Using Workplace Utilisation Data at the Taupō District Council
This time last year we celebrated the opening of Taupō District Council’s new civic building, He Whare Hono ō Tūwharetoa, with TwentyTwo’s David Lambie leading this initiative alongside Council and Ngāti Tūwharetoa.
Twelve months on, we sat down with Council’s General Manager, Organisation Performance, Sarah Matthews and Digital Solutions Manager, Tracey May, to check in on how well He Whare Hono ō Tūwharetoa is meeting Council’s needs.
The new workplace, supporting approximately 240 staff across two floors, was designed for a range of working styles – meetings part of the day, focus pods for more detailed work and meeting rooms for collaboration. Neighbourhoods were developed for people who work together regularly.
Given staff had previously worked in a traditional model of one desk per person, Council was keen to have access to more real time data at the new site to fully understand how people were adapting to the new workstyles, and how this was affecting utilisation and capacity . Data was also seen as central to helping support staff through this change.
As part of our engagement, TwentyTwo’s Technology22 practice was appointed to lead the design and implementation of all workplace technology. With new real time utilisation tools emerging, a key initiative was installing XY Sense, a seamless, unobtrusive solution that records real time desk occupancy using co-ordinates and anonymous metadata alongside current floorplans, to give Council accurate information about how the spaces are being used.
Council leaned on TwentyTwo’s expertise, knowledge and practical advice in order to make an informed but timely decision.
TwentyTwo just seemed to fit really well and were aligned to the objectives that we were trying to achieve. And their knowledge made us work through that project quite fast” notes Tracey
Installation and calibration was completed before moving into the building, enabling Council to get data from day one – and its proven to be a very useful for understanding staff patterns and making informed decisions.
Along with debunking some common myths (like that there are no available desks, meeting rooms are booked) Council have used the data to make sense of the needs across the organisation and provide insight on where alternative workpoints or seating could be provided, on days where there is a lot of occupancy.
Positive outcomes have also come from staff being able to circulate more widely across the building – reducing teams working in silos. They’ve even used the data to pinpoint an issue unrelated to occupancy.
“Having objective, defensible data is always really helpful when making decisions about space and capacity and investment “ adds Sarah.
A year in, the metrics continue to deliver insights and help the team make transformative decisions, instead of relying on anecdotal evidence and guesswork. Teams have adapted to their new work environment, finding their own cadence with others and optimising the available areas, desks and spaces.
Alongside TwentyTwo, Sarah and Tracy are able to get a holistic view of their workspace, use the information to manage the natural ebbs and flows and make more informed decisions.
Many Applications
TwentyTwo is increasingly using XY Sense and other custom designed sensor technologies to help clients make better real time decisions, across entire buildings, meeting rooms or public spaces.
Applications include permanent installations for single buildings or entire portfolios or temporary installations in existing spaces to help inform new projects, like we have recently done for polytechnic UCOL (more to come). These studies provide meaningful insights during a defined survey period to help inform property, space and design decisions for refurbished or new projects.
This real time data, accessible remotely, not only helps inform day to day utilisation and choices but provides longitudinal evidence to inform future investment decisions.
