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The SME’s guide to building employee engagement, productivity and profitability

05 June, 2023

It should be obvious that employee engagement, productivity and business profitability are all positively corelated.

Research by the Harvard Business Review reveals that “inspired employees bring more discretionary energy to their work every day.” As a result, they are 125% more productive than an employee who is merely satisfied – in other words, a single inspired employee can produce as much as 2.25 satisfied employees.

Similarly, Gallup has found that highly engaged business units achieve 14% more productivity, add 18% in sales and return 23% greater profitability.

In other words, strong employee engagement is good for productivity and business.

 

Engage your employees to boost your productivity

What if we could all do one thing to engage our teams, boost our productivity – and improve the bottom line

There’s no short cut to solving low employee engagement. But employing a flexible Hybrid Work (or productivity-anywhere) model even in the post-pandemic era is the closest thing to a magic bullet. How do we know this?

Accenture’s Future of Work Study, published in Nov 2022, reported that 68% of high-growth organisations have enabled productivity-anywhere workforce models. In fact, the resources enabling workers to perform their jobs anywhere can drive up to 7.4% revenue growth each year when enabled through omni-connected work cultures.

There’s an entire laundry list of actions you can take to build a highly-engaged Hybrid Workforce.

But here are 4 easy things SMEs (Small to Medium-sized Enterprises) can do to look after your teams right away for instant dividends to your productivity:
 

1. Help your teams to find their flow

Loungey, breakout spaces at JustCo Shinjuku Miraina in Tokyo, Japan

We go into different work modes throughout the day, depending on the types of activity we are engaged in. Most experts agree that most offices are not designed to support all four work modes – Focusing, Learning, Collaborating and Socialising. An open office is great for socialising but not conducive to deep focus. On the other hand, cubicles that promote privacy also discourage discussion and collaboration.
 

Overcome this with an office that caters to all work modes. For example, JustCo’s coworking centres are designed with flexible work modes in mind. In fact, Micro Spaces and Neighbourhoods, which are clearly distinct zones for focus, collaboration and socialisation, are a key design feature of JustCo centres such as International Plaza in Singapore and Gran Tokyo South in Tokyo.

The reading room at JustCo Gran Tokyo South offers luxurious privacy and quiet for those moments when you need intense focus
Michelle Lee, JustCo’s Managing Director & Chief People Officer, explains the popularity of these micro spaces: “Both our consumer as well as employee engagement research picked up that one of the biggest pain points people have in the office is constant interruption, especially when they are deep in focus mode. It takes effort to stay in the zone and remain productive for long periods. So we designed dedicated Focus and Collaboration zones into our centres and offices to give individuals control over how they want to work. Our members tell us this is one of their favourite design elements at JustCo.”

 
Helping your teams to find and stay in their zone is not only good for their mental well-being, it also pays off in added productivity. Research by the University of Exeter demonstrates that employees who have control over the design and layout of their workspace are happier, healthier and up to 32% more productive.

2. Set your teams up for effective remote collaboration

Video-conference enabled meeting room at JustCo Silom Edge in Bangkok

For small business owners and large enterprise managers alike, clear communication is critical to understanding projects, setting expectations and meeting your goals. In the hybrid work era, video conferencing can help. A Forbes report tells us that “humans process visual far faster and more aptly than text or audio. 62% of executives agree that video conferencing significantly improves the quality of communication [relative to audio conferencing]. In addition, 50 percent of those surveyed believe video conferencing also improves the degree of understanding.”

 

A coworking arrangement at JustCo can help set your team up for successful remote collaboration. First of all, JustCo meeting rooms are equipped with high-quality Polycom video conferencing equipment and onsite IT support for flawless remote meetings.

In addition, JustCo membership grants you access to more than 40 locations in major gateway cities across the Asia-Pacific. This means your teams are never far from a comfortable and fully-equipped base to work from anywhere.
Top Tip: a JustCo hot desk membership is a great way to see Asia
There’s much to love about hot desking at JustCo centres, and these pictures prove it.
 
Great views and locations, premium amenities as well as stunning backdrops for your social media stories –
JustCo coworking centres have them all.
 
Best of all, when you become a JustCo member, you gain access to all our coworking locations. There’s no better way to stay productive (and give your collaborators office envy) as you work your way across Asia!
 
