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Rob Taylor, Head of People at TwentyCi
The modern workplace is ever-changing, demanding flexibility and adaptability.
Rob Taylor, the Head of People at TwentyCi, has led his team through the intricacies of the hybrid workplace since 2012. His dedication to finding solutions has helped create a work culture that inspires others to overcome challenges and embrace change. Let's hear from Rob as he shares his journey and its impact on his team.
The complexity of hybrid work
The shift towards a hybrid work model after the pandemic outbreak posed numerous challenges, even for companies like TwentyCi that had been following this model for over a decade. Rob revealed they faced several difficulties transitioning from Slack to Microsoft Teams. They needed a tool that could seamlessly integrate with their predominantly Microsoft-based ecosystem. In addition, managing office space, adhering to social distancing norms, and accommodating diverse employee preferences for in-office days were other challenges that required a thoughtful solution.
People were looking at who's going to be in. Is it worth me going into that part of the office? Because there's only going to be me, or is there gonna be six people there, and it'll be thriving and vibrant.
I set myself a reminder and sometimes book my schedule a month ahead. It's so straightforward: you click-click, and you’re done! I have set up everybody, allocated people to desks, and don’t have to think about it anymore.
Rob Taylor
Head of People, TwentyCi
Streamline the process and embrace deskbird
Enter deskbird, a tool that not only meets TwentyCi's immediate needs but also provides a platform for future growth. Rob shared that they initially used Officely but faced limitations when integrating it with Teams. And as the company shifted from Slack to Teams, deskbird became the bridge that facilitated a smooth transition. As Rob explained,
The transition from Officely to deskbird was challenging initially. However, with deskbird, you can schedule your week at a time, you can do a month at a time. It's just easy, and we probably have 80-85% adoption without chasing people.
deskbird is the ideal fit for TwentyCi, offering seamless desk allocation, Microsoft Teams integration, and maximum capacity settings. deskbird also won on a price and support level, as Rob highlighted:
Your cost is transparent. There's nothing worse than going on a website for a tool you might want to use, and it says contact us for a price. And the support has been outstanding and very responsive.
The tool's functionality was crucial in optimizing office space and ensuring a balanced distribution of employees throughout the week. “When choosing the alternative of Officely,” said Rob, “we were primarily concerned with speed because our technical director wanted to move quite quickly. He came across deskbird, and we just went with this one because it has all the functionalities we needed, the integration with Microsoft was easy, and it's not ridiculously expensive.”
The impact of deskbird on TwentyCi's hybrid workplace has been profound. Rob pointed out the ease with which deskbird allowed them to manage social distancing measures, allocate desks based on employee preferences, and streamline communication about who's in the office on a given day. The employees benefit from knowing who is traveling or working from home, preventing commute regret and boosting productivity, as some live at least two hours away from the office.
As TwentyCi continues its journey in the hybrid workplace, Rob's advice to other organizations is clear: trust your people. Embrace flexibility and treat employees like grown-ups, and most of them will repay your trust in productivity. The success of their hybrid model relies on providing choices and managing the situation if trust is breached. From addressing immediate challenges to fostering unexpected positive outcomes, deskbird has become integral to TwentyCi's journey toward a more flexible and collaborative work culture.
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