure everyone is
included.
+ Make sure the video camera in the room
is switched on so that remote teammates
can see who is talking.
+ Make sure everyone is heard. Get
comfortable with longer pauses in
conversation to make sure others have a
chance to speak.
+ Ask remote teammates if they have
comments or questions periodically (e.g.
every 7-10 minutes).
+ When an important decision needs to be
made or announced, make sure everyone
is present.
+ Encourage before-and-after meeting
conversations to happen on Teams or
Slack or other platforms the company is
using.
+ Make sure everyone is up to speed and
on the same page. Pay special attention
to people who are new to the team or
conversation.
+ Bring the right people into conversations.
Before you get started, pause to see if
anyone is missing and invite them to
participate.
UPSKILLING &
RESKILLING
Investing in the right employee development
has real-world impact. According to Gallup,
organisations that do so report an 11%
increase in profitability and are 2x’s more
likely to retain employees. 13
UPSKILLING INITIATIVES
Lack of growth opportunities is one of the key
reasons why people leave jobs. Understanding
what your employees need and enabling them
to develop creates a culture of accountability.
Upskilling and digital dexterity have now
become essential to unlocking those growth
opportunities, outweighing tenure and
experience, according to Gartner.
“By 2028, the most high-value work will be
cognitive in nature. Employees will have to
apply creativity, critical thinking and constant
digital upskilling to solve complex problems.
The demand for digital skills has grown by
60% over the past several years. In today’s
digital economy, the demand for new ideas,
new information and new business models
that continually expand, combine and shift
into new ventures and new businesses will
increase,” says Griffin.” In 2017, McKinsey
reported that “by 2030, as a result of AI and
digitalisation, 14% of the global workforce
will have to acquire new skills and knowledge
or change their job entirely. organisations that
invest in the reskilling and upskilling of their
talent, promoting a learning environment,
will be rewarded financially. But they will also
reap the benefits of a highly engaged and
energised workforce.”22
Itoki - Japan
BEST
01 AT&T - UPSKILLING TO RETAIN STAFF
PRACTICE
“AT&T, for example, has invested heavily
in analysing its workforce and retraining
EXAMPLES
employees according to expected growth
areas. The company’s research showed that
only about half of its 250,000 employees
had the necessary science, technology,
engineering and math skills, and around
100,000 workers were performing hardware-
related work that would likely be obsolete
in 10 years. Rather than hire a whole new
workforce, the company invested $1 billion in
a multi-year initiative that features a career
centre, online courses, and collaborations with
Coursera, Udacity and leading universities.”23
03 WALMART – RESKILLING FOR NEW
INDUSTRY SECTOR
Walmart, provides 2-to-6-week training
academies in advanced retail skills,
designed to help employees move into new
jobs in the company. It just announced a
new effort to help its employees retrain for
healthcare jobs, as the company begins rolling
out primary care clinics across the country.23
02 SAS (SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES)
RESKILLING IN A REMOTE
ENVIRONMENT
Due to COVID 19, in March 2020, SAS
temporarily laid off 90% of their flight
attendants. Given the shortage of trained
healthcare professionals in Sweden to cope
with the pandemic, SAS saw a need and
opportunity to utilise the existing knowledge
of their flight attendants and quickly
developed a program to upskill and reskill their
cabin crew with new abilities to help fill the
void healthcare and keep them employed.24
04 GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE
COMPANY
Guardian engaged and partnered with General
Assembly, a digital skills provider to train their
insurance actuaries on how to use the data
from health monitoring tools such as Fitbit
and other sensors to better calculate risk.23
Work Transformation : How To Get Started

