Over the course of the past few years, the European labour market has seen a significant shift towards a new paradigm. Jobseekers are no longer interested in traditional benefits or prestigious titles. Instead, the modern workforce prioritises freedom, flexibility, and autonomy in their employment conditions. The appeal of choosing where and when to work, the power to blend work-life boundaries seamlessly and the desire for a more balanced life have all become predominant preferences.

This shift, powered by technological advances and changing societal values, has bloomed in a new era where businesses must adapt or risk becoming obsolete. Attracting new talent has become more and more difficult for companies that are not ready to conform to the new demands. As a result, companies face an ongoing challenge to ditch the traditional understanding of working conditions and react to the new expectations with innovative solutions. And we at Accace are no exception.

Adopting the hybrid work model

Back in 2021, with pandemic playing an important role in shaping the hybrid work model as we know it today, we faced a never-before seen issue. Even though our number of our employees increased, the number of available desks and parking spots hadn’t expanded since the lock-down began a year before. One might think that remote work would solve everything. Although it was – and still is – an option here at Accace, many colleagues were eager to return to the familiar office setting either full-time or hybrid, combining working from home and the office during the week. You can imagine the logistical headache it had created – with confusion over parking and desk availability. We clearly needed a simple and effective solution that all of our employees could benefit from. Hence, we opted for the in-house development of Book!t, a tool that allowed online booking of shared desks and parking spaces. In 3 simple clicks our employees were suddenly able to book a desk and parking space up to a month ahead. This web application, although seemingly straightforward, encapsulates the essence of modern workspaces: flexibility, autonomy and choice.

Book!t and its popularity among our employees

Two years later, between January and August 2023, Book!t had an incredible 1,162 reservations for shared parking spaces in our Slovak offices, where the project was piloted. Moreover, even though we have over 170 employees in our Slovak offices, only 19 desks are permanently booked. This scenario clearly demonstrates the tool’s effectiveness in smart management of logistical challenges when accommodating such a large employee base with limited permanent seating. Team meetings are no longer a problem, since Book!t provides an overview of the availability of colleagues in the office on a specific date. Our tool was developed to suit everyone – from start-ups and coworking spaces to SMEs and large organisations.

Implications for companies

In the ever-evolving landscape of the professional world, technology is now more essential than ever in the employee-employer relationship. As the requirements and expectations of workers, businesses, and organisations shift and digitalisation shapes the future of work, it’s crucial for companies to embrace innovation in order to stay competitive and attract and keep the best talent. Rigid structures are no longer the wave of the future. Instead, businesses must create fluid ecosystems that will motivate and engage their employees, because at the heart of their success lie their empowered employees.

How does your company tackle the contemporary work demands?

If you are facing a similar challenge as we did during our transition to hybrid work model and would like to know more about our solution, get in touch with us.