Inspired by what you see? Get in touch with us to book a hot desk near you today.

3. Take advantage of Nature's restorative powers

Members at JustCo Silom Edge in Bangkok get to enjoy work against the backdrop of gorgeous floor-to-ceiling views overlooking nearby Lumpini Park.

Drawing on research showing the strong links between natural environments and human well-being, many office planners have turned to biophilic design to foster physiological, psychological and cognitive benefits in the work place.

The JustCo centre at Silom Edge in Bangkok offers a prime example of biophilic design. Floor-to-ceiling windows treat members to an imperious view of nearby Lumpini Park, and the 47,000 square-foot centre is brightly lit up by natural light.

Similarly, the JustCo centre at International Plaza in Singapore acts as a lush urban garden within the dense and high-rise Tanjong Pagar precinct. By combining greenery and flora with woody and earthy elements, the centre activates our neurobiological response to natural stimuli, bestowing cognitive benefits akin to restorative activities like forest bathing.

Framed reindeer moss adorns the hallways in the JustCo centre at International Plaza, Singapore.
The JustCo centre at 175 Pitt Street in downtown Sydney is a great example of biophilic design principles at work in the office. Large floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking King Street and Pitt Street Mall open the floor to abundant natural light, revealing a bright, comfortable work, rest and socialisation areas with rejuvenating views of the city skyline. Ample use of green, leafy plants and woody elements help to evoke the natural environment, and creates a comfortable space for members to spend 8 hours or more each day.
Check out the biophilic elements at JustCo centres!

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4. Create an office where people thrive

Take a break with air hockey, ping pong or basketball at the JustCo centre in The Centrepoint, Singapore.

 

A growing body of evidence shows a strong co-relation between well-being and productivity.
For example, a study by Oxford University’s Saïd Business School reports that workers are 13% more productive when they are happy.

 

A simple way to keep spirits high and minds sharp is to encourage regular breaks. According to a 2021 Forbes report, the American Psychological Association found that taking short pauses in between work and meetings has a positive effect on individuals, with implied productivity gains.

Game for some mini-golf in between intense work? Head down to the JustCo centre at Marina Square in Singapore.

The modern hybrid employee benefits greatly from work environments with amenities close by. JustCo centres are planned with this principle, with recreational and wellness amenities found in most centres. For example, the centre at Marina Square has a mini golf area where members regularly take microbreaks at, while The Centrepoint offers basketball hoops, air-hockey and a nap room.

Members at JustCo Tower in Seoul can get a mid-work break — along with some exercise, up on the roof

JustCo Tower in Seoul even has a rooftop basketball court for avid ballers to work off any lingering frustrations.

Even better, JustCo centres are also all conveniently located near gyms and F&B, so members are never more than a few minutes walk from a quick perk-me-up.

Additionally, social events are held on a regular basis to bring JustCo members together for extracurricular fun. From lessons in calligraphy and coffee-art to community JustGohan breakfast with rice sommeliers, members get to enjoy new, interesting and uplifting activities at their centres frequently.

Unlock flexibility, engagement and productivity with coworking

Game for some mini-golf in between intense work? Head down to the JustCo centre at Marina Square in Singapore.

Flexible, hybrid work is proven to boost employee engagement and productivity, and having a coworking office arrangement helps employees to achieve the flexibility and autonomy they crave.

In fact, companies who have already done so readily extol the benefits of adopting a coworking office to house a hybrid workforce, says Michelle.

“Gartner research shows more than 32% of all employees worldwide, totalling over 628 million employees, are already working remotely. Two out of every three workers are more likely to consider a flexible role. With remote work moving from privilege to necessity, employers want to be more competitive and productive by emphasising flexibility of workspace, work time and work technology. Increasingly, our members cite this as the reason they move to and stay with a coworking provider.

JustCo offers companies a strong foundation and easy opportunity to pivot to a hybrid work model, and this shows up in the number of times our members ask us about how they can rightsize with us. The more we enable our members to adopt hybrid work arrangements, the more attractive and productive they become as employers.”

Begin your journey towards employee engagement, productivity and profitability today

If you are looking for a workspace to enable your hybrid work model, JustCo can help you make that transition easily. Get in touch with us today to find out more about JustCo’s flexible workspace solutions.

Engaged employees are better for business – and a hybrid word model has been shown to improve employee engagement.

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