06
PHYSICAL
WORKSPACE
TRANSISTIONING
THE WORKPLACE
As organisations have revisited their
distributed workplace strategy, post-
pandemic questions around the purpose of
the office focused more on how work can be
done, and to what degree we can share space.
Entire industries are debating about how they
want to work in the future and questioning
what the function of a physical workspace
is. This exploration often manifests itself as
some form of a hybrid workplace.
CHOICE AND AUTONOMY AS THE BASIS
OF A LONG-TERM HYBRID STRATEGY
Now that the hybrid genie is out of the bottle
and people have experienced that a new way
of working is possible, not everyone is running
back to the office 9-5. As many experienced
that it was possible to be productive remotely
from home, there needed to be good reason
for them to make the commute. Knowing
what those reasons are for every employee
is a challenge, but there are ways to make
the workplace as desirable as it is functional
- engaging in a utilisation study can help
leaders better understand what would work
best for their teams.
Whichever end of the continuum your
organisation finds itself, providing employees
with some level of choice and autonomy
will need to be central to any approach. The
Neuro Leadership Institute’s (NLI) research
has highlighted how the brain thrives when
provided with optimal levels of choice and
autonomy. Choice softens strong emotions
and can be intrinsically rewarding and the
autonomy to make those choices creates
fertile ground for a growth mindset.
Bollore Logistics - Singapore
ELEMENTS OF
A HYBRID
OFFICE SPACE
We are not your typical office designers here Sufficient variety of A venue that allows us to
at Veldhoen + Company rather the co-creators settings to support the be the social creatures we
of your workplace transformation. Office Space Workstyle sometimes crave to be -
even at social distance
For every transformation we take three things
into consideration:
• Bricks - The optimal environment: What
setting best supports the activity (focus
work, creative brainstorming, calls)? Is it VARIETY WELL-BEING
in a meeting room, at home, a co-working
space, outside, a café, or somewhere else?
• Bytes - The necessary tools: What
technology or materials (digital or
analogue) do individuals need to support
their own activities? Which tools are Allow teams TEAM-TIME PURPOSE A common
needed for specific environmental to physically ground,
setups? Examples can include audio visual come together shared by the
tools, laptops, and even a stable internet to shift our community,
connection. thinking away SERENDIPITY with a defined
• Behaviours - The individual needs: from individual unified
focus to team organisational
What kinds of tasks are needed for an
focus purpose
individual's job, and how and when can
they best perform that work (together in- Enable unplanned
person, hybrid, async?) interactions rather
than just scheduled
The bricks, bytes, and behaviours make up the voice or virtual calls
functional needs of the team who are entering
some variance of a hybrid working model. Figure 10. Elements of a hybrid office space
ASSESSMENT
Identify when and who from your workforce
you require to return to the office. To do this,
consider the following questions:
+ What is your strategy? Would you like for
as many staff as possible to return to the
office? Or would you like to encourage
staff to continue to work remotely for as
long as needed?
+ Which teams have been successful work-
ing remotely? Why?
+ Which teams are more productive in the
office environment? Why?
+ Which teams have special equipment
which requires them to be physically pres-
ent in the office?
+ When people come to the office, what ac-
tivities do they prefer to do?
+ What are the essential times the staff are
required to be in the office?
The answers to these questions will inform
the capacity you have in regards to office space
and what type of activities can be supported.
From there, a transition plan and schedule can
be developed. It will be important to manage
the amount of people welcomed back into the
workspace to ensure the following health and
safety etiquettes can be facilitated.

