- Lauren Pollack
- 2 min read
As workplace teams increasingly move under HR leadership, many HR leaders are finding themselves responsible for workplace strategy and real estate decisions—areas that may feel unfamiliar. But here’s the good news: this shift actually makes a lot of sense for where the future of work is headed.
At its core, the workplace is about people—connection, culture, collaboration, well-being, and performance. These are areas HR understands deeply.
When workplace and facilities teams sit within HR, it creates an opportunity to lead with empathy and intention, ensuring that space design supports real human needs. It also opens the door to more engagement-driven strategies—designing with employees, not just for them.
That said, balance is key. HR’s historic focus can create a bias to prioritize what people say they want—like holding onto private offices or dedicated desks—which can unintentionally limit how well the space supports what people need to do. That’s where your partnership with workplace experts becomes essential.
Here are ways HR leaders can support their transition into this expanded role:
Collaborate with workplace experts.
Lean into their knowledge of spatial strategy, utilization data, and design trends. They’ll help translate business goals into environments that truly work. Workplace experts care deeply about how space supports people and may challenge outdated practices that might hinder long-term success.
Engage employees early and often.
Involve employees throughout the process, listen actively, and show how their feedback is shaping outcomes. It builds trust and creates shared ownership.
Innovate how employees are supported during workplace change.
Adapting to a new way of working takes empathy and guidance. Change management, clear communication, and hands-on training help people feel informed and supported.
Shape how culture is expressed through space.
Co-creating etiquette and behavioral expectations helps teams understand how to navigate new environments and collaborate with clarity. Team agreements—an approach that naturally bridges workplace and HR—can help groups collaborate more effectively as ways of working continue to evolve.
Stay curious.
You don’t need all the answers—just a willingness to learn, ask questions, collaborate, and lead with people at the center.
This is an opportunity for HR to support the development of a human-centered and adaptable workplace that aligns with the evolving nature of work. You’ve got this.
CRUX Workplace
- Lauren Pollack
- 2 min read
In CRUX Workplace’s recent research, we found that monitoring utilization remains a top priority for employers. While some companies are leveraging sensors (11%) and exploring Wi-Fi monitoring (6%), the majority still rely on badge swipe data to track office attendance.
The tricky part is—badge data only tells us who entered the building, not how they use the space. To truly forecast workplace needs, we need employee insights to contextualize the data. That said, badge swipe data still holds valuable clues for workplace strategy!
Here are a few ways to leverage it effectively:
✅ Midweek Peak Mitigation – Are Wednesdays packed? Instead of assuming more space is needed, analyze team collaboration patterns to distribute office attendance more evenly across the week—reducing strain on meeting rooms, cafeterias, and parking.
✅ Events & Meetings – Identify which events drive higher attendance. This helps plan engaging team gatherings and ensures facilities teams are ready for high-occupancy days.
✅ Room Usage Trends – Overlay badge data with room scheduling systems (analog or digital) to see which spaces employees prefer, especially on low-occupancy days when they have more choice. This is great information to validate directly with employees to understand why they choose certain spaces.
✅ Peak Time of Day – Understanding arrival trends helps optimize culture-building initiatives and uncover potential barriers (e.g., caregiving responsibilities, time zone conflicts, or rush hour avoidance).
Badge data gives us a broad picture of utilization. By using it strategically, companies can optimize space planning—without immediate investment in new tech.
How is your organization leveraging workplace data for smarter decision-making? Let’s discuss in the comments! ⬇️