ti&m places is a product that is integrated into Microsoft Teams, enabling companies to manage office occupancy and employees to flexibly reserve their workspace in the office. The service will be available in August for the German and English versions of Microsoft Teams, with other languages following later on an ongoing basis.
The concept of the hybrid workplace has been gaining ground for some time, but has been further boosted due to the COVID 19 pandemic: Employees want to switch flexibly between home and office working, and to decide for themselves when and where they work. If companies are to retain the best talent in the long term, they need simple solutions and concepts that reflect the new reality.
Flexible workspace models must be transparent for employees and easy to plan
Whereas in the past the fixed office workspace was almost like a second home, many employees have today set up a functional workspace within their own four walls. The only reason to go to the office is for meetings and special project days. For organizations with a hybrid workplace model, it’s especially important to give employees the security of being able to reserve a workspace in advance. Because not having a fixed workspace can also lead to insecurity and stress. It is interesting to note that studies have found it is not a fixed workspace in itself that provides a feeling of security, but employees' ability to decide for themselves where and when to work.
Companies spend a great deal of money on office space, but often lack a clear picture of the extent to which it is actually used, and as working from home becomes more widely accepted, many workspaces are increasingly standing empty. With ti&m places, companies can create and manage workspaces, rooms and entire buildings, monitor office occupancy in real time and set occupancy limits depending on the situation - for example, in the event of quotas being imposed due to coronavirus. Integrated analysis reports provide comprehensive insights into office usage, allowing utilization to be optimized and real estate costs reduced. ti&m places creates transparency and simplifies the long-term planning of office space, making it easy and transparent to implement home office strategies.
High employee acceptance due to simplicity and intuitive operation
ti&m places is fully integrated into Microsoft Teams, so users don’t need to download any additional apps or register for any new services. The intuitive operation and seamless integration of ti&m places into the existing Microsoft Teams ecosystem means employees can get started without the need for any time-consuming introduction, enabling them to incorporate the new workplace management system quickly and easily into their everyday work.
Employees can use the system not only to reserve a desk and manage existing bookings, but also to see where colleagues are sitting and to locate printers, the nearest coffee machine and available parking spaces. In addition to rooms, other resources such as vehicles or tools can be integrated into ti&m places, providing a central planning tool through which they can be easily reserved and used.
Places enables companies to rethink their office space. It opens up the potential to offer quiet rooms and spaces where employees can retreat for confidential discussions or in order to concentrate, or to reserve creative and project spaces for specific topics. ti&m places also encourages collaborative project work in interdisciplinary teams because it allows employees to determine for themselves where and when collaboration will take place. This means they can shape their own working day, which in turn enhances creativity and motivation.
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About ti&m
ti&m stands for technology, innovation & management. We are leader for digitalization, security and innovation projects and products in Switzerland and we are striving to do the same in other financial and technology centres. We offer our discerning clients vertical integration throughout the IT value chain. At our offices in Zurich, Bern, Frankfurt and Singapore, we currently employ over 380 outstanding engineers, designers, and consultants. And further offices in Europe will follow. The basis of our growth lies in our strengths and values: courage, a wealth of ideas, agility, and entrepreneurial flair, coupled with sustainability and Swissness.
Contact ti&m
For general queries, please contact the ti&m Marketing team:
marketing@ti8m.ch, T +41 44 497 75 00