Itoki - Japan
Work Transformation : How To Get Started

07
HOLISTIC
WELLBEING
LONELINESS
& INCLUSION
It’s important to acknowledge that while many
people accept and even enjoy the opportunity
to work from home, many employees have
felt stressed, trapped and have experienced a
sense of anxiety as a result. Part of this stress
can be in part due to working conditions,
unavailable tools, sub-par home office setup,
etc., but it can also be related to an imposed
decision, made without any true choice at an
individual or team level. Employers who want
to differentiate themselves as employers
of choice should make sure to connect with
their teams, managers and individuals to
understand triggers for stress and address
them with supportive solutions.
More importantly, they should use them as
opportunities for relationship building, team
strengthening, and connection. For example,
the sharing of personal circumstances has
made for stronger, more connected teams at
a human level. If continued in a conscious way,
it will make for stronger, higher performing
teams.
Physical and mental health was highlighted
during the pandemic, but it has always
been a significant and important aspect to
employee satisfaction and performance.
Employee wellbeing is evolving into a must-
have practice, becoming a clear metric for an
organisation’s success, a people & culture,
finance, IT, business and real estate metric.
Loneliness has been described as a global
pandemic in itself. Even prior to COVID-19,
loneliness was reported as having reached
an all-time high in many parts of the world.
For the purposes of this paper, “loneliness,”
although still vague, can be defined as an
unsettling and stressful feeling of emptiness
resulting from invisible barriers (feeling alone)
or visible barriers (physically being alone).
VISIBLE BARRIERS
COVID-19 brought with it the need to
isolate, causing the need to work remotely
immediately, thus creating a visible barrier.
As discussed previously, communication
and inclusion are paramount to maintaining
a personal connection with employees.
Physical barriers can be broken down.
Technology doesn’t necessarily solve
the issue of loneliness, but it can help to
break down visible barriers. In the case
of remote working, it provides an easy
way to interact and to provide ongoing
support no matter the distance. The keys
to meaningful online engagement are
consistency, authenticity, and genuine
care.
INVISIBLE BARRIERS
“There are those invisible barriers which
are often informed by the culture of our
workplace, which can keep us apart, prevent
us from sharing, and ultimately lead us to be
more lonely than we need to be” (Dr. Vivek
Murthy).25 In order to solve the problem,
to get managers and teams to invest more
emotionally in each other, is to necessary
to create more passive opportunities to get
people to know each other beyond their role.
Social isolation can greatly impact our physical
and mental health and productivity. Now in
the digital age, we can extend interaction
beyond office walls to create an environment
that is supportive and inclusive to help bring
employees together.
Working remotely shouldn’t contribute
to loneliness and it doesn’t have to. With
staff working remotely, it can help save an
organisation a significant amount of money
per year, but it shouldn’t come at the expense
of poor job performance due to loneliness, or
the lack of meaningful relationships within
the work environment.
The contrary is true; the more engaged
employees are, turnover decreases, as
does absenteeism, and they become more
motivated and productive when their
psychological safety is being looked after.
What’s important is having a choice for a
working environment that is supportive,
equipped with technology that works,
intuitively supports the individual, and fosters
team connection.
IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS
+ Leverage new apps and virtual technology
to gather employee feedback. By creating
a virtual space for employees to bond and
connect, companies can achieve a better
team dynamic.
+ Create a database of company lore, old
photos, and the internal company growth
story.
+ Incorporate remote employees via video
conferencing camera during informal get-
togethers or celebrations.
+ Create channels (instant messaging app)
for non-work-related discussion around
topics that you know your team finds
interesting, i.e. travel, cooking inspiration,
parenting, home based learning, etc.
+ Host weekly happy hour and coffee dates
between employees using a random
pairing tool like Donut (for Slack).
+ When possible, bring remote employees
in for in-office events like yearly kick-offs,
planning weeks, town halls, or company
parties and events. If the budget is
restricted, live video stream these events
to allow remote workers to be a part of it
and ask questions. (Always consider time
zones, local holidays, and travel time).
+ Plan a yearly retreat so everyone can come
CURIOUS ABOUT
together, engage and bond to drive group
performance and better team dynamics.
BALANCING
+ Bring the in-office perks to remote
employees, i.e. “if you have a fancy
espresso machine, Taco Tuesdays,
or standing desks for your in-office FOOTPRINT
employees, why shouldn’t your remote
folks have the same?” (Owl Labs).1 REDUCTION &
ENGAGEMENT?
+ Consider a meal delivery budget for
remote employees to use when the office
team has meals catered. “The same theory With the rise of hybrid working, the
applies for paying for remote employees to purpose of the office is shifting. People
have a home office setup with a standing are not as motivated to commute, so
desk or their desk of choice, as well as a desk-centred offices remain empty.
coffee maker. Whatever you spend in perks Should companies shrink their
to show the team appreciation, you’ll save offices in response? Can a smaller
in the reduced costs of turnover.”1 workplace footprint still be valuable
and attractive to employees? How can
you accommodate new attendance
patterns?
Our strategic workplace consultancy
can help you optimise your workspace
utilisation in the increasingly complex
world of work.
LEARN MORE
Novartis - Global
WORK-LIFE
BALANCE
The positive work-life balance effects of
flexible working are probably the best known
and most frequently cited advantages.
Findings support the intuitive expectation
that the employee who is better able to
integrate work and non-work will experience
enhanced wellbeing. To better enable their
employees, organisations need to increase
awareness regarding personal wellbeing and
empower their workforce to be capable of
making conscious and informed decisions to
achieve a more holistic, balanced individual
wellbeing.
IDEAS &
CONSIDERATIONS
01 COMMUNICATE YOUR NEEDS & 03 ESTABLISH A SET SCHEDULE FOR
PRIORITIZE RESULTS YOURSELF & YOUR FAMILY
Communicate and let your manager know if Set working hours. When working from home,
you need flexibility to care for your family the ease and temptation to work around the
during the workday. clock will lead to burnout. It’s important to set
boundaries and shut down.
Prioritise daily outcomes.
Design a work and caregiving schedule with
02 SET BOUNDARIES WITH YOUR your family to ensure you balance the time
dedicated to each and everyone’s needs are
WORKSPACE met.
Communicate to family members when
you need focus or maintain privacy. Create 04 FIND COMMUNITY & SUPPORT
designated area at home to work from
that could also act as a signal, like wearing Tap into outside communities and networks
headphones (bonus points for a noise- share and gather ideas and support
cancelling pair), a lamp turned on or off near
your workstation, or a sign on the back of your
chair.
Take regular breaks. Employees should break
for lunch by stepping away from their work
setting and take regular “coffee” or short
breaks throughout the day as they would do
in the office.
BEST
PRACTICE
EXAMPLES
03 PERPETUAL GUARDIAN (NEW ZEALAND)
Landmark trial of a four-day working week
has concluded it an unmitigated success,
with 78% of employees feeling they were
able to successfully manage their work-
life balance, an increase of 24 percentage
points from 54% to 78%. 29
01 PHILIPS 02 AETNA INTERNATIONAL -
Philips University and Develop@home Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
+ Training in Energy Management, Counselling is available to employees and
their family members for any emotional and
Resilience and Dealing with Ambiguity
practical support. 27
+ Wellbeing gurus guest speakers share
on different wellbeing topics such as
mindfulness meditation, eating well etc.
+ Volunteering programs allow employees
to spend a few hours of their time to
contribute to a non-profit cause.
+ Mindfulness sessions for 20 mins, three
times a week.
04 FRONT TEAM 05 LOCAL HOSPITAL IN SINGAPORE
Counselling services: to help stressful Choice Architecture – organising the context
employees navigate challenges relating in which people make decisions for their
to work, family, stress, finances, and other wellbeing.
personal issues. E.g. nudging employees to choose a healthier
snacks over an unhealthy one, choosing to
Skincare Fridays: To take advantage of
use the stairs instead of the elevator.
being at home and to encourage self-care
practices, some team members do a facial
mask and hop on a Zoom call on Friday
evening. A fun and positive way to end the
work week. 28
Work Transformation : How To Get Started

CLOSING
THOUGHTS
A distributed way of working is a strategic
lever for change and not an employee perk.
Many organisations fail to understand the
concept, afraid that performance could suffer,
or other important matters could fall through
the gaps.
Is your organisation ready to change the way
you work? To analyse whether a distributed
way of working suits your company, first
understand the parameters of each job you
are considering for the program and answer
these fundamental questions below:
+ Are you committed to new ways of
operating?
+ Are you prepared to re-examine
performance indicators as necessary to
align them with the new ways in which
employees work?
+ Are you committed to examining your
incentives and rewards policies?
+ Do you have an open culture and proactive
leaders / managers?
+ Can you set up clear links between staff,
functions, and time?
+ Are leaders / managers at all levels are
open to change?
Middle managers, who lose their line of sight
and verbal proximity to their direct reports,
must change how they lead or guide their
employees.
+ Are you prepared for some “push back”?
Employees who are accustomed to a
structured office environment may find it hard
to adjust to a largely self- directed schedule,
and those who are used to working in vicinity
of many colleagues may be affected in a lonely
remote setting.
+ Can you overcome the external barriers to
a distributed way of working?
Physical and logistical barriers may exist. If
space is at a premium in employees’ homes
(small apartments), then an initiative that
calls for people to work at home may not be
feasible and other alternatives such as third
places should be provided.
+ Will you invest in the tools, training, and
techniques that make distributed way of
working work?
To improve the chances of a distributed way
of working success, all who are involved must
be armed with a repertoire of tools; relevant
training (change management training); and
proper, flexible administrative support.
A dynamic, non-hierarchical, technologically
advanced organisation is more likely than
a highly structured, command-driven one
to implement a distributed way of working
successfully. Distributed way of working
assumes that certain jobs either do not
depend on specific locations and types of
facilities or depend on them only part of the
time.
Novartis - Global
Work Transformation : How To Get Started

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The following specialists conducted the This white paper could not
data analysis and created the insights in
this Best Practice Paper:
have been possible without
the curiosity, passion, critical
thinking and creativity from our
DESMOND NG authors and contributors.
Workstyle Consultant
desmond@veldhoencompany.com
By each creating the space for
IOLANDA MEEHAN this to happen, we are together
LEE WEI CHUNG changing the world and creating
a better world of work.
Graphic Design, Editing, and Formatting:
SAM FORTY
Global Digital & Brand Marketing Specialist
sam@veldhoencompany.com

Contributing Editors:
ANGELA HUANG
FAYE HUGO
BRIANA BIANCOLIN
CHRISTINA CHAPLIN
KELLY STECKEL - VOOU Studio

www.veldhoencompany.com
Work Transformation : How To Get Started

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 WE’VE BUILT
Veldhoen + Company’s mission to create
a better world of work by using human-
centric, data-driven workplace strategy
hasn’t changed in over three decades. What

GREAT PLACES
has changed is the pace of acceleration that
many organisations now prioritise strategy.
Disruption to the old way of working has been
a catalyst for progressive new workplace
strategy in almost every industry.

TO WORK
With 300+ projects already in our rearview
mirror, our team knows there is one ingredient
always present in teams and organisations
that are 'successful' at adopting a new way of
working: freedom of choice. For 'choice' to be

AROUND THE
successful, it must be adequately supported
by a cohesive structure of Bricks (physical
space), Bytes (technology), and Behaviour
(culture).
Learn how to support individuals’ freedom
to determine when and where to work

GLOBE FOR
without compromising team performance and
connection.
With adaptability, organisations can ensure
survival, while building the capability needed
to thrive in an increasingly unpredictable

30+ YEARS
world.
VELDHOEN + COMPANY CAN HELP,
HERE’S WHY:
+ We are an independent global workplace
consultancy with a team of 50+ members
in APAC, Europe, and North American
regions.
+ As the creators of Activity Based
Working (ABW), we are more than just
thought leaders, we are pioneers in work
transformation.
+ In our process we discover, design & co-
create, implement, evaluate and evolve
your organisational strategy by gathering
evidence using people data to continually
refine your workplace concept and help
ensure the adoption of new ways of
working by all teams.

We are not the only workplace strategy

consultancy, but we are unique in our mix of
extensive client experience and commitment
to independent research for 30+ years. Our
goal is to create challenging, specific and
achievable outcomes while cultivating the
ability, courage and curiosity to actively reflect
and evaluate as we go. We deeply believe in
our role as helpers and want to ensure you
succeed.

To work with us, get in touch.

TALK TO US

www.veldhoencompany.com
mail@veldhoencompany.com
THE FUTURE OF WORK
WORK TRANSFORMATION

www.veldhoencompany.com